Kearny County Women Who Made the News in the 20th Century

Born November 16, 1880, Virginia Pierce Hicks was the third girl born in Kearny County. Hicks entered the field of education, and as faculty advisor at Lakin Rural High School, she guided her students through the production of the 1927 and 1931 Prairie Breezes. These yearbooks not only included school history and happenings but also stories about local history. Virginia later became the driving force in establishing the Kearny County Historical Society and served as the society’s first president. The original intent of the KCHS was not a museum but instead a printed volume of facts. That first volume of “History of Kearny County Kansas” was published in 1964 with Hicks responsible for a great deal of the research and copy.

India Harris Simmons was a widely known author and compiler of western history and the supervisor of the Federal Writers Project in Dodge City during the 1930s. The project provided work relief for unemployed writers whose works were combined into unique guidebooks about the then 48 states, Alaska Territory, Puerto Rico and Washington, DC. Simmons’ stories were also published in the Independent, Dodge City Globe, and other Kansas newspapers. She served as the historian for the Kearny County Old Settlers Association for many years. Although she passed away in 1942, Simmons’ articles, like those of Hicks, were used extensively in Volume I.

From 1918 to 1980, Hannah Rosebrook wrote a weekly column in the Lakin Independent entitled “Fairview News.” Kansas Press Women honored Hannah in 1975 as the oldest active newspaper correspondent/columnist in the state. Prior to her death in 1980, she was cited by various sources as the oldest living reporter in America. Not only did Rosebrook write of local events, she wove wisdom and opinion into her columns, often predicting the direction which popular opinion would take. A collection of her columns was published in 1980 by Fort Hays State University.

The four daughters of Lakin’s founding father, John O’Loughlin, were all involved in the production of our county history books, but none as much as eldest daughter, Margaret O’Loughlin Hurst. Margaret’s interest in research and the history of Southwest Kansas led to her begin collecting newspaper clippings during the Depression. She served as the KCHS’s official historian from 1957 until 1975. Hurst was responsible for contacting many of the people who contributed personal stories to the Kearny County history books.

Hazel Stullken was Monte Canfield’s right-hand “man” for over 40 years at the Lakin Independent, proofreading, running the linotype, job press and folder, and generally putting the weekly paper together. Concerned over the lack of communication among committees in the Lakin United Methodist Church, Hazel originated the “Methodist Life” in 1966, and for 30 years was its leading lady serving as editor, layout artist, printer and writing for the newsletter. An active charter member of the KCHS, Hazel was in charge of publicity, researched, and wrote for both volume books.

Shirley White Henderson documented a great deal of history through the lens of her camera. Beginning in the late 1940s, many of the photographs that graced the pages of the Lakin Independent were taken by Shirley. In 1948, she was appointed the local/society editor of the Independent. Shirley had the enormous task of assembling material, writing features and historical articles in addition to taking, developing and printing pictures for the paper’s 40+ page Diamond Jubilee edition. Shirley was in charge of photography for the second volume of “History of Kearny County” and wrote for the book. She furnished pictures for “Methodist Life” and through her business, Photography by Shirley, took and developed many wedding, family and event photographs.

Naomi Davis Burrows worked for 22 years in the Kearny County Treasurer’s office. This experience came in handy for Burrows as Chief of the Editorial Staff for Volume II. Burrows had also been one of the “faithful few” who helped to make the first volume a reality. With the help of Velma Cox, Vernon and Betty Barnes, she put in a great deal of time researching and writing the veteran section of Volume II. Naomi also researched and wrote many other stories that appeared in the volume books.

Betty Barnes spent 30 years digging through records, newspapers and microfilm to compile obituaries of people buried in Kearny County. The result was her invaluable book series, “Diggin’ Up Bones.” The books of Lakin and Hartland cemeteries were published in 1996, and Betty’s 1997 book includes obituaries of Deerfield, Fairview and miscellaneous Kearny County cemeteries. Her 2001 book covers Kendall, Lydia German Lutheran, Lydia Lutheran, Lydia Methodist and Shockey cemeteries.

In the second half of the 1900s, Leona Davis was usually involved one way or another in weddings that took place in Lakin. Leona was a florist and what some would consider a wedding planner before the term was fashionable. A society correspondent for the Lakin Independent, she wrote engagement announcements, wedding stories, and other local news items. As co-director of the Davis Funeral Home, Leona also contributed to obituaries which appeared in the Independent and other area papers.

These nine selfless ladies, while writing about others or taking pictures, have etched their names into local history. There are many more who could arguably make the list: club and church secretaries, volunteer writers/photographers for local publications, high school journalism students, newspaper employees, local poets/authors, genealogists, and staff members of the volume books. All left behind a body of work that is invaluable to future historians, researchers and writers. Undoubtedly, Kearny County and the Historical Society would not be where we are today without these women.