Leaders from Rural KS

My son James and I drove 650 miles from IL to Hill City, KS for Spotlighting USDA in NW Kansas. We decided to drive because it was actually quicker (2 full days vs. 2 ½ days flying) and much cheaper ($1000 for a roundtrip ticket). I can’t wait until the new very light jet air taxis get rolling. I’ll be blogging on a number of the interesting things that I observed at the USDA event for this entire week.

One of the things that struck me in our drive across Kansas was the number of notable people who hailed from the towns along interstate 70. From Abilene to WaKeeney (150 miles) we saw signs for President Dwight Eisenhower (Abilene—population 6,456); Senator and Presidential Candidate Bob Dole and Senator Arlen Specter (Russell—population 4,404) and Walter Chrysler (Ellis—population 1,827). In addition, two U. S. Astronauts were born and raised in small Kansas towns along that route.

Kansas is not unique. I’ve seen it in other parts of the country. Small towns and rural areas seem to have a knack for instilling an incredible work ethic and leadership skills.