157 Years After The Steamboat Arabia Sank, Museum Of Cargo Thrives
157 years ago on September 5, a three-year-old steamboat was traveling up the Missouri River when a piece of driftwood pierced its hull. Nobody was hurt, unless you count a mule tied to the deck. He went down with the ship, and the silt of the river buried the ship away. It wasn’t until 1987 that refrigerator repairman Bob Hawley and his sons David and Greg found the ship. They turned the wreckage and its extraordinary contents into the Steamboat Arabia museum. Flo Hawley, wife and mother to this treasure-hunting team, tells the story of the find and how the steamship turned from a money-making venture into an educational mission for the family.
How UMKC Paved The Way For Gay Student Groups Across The Country
The University of Missouri – Kansas City has taken big steps in recent years to be more welcoming to gays, lesbians and sexually questioning individuals. Like a lot of universities, the school now considers diversity and inclusion part of its mission, right alongside educating students. But there hasn’t always been an attitude of acceptance at UMKC.
Coming Out And Getting Cut Off: Scholarships For LGBT Students
One of the innovative things UMKC is doing is offering scholarships to LGBT students. When some college students come of out of the closet, they face the danger of being cut off financially from their parents. That's what happened to recent graduate Courtney Monzyk. Hear her story, and more about how the school supports LGBT students from Assistant Vice Chancellor Kristi Ryujin and Jonathan Pryor, coordinator for LGBTQIA Programs & Services.
Kansas City Retro Soul And Funk Compilation Released
This month, a Chicago record label is releasing a compilation of funk and soul songs originally put out by a Kansas City label in the late 1960s and 70s. Eccentric Soul: The Forte Label comes out this week on vinyl and CD. Probably the best-known voice on the compilation is that of KCK native Marva Whitney, who passed away late last year. (Before joining the Forte label, and marrying its founder Ellis Taylor, Marva Whitney was Soul Sister #1 to Soul Brother #1 James Brown.)
