University Daily Kansan, October 8, 1982
Page 9
Little house welcomes big people
By DONNA KELLER
Staff Reporter
On KU's campus, a small, stone house with a red asbestos-ashled roof is enshrined by careful landscaping a northern northeast of the Chancellor's residence.
There is a reason for the privacy provided by the cottage-like home at 1525 Louisiana St., which goes unnoticed by many who pass it. It is the Chancellor's Guest House for KU's visiting dignitaries.
Built in 1925, it served as a garage and servants quarters for KU ben-
After Watkins' death in 1939, the house, bequeathed to the University as part of the Watkins estate, was rented to faculty members, and was to be maintained by residence hall housing directors.
In 1952, the house was remodeled and landscaped to serve as the official residence.
Originally, two graduate student women acted as caretakers and hostesses for the guest house, but Laurence Chalmers, former KU chancellor, idea of having a graduate couple are for the house and its visitors.
JIM AND GENTRA Soren act as the host couple for the University guests.
Gentra, Dodge City law student, said that neither she nor Jirn had known anything about the guest house when they came to Lawrence in 1981
Jim, Jetmore graduate student, said,
"I used to sit by the fountain and look at it and never knew what it was."
Gentra said the benefits of acting as the host couple included board, tuition, and travel.
"An added benefit is meeting a lot of interesting people." she said.
The guest book, which lies open on the table in the living room, contains the names of guests.
Poets, scientists, Nobel Prize winners, foreign ambassadors and statesmen have resided at the guest house, Martin Luther King Sr.
"A lot of them are part of KU's lecture series, if we know that, we try to include them."
Jim said, "We like to train it more as if it is our house and these are our guests of the guests are surprised that it's not what we aren't used to being treated so well."
HE SAID they could have as little as 15 minutes notice before a guest's arrival, or know weeks in advance. He said their heaviest months seemed to be October, November, March and October, the summer months being the slowest.
THE FOUR-ROOM HOUSE is elegantly decorated in subtle neutral colors. The furniture, neither sparse nor heavy, will lend a honey feel to each room.
"I found myself using idioms like, 'Here's something to nibble on,' and they didn't know what I was saying. I have to watch what I say," she said.
the guests. Jim said he usually served the breakfast.
Among the Sorems' duties are housekeeping and fixing breakfast for
Although the paint, wallpaper and carpeting are in a contemporary style, they neither distract from nor rival the late 19th-century furnishings, many of whom came from the Spooner Art Museum in the house was being remodeled in 1952.
Gentra said they had never had problems with any of the guests, but one difficulty was communicating with guests because of the language barrier.
Gentra said host couples were required to be Kansas residents. One of them must be a graduate student, and the other in a graduate program, such as law.
She said one of the recent problems she had faced was speaking with Ginger.
He said they occasionally got special orders, such as the time Secretary of Commerce Malcolm Baldridge's assistance. Soema a breakfast menu for Baldridge.
Transcripts and letters of recommendation must accompany the application. After the applicants are received, they are interviewed by Jim Scalce, administrative assistant to the chancellor, and the chancellor's wife.
"It's on a first-come, first-serve basis, with the exception of a VIP guest of the Chancellor's. If there is an unexpected arrival of a dignitary, the University arranges and pays for motel renting for the guest who is moved," he said.
There are guidelines as to what types of guests stay in the house. Seally said,
THE GUESTS stay must be short, usually from one to five days — because the University likes to accrue much of its dignitaries as possible, Scaly said.
He said that not all University guests chose to stay in the guest house because some did not know what to expect, but often after the first stay, the guest must guest the house again because of its comfort, convenience and privacy.
"Some guests like leaving the house and meeting students and faculty informally on campus," Scally said. We try to give them as much privacy as possible. They have a key to the house so they can go and come as they want."
By United Press International
Weather hinders effort to clean up derailment
LIVINGSTON, La. — Drenching rains and treacherous winds brought cleanup efforts to a halt yesterday at the still-burning site of the former development that drove 2,500 people from their homes more than a week ago.
"in a lousy nutshell, it has been
very, very depressing," said State
Police Sgt. Steve Campbell. "The
weather is just not cooperate."
Crews in protective clothing were driven from their laborers by a sudden wind shift that covered them in dust, and from a burning vinyl carbon tanker.
The wind kept work at a standstill for about three hours, then allowed an hour of progress before changing dangerously again. As soon as the wind calmed down, the rains started.
DESPITE PLANS to remove tower or five cars from the accident site, crews made no headway because of the weather. Ten cars were removed Wednesday and three were taken away Tuesday.
An unexpected blast rocked the
derailment site last Friday when workers tried to move a tank car loaded with styrene. The blast shot through the air and damaged 20 homes.
It was the fourth explosion among 43 cars that derailed 38. 28 One car blew up just after the derailment, and a blaze at a fire that led to three other explosions.
Workers hired by Illinois Central Gulf railroad to clean up the site prepared to bring in a 250-ton derrick crane to remove the vinyl windows. The cars will have to stabilize before attempts are made to move them.
OFFICIALS TOLD 2,500 people forced from their homes nine days ago they will have to remain out of the city at least through the weekend. State Police spokesman Mike Edmonson said some evacuees may be allowed to return home next week.
The fires will be allowed to burn out, Edmonson said, because it would be too dangerous to fight them.
"You fool with thesevinyl chloride tank cars and you could have an explosion on your hands that could be devastating," he said.
Foot Locker All Stores
BUT YOU CAN GET THEM AT:
Athlete's Foot All Stores/Kansas City
Asay's Sportsmans Store
Topaka, KS.
Athlete's Foot Topeka, KS.
Teams Sports
Topeka, KS.
The Lockeroom Topaka, KS.