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There are many individuals that have helped to define the Midwest, through their own personal endeavors. One of these figures is former President Harry S. Truman, whom my school was named after in 1996.
Harry Truman was born in the great state of Missouri in 1884. Harry’s father, John, made a living as both a farmer and livestock dealer. When Harry was six, his family moved to Independence, Mo., right outside Kansas City. After Truman graduated high school, he would join the Missouri Army National Guard, where he would serve into World War I, where he would fight combat missions in Europe. After the war, Harry returned to Independence and formulated a string of unsuccessful businesses. He would later hear his calling in politics, by first becoming a county judge, and then followed that up by becoming a U.S. Senator for the state of Missouri.
 Photo from: http://baltimoresun.image2.trb.com/balnews/media/photo/2009-01/44496447 He would then be asked by then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to be on his ticket for the 1944 Presidential election. He, of course, accepted it, and after the untimely death of FDR in 1945, would become the President of the United States for the next eight years. See full post
Tags: Rural, Historical figures
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One of the more popular figures from the Midwestern area is Walt Disney. Walt was born in Chicago, Ill., in 1901. Walt’s father, Elias, moved the family to a farm located in Marceline, Missouri when Walt was four. It was on the farm in Marceline that Walt developed his love of drawing. He was once paid by a local neighbor to draw the neighbor’s horse.
 Photo from: http://www.abcpedia.us/people-celebrities/biography/walt-disney The Disney’s remained in Marceline for four more years, before moving to Kansas City, Mo. in 1911. There, Walt was introduced to the world of motion pictures and vaudevilles. During his younger years, Walt would take Saturday courses at the Kansas City Art Institute, and was also a regular visitor of Electric Park. Walt would return to Chicago for his teenage years, taking night courses at the Chicago Art Institute while he attended McKinley High School during the day.
Clearly we know the rest of Walt’s story. He would go on to revolutionize the film industry as well as the cartoon industry. He created one of the most iconic characters in the film industry, Mickey Mouse, and would also win 26 academy awards, the most in the history of the ceremony. His hand print can be seen anytime you watch a Pixar movie or any animated film in general. See full post
Tags: Rural, Culture, Historical figures
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The Western Farm Show, this weekend in Kansas City, Mo., will have all sorts of livestock, seeds and tractor exhibits, but it is my hope that people will see that the Midwest isn’t strictly farming.
Farming in the Midwest is a big part of the economy, but it isn’t everything.
I went to a conference in high school with thousands of other students from all over the country. See full post
Tags: Rural, Environment, Culture
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 Michelle Martin, Blogger When I first stepped into the “Vessels of the Past” exhibit in the Ophelia Parish art gallery at Truman, I scanned the shelves and my mind registered that I was looking at a bunch of Egyptian clay that largely looked the same. But upon examining each pot and shard, I glimpsed a spark of rich, ancient culture. Ancient pottery makes you experience the endless continuum of human time. Someone once held this fish-shaped flask, thousands of years ago! This creates a surreal connection to me, a Midwestern college student in 2010.
Now for a few of my favorites. This first piece stole my heart a little when I heard the story behind it. This is a model of a tomb, created for the deceased’s ka, or a part of their soul. The family was probably poor, since they used clay instead of more expensive materials, like wood. Tiny pieces representing bread, meat, and water are scattered across the mini courtyard so the dead will enjoy a comfortable afterlife. I read the exhibit information and apparently the Egyptians valued the afterlife so much that they practically spent their whole lives preparing for it.
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Tags: Rural, Art, Events
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