University Daily Kansan / Thursday, November 29. 1990
Campus/Area
3
Wilson upholds tradition
Lawyer served as counsel in historical segregation case
Bv Jennifer Schultz
Kansan staff writer
a statue of James Green, dean of law from 1879 to 1919, stands in front of Lippincott Hall, the building where Paul Wilson, emeritus of the university, his career at KU more than 30 years ago.
Since he first came to the University of Kansas, Green has represented the ideal that Wilson aspired to. Today, he has a photography office in his law book-lined office in Green Hall.
On the window ledge next to the photograph is a small gold bell. Wilson used to ring the bell when he taught at KU to call students back to class after their 10-minute break.
Wilson, 78, is most recognized for his role as defense counsel in the 1952 segregation case. Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education, and his creation of the Kansas Defender Project, which provides student legal services to prison inmates in Kansas
During his 27 years of teaching at KU, Wilson was chosen as the first recipient of the Kane Professorship, an honor awarded to him by his colleagues. He also worked more with the scholars on the Kansas Judicial Council Advisory Committee than revised most of the Kansas criminal code.
"I guess I do the things that I love to do the most," he said.
Despite his many activities, Wilson said he never budgeted his time or made schedules.
"I guess I do the things that I love to do the
Wilson's interest in law began while attending Quenemo High School in Quenemo, 30 miles south of Lawrence.
"I think the original reason I went into law
was as a stepping stone for political life," he said.
Wilson continued to build political fantasies as he worked his way through college and law school. He earned his undergraduate degree from Washburn University.
After he served in the 4th Engineer Amphibian Brigade in the South Pacific during World War II, Wilson continued to practice
law. He became First Assistant Kansas Attorney General in 1952.
In 1956, Wilson decided it was time to act on the ambitions and ran for the Kansas Supreme Court.
"Justices then were elected into office by popular vote," he said. "I had no aptitude for politics I didn't like asking people for jobs, but I liked asking people to who I may or may not have liked."
Wilson lost in the primary election, but it was not his last venture into politics. In 1980, he ran as vice president with independent candidate John Anderson on the Kansas presidential primary ballot. He said he ran for the nomination — decided — and because he thought it would be fun.
Wilson smiled when he said he was the first KU professor to run for vice president of the
"I thought it would be unusual to include it in my report to the vice chancellor of faculty activities," he said. "During the summer though, Anderson selected a nationwide running mate. I always point out to people that when he dummed me, he started losing."
Wilson was defense counsel in the Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education case
A sobering experience
One of Wilson's duties as assistant attorney general was to represent Kansas in the landmark Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
The case began when a lawsuit was filed by the parents of Topeka schoolchildren who uttered segregated schools. Kansas law had拦挡 racially segregated schools since 1879.
Wilson, then 40 years old, described the experience as sobering.
"The Supreme Court is tremendously impressive," he said. "It has very high ceilings, and there are red drapings hung all around the room to absorb the echoes. Up in the ceiling, where the justices sit. Along the middle there is a podium from which you speak.
'Each side has one hour to argue. There is a light on the podium. At the end of time, a red light comes on. You have to sit down, even if you are in the middle of a sentence.
As part of his job as assistant attorney general, Wilson argued for segregated schools.
The Kansas Legislative Assembly had met 35 times since the segregation law was established, and no session of the Legislature ever had appealed it, he said.
"It was frightening. I don't know what I
was thinking, but I was scared."
"The attorney general could only assume that the law did represent the feeling of people in Kansas," he said. "The people in Kansas in 1952 were racist. Most White people felt they were superior. They had no need to protect the White culture from Blacks."
"My children are not proud of the fact that I defended segregation, but they aren't proud that I voted for Nixon either. I was a lawyer representing a client. At that time the law was unconstitutional. My job was to present the view that seemed to be in the view of Kansas."
A caring professor
Wilson was invited to teach law at KU in 1957. He said he strove to teach his students about all aspects of law.
"I wanted to have them understand the rules of law," he said. "Beyond that, I tried to impress upon them that law is a device for maintaining civilization. Rules of law should govern the relationships from living in a civilized society. By saying civilized, I mean being nice to each other and treating each other with respect and compassion, and to have some realization that we are all in this together."
John Peck, KU professor of law, was taught by Wilson when he attended law school at KU. He remembers Wilson as a compassionate teacher.
"He was not the Professor Kingsfield type," he said, referring to the curmudgeonly law professor on the television series, "The Paper Chase."
"He was just the opposite," Peck said. "He lectured for the most part, and he was very courteous to the students who did not respond to his questions. He is just a real gentleman."
and long-time colleague of Wilson, said he was immensely popular with students.
Francis Heller, emeritus professor of law
"They liked him a great deal," he said.
"It is open and friendly. I had an office right next to his, and I would see the traffic of students into his office. There is a great deal to learn from him. He was always available to students, lawyers as well as colleagues."
Mike Davis, professor of law, was serving as the dean of law when Wilson retired.
"He had friends everywhere," he said. "He was a great ambassador for the school. Everyone loved him. There was a great spirit of humanity about him."
When Wilson retired in 1981, then-Gov. John Carlin proclaimed May 1, 1981. "Paul E. Wilson Day." Students ran Carlin's proclamation, under the caption "To Professor Paul E. Wilson, With the Love and Respect of His Students," in a full-page advertisement in the University Daily Kansan, along with hundreds of students' signatures.
During his time at KU, Wilson also conceived of and started the Kansas Defender Project in 1965, a program in which law students provide legal assistance to prisoners in the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth.
After the initial success of the project, it was extended to include the Kansas State Penitentiary and the Kansas Correctional Institution for Women, both in Lansing. The project was the first one of its kind in the United States.
Wilson said he started the project because he wanted to help students understand that people who committed crimes were human beings.
"They live and breathe," he said. "Their blood is the same color as ours, and they have the same feelings. I thought law students could learn not only about law but could develop some appreciation for human life with different conditions than what we are used to."
"When I first started the program, I found men in the prisons who had been there for 10 to 15 years. Men who never had a letter or a visitor. The whole idea is to have someone from the outside come in and visit with them. It was good for their soul."
New hot line to help police solve crimes
See WILSON. p. 10
Rv Karen Park
Kansan staff writer
The KU community can now anon-
onymously provide KU police with
information needed to solve criminal
investigations, Del Shankel, interim
executive vice chancellor, said yester-
day.
Sanktel the Crime Stoppers Hot Line, 664-8888, would be a secure telephone line people could use to call for help. The hot line service begins today.
KU police Lt. John Mullens said individuals could be awarded money if their information led to the arrest of people who committed crimes.
A non-police community group will be responsible for determining how much money individuals could pay for information to KU police. Mullens said.
He said the group would probably be comprised of students, faculty and administrators.
Mullens said the only other crime he knew about at KU which a reward was given for information leading to the arrest and conviction of an individual was for false fire alarms that were being pulled in 1983.
Before the reward went into effect, 200 to 300 alarms were pulled each year he said. After the reward was reduced, the number of false alarms decreased to about 30
One of the crimes KU police will attempt to solve using the hot line is calling a person who had been arrested.
been called in during the semester Mullens said
Since Sept. 1, 21 bomb threats have been called in, interrupting academic and extracurricular activities throughout the University, Shankel said.
Bomb threats are classified as felonies and are punishable by a two to five-year prison term and a fine of up to $10,000.
Dave Shulenburger, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, said the bomb threats caused a serious disruption in University activities, and people had suggested a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for calling in the threats.
He said the reward would help decrease the number of future bomb threats.
"I think students are beginning to be fed up enough about the threats that they are willing to report individuals who are calling in the bomb threats," Shulenburger said. "This just has to stop."
Shulenburger said faculty members would receive additional copies of the administration policy implemented two weeks ago regarding examinations interrupted by bomb threats.
The policy says that an instructor can ask KU police to find an alternate room to give the examination in if a witness is present. Given the time the exam is being given
Groups join forces to help local families
By Wes Denton
Kansan staff writer
This holiday season four local social service groups have joined together to form the Holiday Bureau, which will sponsor an adopt-a-family program for Lawrence area residents.
Bessie Nichols of Penn House, 1035 Pennsylvania St., said each group in the program agreed to use a standard format for accepting applications. Most of the applicants who were in need during the holiday season.
Accepting applications from families, groups, businesses and other organizations that may want to adopt families for the season also is part of the program.
Besides Penn House, the Salvation Army, the Lawrence Indian Center and the Ballard Community Center are accepting applicants who need assistance during the winter.
Sunny Bradshaw, administrative assistant at
the Ballard Community Center, 708 Elm St.
say hello to Christmas with the Christmas who
are there. You'll have a chance to meet
Bradshaw said the bureau started accepting applications now. I and would continue to accept them.
There is a space on all the applications where the families can list their needs and wants.
"They can ask for anything," Bradshaw said. "We will try to fulfill their needs."
Because four separate groups are involved in the programs, organizers are concerned that some people might obtain services from more than one group.
Charlene Johnson of the Lawrence Indian Center, 1920 Moodie Road, said each application
was submitted to Red Cross, which acts as a clearinghouse. The applications are entered into a computer system to prevent duplication of services.
Johnson said letters were sent to Lawrence area businesses asking them to adopt families.
"This way we can help as many people as we can," she said.
Kevin Dixon, co-owner of Creation Station, 730 Massachusetts St., said that he had considered adopting a family but that he decided to donate items from his business.
"We donated $120 worth of sweatshirts to Penn House." Dixon said.
Dixon and his partner, Schuyler Lister, have challenged other businesses in downtown Atlanta to stay on the ground.
"Lawrence has been good to us." Dixon said. This is our way to give back to the community.
County seeks motion to dismiss lawsuit
Kansan staff writer
Bv Elicia Hill
Attorneys for the Douglas County Commission filed a motion Tuesday to dismiss a lawsuit filed last week against the county by a citizens action group.
The CARES lawsuit asserts that the explanatory statement on the balloon was biased toward a PIRATE.
Citizens For Appropriate Roads and Environmental Safeguards, along with Lawrence residents Tim Miller and Patty Boyer, filed a lawsuit Nov. 16 to protest the explanatory statement regarding the South Lawrence Trafficway on Monday that trafficway was approved by Douglas County voters.
advisory election made by commissioners about a ballot could not cause the election to be binding.
The county listed several reasons to dismiss the lawsuit, stating that pre-election statements in an
An advisory election measures voters' opinion about issues but does not require officials to impersonate.
The county stated publicly before the election that it would bind itself to the election results.
CARES attorney Don Strole said that according to the motion to dismiss, the county misled the motion.
"First, they tried to convince the public that they were bound by the election and even campaigned that way," he said. "Then, when we say the election was not fair, they turn around and argue that the voter was wrong — so it doesn't matter that the explanatory statement was unfair. They can't have it both ways."
Chris McKenzie, county administrator, said the county was not legally bound by the election.
Strole said that the county now was saying in its motion to dismiss CARES' lawsuit that statements made about the trafficway were campaign promises.
Last week, Strole agreed to dismiss a temporary injunction against the trafficway bonds when the county informed CARES that each week the trafficway was delayed, it cost taxpayers $37,000.
Stroke said the county could have called a special election sooner instead of waiting until Nov. 6.
Mkenaie said the county waived because county clerks did not have enough time to prepare for a job.
Strole said CARES would file a counter motion today to prevent their lawsuit from being dismissed.