Raymond J. Thornburg, 93, of Osborne, KS, passed away on Sunday, November 3, 2019, at the South Central Medical Center, in Arkansas City, KS.
He was born in Alton, KS on April 1 1926 to the late Raymond & Florence (King) Thornburg.
Raymond graduated from high school in Alton, KS.
He served in the U. S. Army in WW II and received the Purple Heart. After Raymond was discharged from the Army, he went to work at Hardman Wholesale Lumber and later was manager for the Minden, Neb., location.
Raymond is survived by his wife, Ardyce, of the home; his son: Ron Thornburg of Winfield, KS; sister: Murna Saunders of Hominy, OK; 3 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
Nearly 70,000 young people recently attended the National FFA convention in Indianapolis. I could write a book about all of the awesome things that happen at this event and how it changes lives.
One of the main purposes for the convention is to host the national competitive events for the organization. Students compete to be national champions in public speaking, agronomy, meat evaluation, entrepreneurship, the agriscience fair and several hundred other contest areas.
In recent years, these competitions have become a source of pride and excitement for me as I have watched two of my nieces vie for national championships. Last week my niece, Madi, and her teammates, Zach and Brooklyn, earned first place in the marketing plan competition, which challenges each team to write a marketing plan to increase sales for a real ag-related business. The students present and defend their plan to panels of industry and academic experts from across the country.
This competition, like all of the national competitive events, requires months (or years) of preparation, skill development, sacrifices of time, energy and so much more to be ready to compete. These students have more preparation and experience than many industry professionals do by the time they are done.
One of the judges made an interesting observation. She said in her experience people at this level are so driven that completion colors their interactions and makes them aggressive toward each other. However, she said in FFA members have a culture of cooperation even among competitors. They acted courteous and helpful even to their competitors. She wanted to know how that was possible.
The judge was right, as odd as it seems, it is common to see FFA members in the same competition share words of encouragement or lend a needed piece of equipment to another team who forgot something or had a breakdown.
The reason for this behavior is simple. FFA has a culture that emphasizes the importance of values like honesty, hard work and courtesy to others.
Helping another person in need is a simple and expected courtesy. Sure, it may give you an advantage if your competition is injured, but that is not an honest or fulfilling way to win. We teach our students to win because they earn it and to respect the effort and skills of their competitors. Another person competing at their best makes you work even harder to be your best.
In a world so full of experiences and activities, it can be easy to forget about the importance of values. Out of all the investments we can make, instilling these values is the activity that rises to the top. Young people, who understand what values are expected, develop solid character and often grow to become trusted community contributors and leaders.
How are young people in your community being raised? Do you have programs like FFA, 4-H, Boy and Girl Scouts that emphasize values? Are expectations being modeled in their schools and sports programs? Is someone teaching why values are important?
These investments in the next generation are crucial. If we teach young people important values and have high expectations of their character, I am confident that no matter their goal, they will rise to the top.
“Insight” is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — An inmate serving a life sentence for killing a Kansas teacher has been sentenced to an additional 19 ½ years for attempting to sexually assault a prison counselor.
The extra time was ordered last week for 42-year-old Tanner Green. He already is serving a “Hard 50” life term for the 2000 murder of Janice Vredenburg in her Goddard home.
Green said during the hearing that he doesn’t “deserve to be in society.”
Green wrote his wife before the attack, saying he saw a woman in the Hutchinson prison that looked like her and he was going to “give himself up completely to his innermost cravings” for his birthday. The prison counselor was able to fight him off and trigger a panic alarm on her belt.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 20-year-old Wichita man who intentionally ran over a dog several times has been sentenced to a year in jail.
Cole Carter -photo Sedgwick Co.
Cole Ford Carter was sentenced Monday after earlier pleading guilty to cruelty to animals, criminal threat and a misdemeanor criminal carrying of a weapon.
Carter killed 13-year-old Benji in December 2018 after the dog escaped through a fence while his owners were visiting Wichita.
Video showed Carter hit the dog, got out of his car and slammed Benji to the ground before stomping on him. Carter than ran over the dog several times. The motive for the attack is unclear.
An affidavit says Carter later threatened to hurt a neighbor who reported him to police.
Benji was a mix Bichon-Frise and Maltese and weighed about 15 pounds.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has ended an unusual practice for redrawing the lines of legislative districts that has cost university communities political clout.
Voters on Tuesday approved an amendment to the Kansas Constitution eliminating a requirement for the state to adjust federal census figures when the Legislature redistricts itself every 10 years.
The adjustment counts college students and military personnel not where they’re living but in a “permanent” home elsewhere. For thousands of people, that’s outside Kansas.
Kansas is among only a few states that adjust federal census figures for redistricting, and before the practice started in the 1990s, the state did its own census for decades.
Secretary of State Scott Schwab called the adjustment archaic and said it would have cost the state $835,000 ahead of redistricting in 2022.
A 26-year-old Hays man was sentenced to more than five years in prison Monday for having sex with a 14-year-old.
Robert Sanetta was originally charged with two counts of indent liberties with a child and one count of criminal sodomy for engaging in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old in 2018.
As the result of a plea agreement, Sanetta pleaded no contest in September to the two felony counts of indent liberties and the criminal sodomy charged was dismissed.
Under the agreement, Sanetta was expected to be sentenced to probation Monday in Ellis County District Court, but Chief Judge Glenn Braun sentenced Sanetta to 64 months in prison.
The victim and her mother addressed the court before Braun issued his sentence. They both said they thought of Sanetta as a member of their family. Sanetta also said he felt like he was a part of their family but claimed that not all of the facts were brought to light in court.
His lawyer claimed the same thing, saying there was a lack of parental supervision.
Braun said he understood the reason County Attorney Tom Drees agreed to probation in the case. But he noted he did not see any mitigating factors, pointing out a 14-year-old cannot enter into a consensual sexual relationship, especially with someone who was 11 years older than her at the time.
Braun said probation was not in the best interest in this case and sentenced Sanetta to prison.
Sanetta will be subject to 24 months post-release supervision and must register and a sex offender for 25 years.
TOPEKA — The Kansas Historical Foundation and the Kansas Historical Society announced they have received a $1 million gift from the Overland Park-based Sunderland Foundation. With this major gift the Kansas Historical Foundation’s Honor · Education · Inspire Capital Campaign, with a goal to raise $7 million for new exhibits for the Kansas Museum of History, is 67 percent complete. In addition to the Sunderland Foundation donation, the Historical Foundation and Historical Society announced as part of their 144th annual meeting that they have received $250,000 from the Lewis H. Humphreys Charitable Trust.
The Sunderland family’s roots extend far into Kansas history. In 1882 the family founded Ash Grove White Lime Association in Ash Grove, Missouri. The company took over a plant in Chanute, Kansas, in 1908. The Ash Grove Cement Company materials were used to construct highways, bridges, commercial and industrial complexes, and single- and multi-family homes. Through four generations of the Sunderland family, between 1909 and 2018, the company grew to become the fifth largest manufacturer of Portland cement in the United States, the sixth largest in North America.
Lester T. Sunderland created the family foundation in 1945. The Sunderland Foundation, based in Overland Park, has invested in places and spaces where nonprofits do their work, including capital improvement and one-time special projects in the areas of arts and culture and education. The foundation’s focus on funding has helped nonprofits fulfill their missions and foster stronger, safer, and more vibrant communities. His two sons, Paul Sunderland and Allen B. Sunderland, carried on his philanthropy.
“We are excited to leave this important legacy for future generations of Kansans,” said Kent Sunderland, president of the Sunderland Foundation. “This innovative project will help students be proud of their state’s role in the nation.”
The Sunderland Foundation donation follows the $1 million donation from the Hansen Foundation of Logan in 2015. These two $1 million gifts are the largest gifts the Historical Foundation and Historical Society have received.
The Lewis H. Humphreys Charitable Trust, Bank of America, donated $250,000 toward the capital campaign. The Humphreys Trust supports important programming for underserved and disadvantaged populations in east central Kansas. Humphreys was a rancher, businessman, and philanthropist who lived in Arvonia and Osage City.
The Kansas Museum of History’s new exhibits will honor those who have come before us. They will tell the stories of Kansas in a way that resonates in the 21st century. The new exhibits are projected to open in January 2023. Since the Museum’s opening in 1984 nearly 2 million people have visited. Each year the Historical Society serves more than 20 million people onsite and online through its award-winning programs that also include historic preservation, tax credits, archaeology, state historic sites, and archives.
Carol Bales
As part of the annual members meeting, Historical Foundation officers and board members were elected. Officers of the Foundation for 2019-2020 are Carol Bales, Logan, president; Lidia Hook Gray, Liberal, president elect; F. Dave Seaton, Winfield, vice president; Rita L. Noll, Council Grove, secretary; Don Chubb, Topeka, past president; and Jon Boursaw, Topeka, treasurer. Reelected as members of the executive committee are Shelly Hickman Clark, Lawrence; Gennifer House, Goodland; and Michelle Cuevas Stubblefield, Topeka. Newly elected to the executive committee are Linda Jeffrey, Topeka; and Herschel L. Stroud, Topeka. Retiring from the executive committee are William Kassebaum, Burdick; and Hal Ross, Wichita. Retiring from the board of directors are Jane Deterding, Wichita; Karen Linn, Topeka; Michael Stubbs, Eskridge, who will be moving to the honorary board; and Vern Swanson, Clay Center.
The Kansas Historical Foundation, a 501(c) (3), is a fund raising, fund management, membership, and retail organization, whose mission is to support the Historical Society, a state agency. Established together by newspapers editors in 1875, the organizations jointly hold the annual meeting to elect officers and board members.
Raymond J. Thornburg, 93, of Osborne, KS, passed away on Sunday, November 3, 2019, at the South Central Medical Center, in Arkansas City, KS.
