The Journal
Pursuit
of a Ruptured Duck: When Kansas Citians Went to War
By Edward T. Matheny, Jr.
The Autumn 2002 JOURNAL of the Jackson County Historical
Society features Pursuit of a Ruptured
Duck: When Kansas Citians Went to War, by Edward T. Matheny, Jr.
We lead by example. One Jackson County
resident not only recorded and preserved his World War II experiences, but
has recently made them available for others to enjoy and learn from in his
book, Pursuit of a Ruptured Duck: When Kansas Citians Went to War. Edward T. Matheny,
Jr. collected stories and photographs from his wartime mementoes, but also
included in an easy-to-read format the recollections of some of his closest
friends and colleagues who are also part of the greatest generation.
Edward T. Matheny, Jr., class of ’40, was a history
major in college, a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, and a managing
partner of Blackwell Sanders Matheny Weary & Lombardi. He served as
president of Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City and chairman of its
Foundation, chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri, and first
president of Kansas City’s public television station, KCPT 19. He is
currently of counsel with Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin and director of H.
& R. Block Foundation, Dunn Industries, Inc., Tnemec Company, Inc., Jacob
and Ella Loose Trusts and the Jackson County Historical Society.
Mr. Matheny served on the staffs of two of the great Navy leaders in
the Pacific Theatre of Word War II – Chester W. Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief of
the Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC) and Raymond A. Spruance, Commander Fifth Fleet. Pursuit
of a Ruptured Duck recounts not only his own experiences but those of
other Kansas Citians in the armed forces, and those who served on the home
front. Mr. Matheny will be the guest speaker at the April 9, 2003, Real
Kansas City series presentation about his book. The Historical
Society acquired in 2002 its first donation of original World War II letters
and photographs from one Jackson County veteran, John Blackford. We lead by example.
The Historical Society would like to acquire additional primary source
material from the greatest generation of Jackson Countians, in case you may
be interested in following Mr. Matheny or Mr. Blackford’s lead. The Jackson County
Historical Society is also an official partner with the Library of Congress’
“Veterans History Project.” In
2003, the Historical Society will begin training folks to conduct informal
oral history interviews with veterans of all American wars. The initiative will culminate in a
collection of countless oral history interviews accompanied by letters,
photographs and other memorabilia that will be preserved in the Jackson
County Historical Society’s collections. The Veterans History Project collection at the Historical
Society’s Archives and Research Library will also be cataloged along with
other oral histories on file at the Library of Congress, so that locally
preserved histories will be accessible in their national database. Websites
offering more information: Buy Pursuit of a
Ruptured Duck Harry Ransom Humanities Research
Center, The University of Texas at Austin Veterans History Project, Library of
Congress History of
Kansas City, Missouri Jackson
County Historical Society’s JOURNAL A Brief
Timeline of Jackson County, Missouri, History To
order this JOURNAL edition, subscribe or join JCHS click
here. |
