Kansas is a midwestern state in the central region of the United States. This area is often referred to as the American “Heartland”. It is named after the Kansas River, which flows through the state. The river was in turn named after the Kansa tribe who inhabited the aread. Kansa is said to mean “people of the south wind”. Residents of this area are called “Kansans”. Geographically Kansas is bordered by Nebraska on the north; Missouri on the east; Oklahoma on the south; and Colorado on the west. The entire state is divided up into 105 countries with 628 cities. Kansas is located equidistant from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
This is just a few of the legends who were born in the state of Kansas. I picked the ones who I deemed most interesting.
Legends From Kansas
Buster Keaton the famous comedian was born in Piqua, Kansas on October 4, 1895. He was married three times. He was an Academy Award winning American comic actor, and filmmaker. He was best known for his silent films. His trademark was a physical comedy with a stoic, deadpan expression on his face. This garnered him the nickname “The Great Stone Face” in reference to the Nathaniel Hawthorne story about the “Old Man of the Mountain. His career as a performer and director is considered to be the most innovative and important work in the hisotry of cinema. He was also called “The Michelangelo of Silent Comedy”. He was born into a vaudeville family. Buster was only three years old when her first began performing in The Three Keatons. He served in World War I, during this time his hearing became impaired. He appeared in films with the likes of Fatty Arbuckle and Jimmy Durante. He was also a gag writer for the Marx Brothers films At The Circus, and Go West, also for Red Skeleton. He died of lung cancer on February 1, 1966, in Woodland Hills, California, at age 70. His wife Eleanor also died of lung cancer in 1998.
Vivian Vance was born in Cherryvale, Kansas on July 26, 1909. She is best known for the role of Ethel on I Love Lucy. Did you know that Bea Benaderet was actually a friend of Lucy’s and was the first choice to play the role of Ethel. Bea Benaderet played the role of mother on Petticoat Junction, and also a fabulous actress. Vivian won an Emmy Award, aside from having a successful career. Her birthname is actually Vivian Robert Jones, and she was second of six children born to their parent’s union. Eventually, she changed her surname to Vance after folklorist Vance Randolph. Soon after she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma hoping to find work as an actress. In 1953, she was honored for her work and became the first actress to win an Emmy Award for “Outstanding Supporting Actress.” She accepted her award in 1954, and was nominated another three times before the end of I Love Lucy. She was married 4 times. She never had children. She has credits including Broadway, films, and television work. Her films included The Secret Fury in 1950, The Blue Veil in 1951, I Love Lucy in 1953, and The Great Race in 1965. She did television shows like The Deputy, Getting Away From It All, Here’s Lucy, The Great Houdini, Lucy Calls The President, I Love Lucy, The Luci-Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, The Front Page, Rhoda, Love, American Style, and Sam. Vivian Vance passed away August 17, 1979, at the age of 70. She is also memoralized in the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center in Jamestown, New York. For her achievements in television Vivian was posthumously awarded a star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991.
Dennis Hopper was born in Dodge City in 1936. He attended art classes at the Kansas City Art Institute as a young boy. In high school he was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by his class at Helix High School. And famous be became! He is perhaps most known for his roles in Easy Rider, Super Marios Bros. Movie, and Hoosiers. He has been active in the entertainment industry since 1954 to present day. He is one of my favorite actors, especially love him in the movie Flashback!
Amelia Earhart (pronounced AIR-hart) was born in Atchinson, Kansas, on July 24, 1897. Her occupation was aviator, author, and spokesperson. She was famous for being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and she continued setting many records. She was noted as missing July 2, 1937 over central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. In her lifetime she was widely known as a celebrity. She was declared deceased on January 5, 1939. She was married to George P. Putnam. She was named “one of the best women pilots in the United States”, according to the Boston Globe. She was home-schooled until the seventh grade when her family finally enrolled her and her sister into public school. She was 12 at that time. You can find her biography, pictures and more at her official website http://www.ameliaearhart.com/ .
Gwendolyn Brooks the famous poet was born in Topeka, Kansas on June 7, 1917. Her mother was a school teacher who left teaching for marriage and motherhood. Her father was the son of a runaway slave who fought during the Civil War. Brooks was just 13 years olf when she published her first poem in a children’s magazine. By the time she was 16 she had compiled her poetry portfolio to include around 75 published poems. Her first book of poetry was published in 1945 by Harper and Row, titled A Street in Bronzeville. She received instant critical acclaim. She was extremely gifted and exceptional as a writer. She has also won awars like the Pulitizer Prize for poetry, and it was the first given to an African-American. She was also named Poet Laureate of illinois in 1968. She received important awards such as the Frost Medal, the Shelley Memorial Award, Poet Laureate, she received many awards and acclaim outside of these few. Her mark on the world is truly remarkable. She died after a battle with cancer on Sunday, December 3, 2000, at 83 years of age. She is said to have passed away with pen in hand, surrounded by verse and people she loved. She was buried in Blue Island, Illinois, at the Lincoln Cemetary.
Other notable Kansans include Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle the famous actor was born in Smith Center, Kansas. William E. Stafford the poet who was from Hutchinson. Bob Dole the notorious politician is from Russell. Walter Johnson the baseball pitcher is from Humboldt. John Steuart Curry the painer from Dunavant. Football player Barry Sanders is from Witchita. Other notable categories include photojournalists, poets, jurists, actresses, actors, aviator, film directors, musicians, journalists, professional clown, educator and many others.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivian_Vance
