The Oral History Project was conducted in the Spring of 2001 and was a collaborative project between Mrs. Stoker's fourth grade class, the high school English class, and the high school U.S. History class. High school students paired up with a fourth grader and researched a particular person by first getting a general understanding of their contribution to the community, researching the history involved, and then conducting an oral interview of the subject. The fourth graders each made posters about their person using photos and memorabilia they had collected in the interviews. The posters were displayed in the Post Office for the community to see. The high school students made Powerpoint presentations of their subject and presented their project to various community groups. Some of the transcripts have been completed with about 65% of them still being transcribed. More information will be added to this site as the transcriptions are completed.

LESSON PLAN FOR ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

The following individuals were kind enough to allow the students in the Oral History Project to interview them. They represent a wide array of individuals who are veterans from different wars, pioneers, educators, heroes, and good, old-fashioned hard workers.

David Adamson Retired school principal whose ancestors were the France family, one of the first pioneer families in the county. The France Brothers were famous local cowboys who once saw President Theodore Roosevelt. Interviewed by Becky Puls (Sr. 2001) & Darian Wezel (4th Gr.)
LaRue Adamson The mother of David Adamson (above) and of 11 children. Grew up in Kiowa County in the late teens and 20's. Her children contributed to the welfare of Eads by owning businesses, fighting in the wars, working in the health profession, volunteering, and being instrumental in education. Interviewed by Ryan Phillips (Sr. 2001) & Cory Adamson (4th Gr.)	LaRue passed away in October, 2004 after enjoying a birthday bash with her 11 children and numerous grandchildren.
Catherine Anderson Cathy has a PhD in Midwifery and a number of other degrees. She lives in Arlington where she represents the West-end people in county politics. She is a member of the very active Anderson family that settled in Arlington in the early years of the county's development Interviewed by Amber Watson (Sr. 2001) & Tara Spady (4th Gr.)
Clark Beeson Glenn Beeson, Clark's grandson interviewed him and found out some interesting information about Clark's experience as a veteran. The letter is one he wrote home to his mother. View the interview transcript in Word. Interviewed by Glenn Beeson (Sr. 2002)		Clark Beeson Interview Transcript
Richard Berger Rich was in World War II and came back to Kiowa County to become a successful businessman. He still golfs everyday at the new Eads Golf Course. While growing up in Towner, he had friends who were caught in the Towner Bus Tragedy in 1931 where six people froze to death.
Belva Berry Belva was a school teacher during the Depression in a number of schools throughout the county. Her husband Lloyd played on some of the best baseball teams in the area and later became an important civic leader. Their son Cardon has served as County Commissioner and now holds a seat on the Town Council. Interviewed by Adam Conrad (Sr. 2001) & Cardon Brandt.
Charles Bowen (transcript) Charles came from Texas and moved to Kiowa County after his long tour of duty in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. He showed us his Purple Heart and has a number of war items in his collection. He is also the owner of some important historical land where portions of the Sand Creek Massacre happened. Interviewed by Skyler Weeks (Sr. 2002)
George Crow (see Theatre Project) Mr. Crow is considered the Father of Eads. He graduated from Eads High School in the mid-30s and immediately got down to business. He is the original entrepreneur of the county having a hand in the creation of the major infrastructure components in the county. Interviewed by Kyle Barnett (Sr. 2001) & Jordan Barnett (4th Gr.)
Pansy Foxworthy Mrs. Foxworthy graduated from Eads High School in the early 1930s and has been instrumental promoting the Town of Eads being civic minded in various organizations. Her family was one of the early families in the county. Interviewed by Jennifer James (Sr. 2001) & Ruby Leyva (4th Gr.)
Forrest Frazee Mr. Frazee is the Kiowa County Sheriff and was interviewed as a veteran of the Vietnam War. He experienced some major warfare while in the Armed Services and then served in a highly sensitive govenment position after the war working in Washington, D.C. Interviewed by Tim Howard (Sr. 2001) & Doug Weirich (4th Gr.)
Ruthanna Jacobs Ruthie is the President of the Kiowa County Historical Society and is the county's historical expert. She has done extensive work on our history and has produced a number of collections, publications, and books. She was an educator who worked overseas and was also the County Superintendent of Schools when that was an elected position. Interviewed by Tayran Richardson (Sr. 2001) & Jamee Kliesen (4th Gr.)
William Krum Mr. Krum owns a large ranch southwest of Eads. The ranch has been in the family for generations. He is very expert in the cowboy trade and present-day ranching. Interviewed by Michael Zimmerman (Sr. 2001) and Hunter Krum (4th Gr.)
Areta Blooding-Laird Areta served the United States in Desert Storm in 1991. She is also a strong volunteer in the community and her family has deep roots in the county.
Dwight Lessenden Dwight was in the Vietnam War and comes from a long-time family of the county. His family has seen great heartache but has always held true to their faith through such illnesses as polio and influenza.
Ida Lessenden Ida is Dwight's mother and has watched her children and grandchildren go through the joys and sorrows of life, all in Kiowa County. Ida and her late husband, Vigil, have a long line of ancestors who lived and settled in and around this county.
Max Mays Max has had one of the more adventurous lives of anyone in the county. He was one of the first soldiers to come ashore on D-Day and then fought in the Battle of the Bulge and helped liberate Berlin. Before joining the armed services he lost his wife when a tornado hit their farmhouse. Interviewed by Grady Weeks (Sr. 2001) & Tyler Fox (4th Gr.)
Trix Miller Trix and her husband Jess were very popular and successful business people in the county. Jess was civic minded and served on a great number of early boards in the 1920s while Trix served as County Superintendent, was a teacher, and played girl's basketball in her high school years at the turn of the century. Their family still thrives in Eads. Report conducted by Rob Miller (Sr. 2001) & Lisa Miller and Mattea Baxter (4th Gr.)
Ethel Richards (see Theatre Interview on Plains Theatre Project) Ethel is a local artist who came from Australia during World War II after marrying a local boy. She is one of the founders of the Artists of the Plains Art Gallery and was the artist who painted the murals in the Plains Theatre. Interviewed by Tiffany Frederick (Sr. 2002)		PowerPoint Presentation by Tiffany Frederick '02, Ethel's granddaughter, in the sprint of 2001.
June Wilcox June is from a pioneer family that has lived in the county for a century. She worked on the ranch for her entire life and raised a successful family. Her son, Billy, still lives on the ranch. Interviewed by Jessica Borns (Sr. 2002)	PowerPoint Presentation by Jessica Borns '02 made in the spring of 2001.
Neva Williams Neva's grandfather, Byard Hickman, was the first Commissioner of Kiowa County. Her father was also infamous when he was murdered by a group of bank robbers in the 1930s while serving as the Deputy Sheriff of Kiowa County. Interviewed by Annette Rehm (Sr. 2001)
Bud Wiser Bud was a long-time elementary principal at Eads Elementary School and ruled with an iron-hand. He lives in Haswell since his retirement but still enjoys the activities of his grandchildren. Bud was a war veteran and was interviewed about his experiences by to of his grandsons, Hayden and Dustin Uhland.
Keith Wissel Keith was one of four boys from the Wissel family who lived southwest of Eads. Three of the brothers married three Buck sisters including Keith's wife Mary Louise. Keith was interviewed about his war experience in World War II and also spoke of his years as a successful businessman in Wissel's Dry Goods and as the county judge. Interviewed by Katie Bost (Sr. 2002)

Plains Theatre Project
Oral Interviews, 2004

Ethel Richards Interviewed 4/29/2004	The Murals Artist
George Crow Interviewed May, 2004	The Philanthropist
Jack Garner Interviewed May, 2004	The Projectionist
Charles Crow Interviewed May, 2004	The Owner
Betty Crow Interviewed 5/4/2004	The Owner / Concessions
Ruby Wissel Interviewed October, 2004	The Ticket Girl Victory Theatre

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