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Up To Date

Looking Back At The Sunflower Ammunition Plant

Thomas Long/Flickr-CC

The Midwest is generally a calm place, but a new museum exhibit in Johnson County is recalling a place that was potentially explosive.

On Friday's Up to Date, we talk about the history and development of the Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant. A former plant manager and the top government official both join us today to give an inside look at what it was like to work there.

Guests:

  • Tom Stutz was in charge of the U.S. Army’s staff at the Sunflower plant and served as the government’s top official on site.
  • Gayla Frazier is a third-generation Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant employee. She began as a clerk typist in the main administration office, then became an accountant and later, plant manager.
  • Matt Gilligan is a curator with Johnson County Museum. 
When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.