By Richard Shank
Shank’s Scoop
The Dillon Lecture Series launches its 45th year Feb. 24 when retired KAKE co-anchor Larry Hatteberg will speak at Stringer Fine Arts Center at Hutchinson Community College.
Larry is one of the state’s best-known personalities and for the past six decades has crisscrossed Kansas in search of unique characters and events. Early in his career, he had a chance meeting with former President Dwight Eisenhower, who was visiting his hometown of Abilene incognito (or thought he was) only to discover Larry knew all about it in advance. Larry walked behind the former president as he entered the Eisenhower Library and the two ended up having a meaningful conversation.
A longtime Hutchinson resident told me she had heard Larry speak 20 times and hopes her lifespan will allow time to attend 20 more of his presentations.
I remember attending my first Dillon lecture as a new resident to the Salt City in the fall of 1988. The speaker was Coach Gene Keady, who gained acclaim as the HutchCC basketball coach before going on to Purdue University to continue his winning ways, leading up to his 2025 induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Keady regaled the audience with stories of his formative years growing up in Larned and the offer to coach HutchCC, which came from his mentor and predecessor, Sam Butterfield.
To date, 175 have addressed the series, including economist William F. Buckley, Jr., St. Louis Cardinals Manager Whitey Herzog, and former Polish President Lech Walesa. Dan Glickman spoke twice, first as secretary of agriculture then as president of the Motion Picture Association of America.
Richard Morefield, one of 52 American hostages held for 444 days between 1979 and 1981, was the first speaker for the series held March 26, 1982.
Two other speakers are scheduled for 2026, including Taryn Southern, an award-winning storyteller, artist, and creative technologist who is scheduled to speak April 21. On Oct. 13, inspirational speaker and author Liz Murray will speak.
It has been an honor to serve on the committee that selects the speakers. Anytime you are picking speakers from a few hundred possibilities, it is easy to wonder how the patrons feel. Exiting a recent lecture, a patron commented he had been attending these lectures and, to date, we have never had a “bad one.”
I would be remiss if I did not commend HutchCC for coordinating the series since its inception. President Tricia Paramore and her predecessors and their staff have done a remarkable job facilitating the series.
It goes without saying that all costs pertaining to the series are on the rise from speaker fees to food for the luncheons. Patron memberships and sponsorships are available. For additional information, interested parties can call 620-665-3505 or visit hutchcc.edu/dls.
The Dillon Lecture Series has added to Hutchinson’s quality of life for nearly a half century and, hopefully, will for many more years.
On another note, a drive around Hutchinson on New Year’s Eve reaffirmed good things are happening in the Salt City. Crews working on the $14 million Landmark project were taking a day off in advance of a six-month spurt to the finish in completing the restoration of the 103-year-old hotel. Readers are telling me they most look forward to dining in the new restaurant inside the east door.
A pass by the new YMCA on Lorraine Street finds the building fully enclosed and proceeding well in preparation for a mid-year opening. And word is out a child care center will soon be constructed adjoining the YMCA.
Near the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center campus, the Hilton Garden Inn and Convention Center was bustling with activity, including the recently opened Old Chicago Restaurant where guests watched their favorite football games on a wide assortment of big screen television sets.
And, on the Kansas State Fairgrounds, final plans have been drawn to rebuild the souvenir store to the east of the Lair-Steckline Water Fountain. The existing store is barely 10 feet by 10 feet, so volunteers will make the move into what the Kansas Fairgrounds Foundation calls a fully-fledged store to sell caps, shirts, taffy, and State Fair memorabilia. It is called the Fountain House project, a half-million-dollar effort, which will be designed to serve fairgoers for generations to come.
Then, while shopping at Atwoods, I could not help but remember how the site was until a very few years ago, being an abandoned K Mart store. And, a pass-through Scooters for a cup of coffee is a reminder how the site was once an empty former Dillons Store, which is now home for Fee Insurance on the west end with Bank of the Plains on the opposite end, with several businesses in between.
It is fun to report good news. Hutchinson enters 2026 with a spirit of optimism. Let us hope this spirit of progress is an indication of more good things to come in the New Year.
Richard Shank is a retired AT&T manager and external representative for Hutchinson Regional Medical Center. He can be reached at shankr@prodigy.net or by calling 620-664-1517.