Kiowa School Board – (L to R) Glen Piper, Bert Gillig, Tom Farney, Ron Allenbach, Walter Fry, Kathy Grant, Wanda Eckert, David Wolgamont, Larry Mc Cart6y, David Meyer
An influential ingredient inaugurated life’s equation, Jan having recently obtained a full time RN position at Hospital District #6 of Harper County better known as the Anthony Hospital and with it came a prospect of the family relocating the thirty miles to Anthony. Gary in a quandary, a long existing Board of Education policy was relevant to the family moving, all non-certified employees must reside in the school district. A decision to confer his dilemma with the school superintendent Glen Piper, expressing his ardent desire to remain as an employee of USD 255, questioning the possibility of the School Board making an exception on his behalf to their long standing protocol. Leaving the Central Office meeting demarcating his possibility but never having to discover the colloquy, Glen notifying Gary of the board’s approval to his out of district employment at the Grade School.
Jan’s 87 Buick Skylark
Jan’s Toyota Tercel Wagon having acquired an additional 30,000 miles during her daily 2 year journey to Pratt Community college in pursuit of her nursing degree demonstrated its reliability but Gary’s Isuzu Pickup with its 100,000 plus odometer reading wasn’t as trustworthy. Gary very much aware of a possible 60 mile daily commute to Kiowa from Anthony and at the same time would like to to find Jan more suitable transportation. Accessing Bill Bogner’s Chevrolet-Buick Dealership, the couple abridging the multiple selection of Bill’s inventory down to two. A decision between a 1987, blue, six cylinder Buick Skylark or a white 88 Chevrolet Celebrity, Gary finding his proclivity for the newer model Chevrolet being overridden, not by year, not by price or model, but by the color blue, a decision espoused by his wife. The bartering trade-in, the 4-wheel drive Isuzu now a historical remembrance, Gary inheriting Jan’s well traveled 4-wheel drive SR5 Toyota, the newly acquired 1987 Buick to fill Jan’s highway peregrinations.
602 N. Springfield Ave. Anthony Ks.
Gary’s knowledge of Anthony Kansas was limited to the location of the John Deere Dealership and the Anthony Municipal Hall. The Muni-Halls carriage, the host of an ambitious craft expositions twice a year, an experience from Jan’s past ceramic business labors. The prospects of a move to Anthony becoming more probable with Jan’s avocation at the Hospital and her circadian commute to the Anthony. Gary finding the Anthony moving overture more prominent, Jan taking the initiative, arranging a weekend appointment with a representative of The Dan Bird Realty, the agent to acquaint the inquiring family to the available realty prospects their agency represented. The excursions were not with Dan, but with a lady representative, discovering most of the prospective metropolitan residency’s unsuitable. The itinerary included an introduction to rural property north of town and to the availability of several small homes addressing the Anthony City Lake, but to their disappointment all retaining an absence of approbation. An afternoons quest for a applicable home was about to conclude when the Reality Agent acknowledged a vacant residence on North Springfield that wasn’t on the market because of an ongoing foreclosure proceeding, the Lady volunteering that this house was her personal favorite, one she would love to have as her own.
View from Walnut Street
Arriving at the unavailable house at 602 N. Springfield, a revelation was discovered, it was the second largest in Anthony, a historic residence, a placard stone embedded in the outside brick chimney-rise dating 1904. The couple waiting on the front porch to enter, the realty lady possessing only a back door key. The front door opening to a large foyer and a wide carpeted staircase with solid oak banister pavilion to the second and third floors. The three-storied structure presenting six gables, 1500 sq. ft. addressing each of the three levels, with the second floor bedroom providing an added large window enclosed sun-room above the south entrance portal porch. A total of 4500 sq. ft. of living area, composed of six upstairs bedrooms, 4 on the second floor, the largest a master bedroom, 16 x 14., two others, 12 x 14, and a smaller bedroom off the hall to a second staircase leading down to the kitchen. The second floor was accommodated with a full bath, a tub and a laundry-chute to the basement. The remaining bathroom with a shower, a first floor addition to the original structure. The third floor having two small bedrooms and what later they found that the elderly residence of the city referred to as ‘The Ballroom‘, a very large one room pavilion where in a previous era dances were held. Another unexpected discovery, a regulation size pool table homesteading in the third floor Ballroom, apparently to difficult to move and left by the previous owners. The final architectural surprises, a rear door entry back porch adjoining the kitchen with a long pantry hall leading to the dining room, and from the kitchen an entry downstairs to a open full semi-finished 1500 sq. ft. basement, its ceiling displaying the 2 x 12 floor joist and the eight inch zoned metal duct-work from the 3 humidity equipped central air and heating units probing upwards.
A Stately Presence
Jan was overwhelmed and impassioned, Gary too, having never experience the bounteous impression of the structure, the first floor speciousness, a fire-place, the once designated music room to the north of the capacious entrance foyer, the anointed commanding wide oak endowed staircase. The living and dining room accentuated with built-in beveled glass enclosed china cabinets, the downstairs openness encompassed with colonnades, a bay window addressing the dining room area, the residence an empyrean domain. The walk-thru acquaintance concluding, leaving the realm of this bounteous structure appraised as inaccessible, Gary finding the words of a meaningful song resonating within, “to dream the impossible dream” and the verse, “this my quest, to follow the star, no matter how hopeless, no matter how far”. Seeing the expression on Jan’s face, the coveting glow in her eyes, the N. Springfield house was her desire, Gary realizing his quest, the acquisition gauntlet having been raised.
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