THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOLUME 123 ISSUE 148
Lawrence's landlord
How a boy from rural Kansas transformed into the city's most influential developer
BY LISA CURRAN
lcurran@kansan.com
Photos of Lawrence buildings and apartment complexes line the hallway leading to Doug Compton's office. Historic downtown buildings from the 1800s.Renovations.Newconstruction Compton has altered or built each of them.
Framed newspaper articles hang in between the building photos. Many are negative: a fire that destroyed an apartment building under construction, a 2003 article from the Lawrence Journal-World that "wasn't the most Doug-Compton friendly article," as Compton described it.
"I think you're being unrealistic in life if you don't mix up the good with the bad," Compton says with a slight drawl. "I think the good is positive to read. To know that if you work hard, these are some of the benefits, but I also think the bad keeps you on your toes of what might happen."
Sitting in his office the size of a 30-person classroom, Compton leans back in his chair. Though he's small in stature, his voice is loud, almost abrasive. His gaze is sharp and demanding. Right now, he's all business, but you won't find him wearing a suit. The most business-like thing about his appearance is his short, spiky gray-blond hair. A blue, plaid button-down shirt and cowboy boots reflect his rural Kansas upbringing. He speaks in a straightforward manner, quick and to-the-point with no chance of being misunderstood. No need to add one more controversy to his unintentionally lengthy list.
SEE COMPTON ON PAGE 6A
LAWRENCE
The Miller House stands as a historic landmark
BY LAURA NIGHTENGALE
Inightengale@kansan.com
Camouflaged in the suburban east Lawrence neighborhood stands the Miller House, the largest item in Dennis Dailey's history collection. The house, built in 1858, was never meant to draw attention, and is perhaps why it survives as one of the area's only remnants of the Underground Railroad.
The Miller House, 1111 E. 19th St., served as a hideout for escaped slaves, a pit stop for Quantrill and his band of raiders and, now, is home to retired professor Dennis Dailey and his wife.
"I've always had kind of an interest in history, just in general," Dailey said. "Like in college I was interested in history classes, but when we began to live in this home, it reeked of history. It just reeks of history and I became fascinated with that."
When anti-slavery activist Robert Miller moved his family to Lawrence from South Carolina they built a farmhouse that served as part of the Underground Railroad. Escaped slaves would hide in a treed area to the east known as Miller's Grove or sleep in the smokehouse before moving onto freedom.
People still explore the Lawrence landmark today.
"They found out about this place down at the visitor center or something and they just drive in. I go out and welcome them and tell them the story and it is absolutely astounding watching their experience at this place, tears — it's just amazing," Dailey said.
A barn and open landscape, unorthodox in the modern suburban setting, testify to the legacy of this historic site.
"In the summer, the trees get real full and there less people here. You
can stand out here and it feels like you're in the country" Dalie said.
One special characteristic is that it predates Quantrill's Raid — a sacking of Lawrence that burned many of the community's buildings. But the residence has history with William Quantrill himself, a Confederate guerrilla leader.
It was Quantrill's first stop on his way to Lawrence, revisiting the site after possibly scouting the community several weeks before.
"They fed him a meal. There's some evidence that he spent the night. In other words they befriended him, and he chose not to kill them," Dailey said.
Quantrill's visit is well documented, even recounted in a letter written by William Miller years later that Dailey reads to visiting elementary school students, which he said gave him chills each time.
"So sometimes you're sitting here thinking, 'The man spent the night.' That's a little weird." Dailev said.
Dailey and his wife replaced the entire west wall and restored the fireplace to its original visage as part of the many investments the couple has made to maintain their home's integrity.
"My kids will be living here. The foundation of this house is remarkably solid," Dailey said. "The work that we've just put into it to restore it, if people wanted to live here another 100 years they certainly could without any difficulty, no difficulty at all."
The barn outside the Miller House stands out in the modern suburban setting of today. The Miller House was built in 1858 and was a part of the Underground Railroad during the Civil War.
The Miller family lived at this residence for nearly 100 years before the house was sold to the Eller family and finally the Dailey's. Dailey said he hoped he could continue the legacy for another generation of Lawrence residents.
Edited by Marla Daniels
Chris Neal/KANSAN
ADMINISTRATION
Athletics employees begin their prison time
BY ALEX GARRISON agarrison@kansan.com
Two of the former Athletics employees convicted in a conspiracy to steal and re-sell at least $2 million in tickets have been sent to federal prisons following their sentencing in March.
Kassie Liebsch, former systems analyst for the department, is serving her 37-month sentence in a minimum-security federal prison camp in Greenville, Ill.
Her projected release date, according the Bureau of Prisons' website, is Jan. 7, 2014.
Rodney Jones, former director of the Williams Fund, is spending his 46-month sentence in a minimum-security camp for men in El Reno, Okla. His expected release date is not listed.
Co-defendants in the case Charlotte Blubaugh, former associate athletics director in charge of tickets, and her husband Tom, a former consultant to the department, are still awaiting their detainment destinations. Charlotte Blubaugh was sentenced to 57 months and Tom to 46 months.
Edited by Sarah Gregory
TODAY
78 56
Mostly Sunny
FRIDAY 82 53
Forecasts by University students.
For a complete detailed forecast for the week,
see page 2A
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INDEX
Classifieds ... 8A
Crossword ... 4A
Cryptoquips ... 4A
Opinion ... 5A
Sports ... 10A
Sudoku ... 4A
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
Keeping the light on for you
JOE'S BAKERY | 3A
The iconic Joe's Bakery sign will be in the Hawk's Nest on the first floor of the Kansas Union.
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AWARDS | 10A
Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame to include two new members in fall
A track and field star and a former baseball All-American are the two athletes chosen to be honored in September's induction ceremony.
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