Readings on the Porch

Roger Heineken of the William Allen White Community Partnership Inc. describes the life of Mary White to a gathering of about a dozen people.

Tonight was the opening program for Readings on the Porch at the William Allen White House State Historic Site.

Mary White was the topic.

Jim Bartruff

Jim Bartruff, Director of Theatre at Emporia State University did a dramatic reading of the editorial “Mary White” written by William Allen White immediately following Mary’s funeral in May of 1921.

William Allen White was traveling by train to the East Coast at the time of Mary’s horse riding accident. Sallie White sent him a telegram informing him of the accident, but that Mary’s injuries didn’t seem serious.

Another telegram followed, saying that Mary had taken a turn for the worse and he should return home.

White was on his way to Emporia when friend and novelist Edna Ferber met him at the train station in Chicago to deliver the bad news to White that Mary had died.

In Kansas City, White picked up a copy of the Kansas City Star and read the Associated Press account of her death.

And that’s how he begins the editorial: “The Associated Press reports carrying the news of Mary White’s death declared that it came as the result of a fall from a horse. How she would have hooted at that! She never fell from a horse in her life.”

Heineken shows a photograph to audience members of the 1931 dedication of the wading pool at Peter Pan Park. The land for Peter Pan Park was given to the city by William Allen and Sally White as a quiet way of remembering their daughter. “She was a Peter Pan.”

The photograph shows the Whites – and also Charles Curtis, sitting Vice President of the United States (who, as you all know, was from Kansas), Gov. Harry Woodring, U.S. Rep. Homer Hoch and U.S. Sen. Arthur Capper.

William Allen White standing in a rose garden at Peter Pan Park.

 

Readings on the Porch will continue next Thursday at 7 p.m.

Beverley Buller of Newton will present the program next week – June 21. She plans to read the chapter “No Place Like Home” about life at Red Rocks.

Her book is entitled “From Emporia: The Story of William Allen White” and should be out sometime in July.

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Bartruff reminded the audience that the ESU Summer Theatre season has begun. Check out the Summer Theatre schedule.