'Sunflower Journeys' to feature annual KU faculty tour of Kansas

LAWRENCE -- "Sunflower Journeys," a 30-minute public television magazine featuring Kansas on KTWU Channel 11, will give viewers a glimpse of the annual Wheat State Whirlwind tour for University of Kansas faculty at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18 and at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 20.

Throughout Kansas, several stations air "Sunflower Journeys." Viewers are advised to check their local listings for KOAL Channel 30 in Iola; KOOD Channel 9 in Bunker Hill/Hays; KSWK Channel 3 in Lakin/Garden City; KDCK Channel 21 in Dodge City; and KPTS Channel 8 in Wichita.

Following commencement each May since 1997, KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway has sponsored a faculty and staff tour of Kansas communities to help introduce new faculty to the state.

"Many of our faculty are new to Kansas. Some have traveled abroad in their research, but few have opportunities to explore our state and meet people in the communities that are the hometowns for many of our students," Hemenway said.

"Sunflower Journeys" producers Amanda Shaw, Jim Kelley and Scott Williams traveled with the faculty for several stops during the 2001 tour. Shaw said the tour's look at Kansas' diverse cultures and landscapes fit into their plans for a show featuring culture and traditions of Kansas. The April 18 program also features stories about Topeka's Irish-American community and Liberal's annual pancake race.

The 2001 tour began May 18 with visits to medical and research facilities in the Kansas City area and with Gov. Bill Graves in Topeka and continued May 21 to 25. The 43 faculty and staff members on the 2001 tour traveled more than 1,300 miles, visiting more than 20 communities and learning about Kansas' history, cultures, economies and landscape along the way. The 2002 tour dates are May 17 and May 20 to 24.

Linda Robinson, who has served as director for the tour for three years, said she had observed that faculty typically begin the tour a little tired from winding up a school year and uncertain about spending a week touring Kansas.

"By the time we return to the campus, they are energized by the wonderful receptions we've received and some are planning to take their families to visit some of the places we've stopped," Robinson said. "Each year, the faculty tell me they wish we'd had more time to visit at each stop. It's hard to squeeze in all we want to do in a week's time.

"We try to visit with people in sites that may not be typical tour stops, but that gives us a picture of the state's rich heritage and diversity."

Last fall after traveling on the 2001 bus tour, Tim Oliver, KU assistant professor of music, arranged to have the KU marching band join the Goodland High School band for a halftime performance at Goodland. Oliver, in his second year of teaching at KU, said the band was en route to a KU-Colorado game in Boulder and wanted to stop in western Kansas.

Oliver also wrote an article for the Kansas music educators journal, relating musical encounters he found at nearly every stop of the tour. He recalled meeting Carol Whisman, band director at Palco High School northwest of Hays.

"We talked about the challenges and joys of teaching at a relatively small, rural school, a topic that I personally related to as a former band director in a similar setting," Oliver said. He noted that Palco's band of 20 students represented a third of the high school's 60 students.

In 2001, the faculty also visited Burlington, Colby, Council Grove, Cottonwood Falls, Dodge City, El Dorado, Garden City, Hays, Hutchinson, Independence, Logan, Lucas, Nicodemus, Sedan, Wichita and Yoder.

"Sunflower Journeys" is celebrating its 15th anniversary of educating and entertaining Kansans with stories from the Sunflower State. Production of "Sunflower Journeys" is made possible with support from the Kansas Humanities Council, Footprints of Lawrence, the Southwestern Bell Foundation, the Blanche Bryden Foundation, the Raymond C. and Marguerite Gibson Foundation and the Friends of KTWU.