UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Monday, October 12, 1992
5
City honors firefighter
Lawrence names street after late Mark Blair
By J.R. Clairborne
Kansan staff writer
At 12:45 p.m. yesterday, the Quint #4,
Lawrence Fire Department's newest fire
engine, moved solemnly up OakTree Drive
bearing a memorial wreath and ringing its
bell. The engine came to a stop before a
group of 40 people in front of one of Lawrence's
newest streets, Mark Blair Court.
Posthumously named in behalf of Mark Blair, the only Lawrence firefighter to die in the line of duty, the city named the cul-de-sac just north of the intersection of Oak Tree Drive and 12th Street after Blair.
Yesterday was National Fallen Firefighters Day, a day to honor firefighters who have died in the line of duty. In Lawrence, yesterday also was proclaimed "Mark Blair Day," in honor of the department's fallen comrade.
Blair was killed in a 1986 residential fire in southwest Lawrence. He was searching for possible victims in a second-story room when the room collapsed, said Jim McSwain, Lawrence fire chief.
"We are certainly proud to be able to honor a firefighter who died in the line of duty with something that is a permanent part of Lawrence," McSwain said. "This will allow us and the city of Lawrence to remember him and the sacrifice he made for the citizens of Lawrence."
Blair, who also was an acting officer and emergency medical technician, had once saved an Atchison man's life by reviving him with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, he said.
Mike Ransopher, Topeka resident and former department firefighter, initiated the idea to honor Blair with his own street.
"He was really a nice fellow who was always concerned about other people," said Ruso-su. "I thought he was very smart."
Irma Blair, the wife of the late Blair, said she never expected a ceremony as big as the dedication. She said that she was proud of the way the city honored her husband.
"I not only miss Mark as a husband but also us the father of our two children," Blair said, referring to 6-year-old Mark and 7-year-old Allan. "We are very proud of Mark, and now they have something to remember him by."
Daron J. Bennett/ KANSAN
At the dedication of Mark Blair Court, Irma Blair, wife of the late Lawrence firefighter, thanks those who help keep the memory of her husband alive. Blair is the only Lawrence firefighter ever to have been killed in the line of duty. About 40 people attended the ceremony yesterday.
Tomahawk chop returns to Arrowhead Stadium
Chiefs' ad encourages gesture as means of support, not disrespect
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The tomahawk chop was back in vogue at Arrowhead Stadium yesterday, and almost all of the 76,000 fans took part.
Small groups of fans had done the chop on their own at the Chiefs' two previous home games, but the whole stadium had not caught fire.
The Chiefs had said before the start of the season that they would discourage the chop, bowing to the protests of some American-Indian groups.
The Chiefs took out a full-page newspaper ad in the *Kansas City Star* on Saturday to say they were bringing back the chop in response to demands from fans and players.
Kansas City officials said in the ad that the chop was not meant to be insulting and that it was a way for the fans to express their support for the team.
"Truth be told, no one meant any disrespect when doing the Chop," the Chiefs said in the ad. "And if no offense is intended, why then must offence be taken?
"The vast majority of our fans and players have requested the return of this fun way to support our team. The Chop will return as part of game-day at Arrowhead."
In the ad the Chiefs also addressed the issue of politically correct speech and action.
"We are fast getting to the point where everything people say or do offends someone, where every word and action is open to the interpretation of another." the ad said.
With the encouragement of the band and the team cheerleaders, the ninth-largest crowd in Arrowhead Stadium history commenced chopping during a timeout in the first quarter.
The fans chopped twice more in the first half and then erupted in a lengthy chop after Bennie Thompson blocked Roger Ruekel's 43-yard field goal try in the third quarter.
Poll shows Columbus is hero in U.S.
See related story, Page 7.
"All those people making that noise can sure get you pumped up," said Chiefs lineman Dave Scott. "We love playing at home."
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — The reputation of Christopher Columbus remains relatively untarnished 500 years after his arrival in the New World, an Associated Press poll shows: About two in three people in the United States regard him as a hero.
The anniversary of the Italian navigator's first voyage across the Atlantic has brought renewed scrutiny of the explorer's effect on the natives of the land he mistook for the Indies.
Columbus robbed, brutalized and enslaved Indians and started centuries of destruction of their cultures. But only 15 percent in the poll said they agreed with those who call Columbus a villain.
A majority, 56 percent, said they would like to see Columbus Day observed as a celebration, while 32 percent wanted it to be a solemn day to reflect on the past. The rest were not sure or wanted it observed both ways.
The poll was taken Sept. 30 to Oct. 4 among a random sample of 1,001 adults by ICR Survey Research Group of Media, Pa., part of AUS Consultants. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Sixty-four percent said he is a hero. Nine percent said he is both. The remainder said he is neither or were unsure.
Those polled were more likely to see Columbus as motivated by a quest for knowledge than by greed.
Eighteen percent of men but only 12 percent of women considered Columbus a villain. While a majority of those who vilify Columbus wanted the holiday to be solemn, a third of them still wanted it to be a celebration.
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Columbus & Controversy: A New Look at the New World
Was Columbus a hero or a villain? Join the debate today at 2:00 pm on KJHK.
On the 500th anniversary of Columbus"discovery" of the Americas, KJHK-FM 90.7 brings together Native Americans and Spanish historians to discuss Columbus' legacy. This live broadcast will also be heard around the world on Radio Exterior de España (15.110 Mhz).
Program Panelists
Moderator:
Lawrence studio:
*John Boss, host of The John Boss Show
*Dan Wildcat, chairman of the Natural & Social Sciences Department, Haskell Indian Junior College
*Walter Echo-Hawk, senior staff attorney,
*Walter Echo-Hawk, senior staff attorney,
Native American Rights Fund
Madrid studio:
*Dr. Arnold Weiss, professor emeritus of Spanish & Portuguese, University of Kansas
*Lori Learned, member, Native American Student Association
*Dr. Manuel Gutierrez Estevez, professor of American anthropology, and dean of Native American Studies, University of Madrid
*Dr. Manuel Lucena Salmoral, professor of history University of Alcalal
National Association of College Broadcasters Station of the Year