Jeanie's mother, who is no longer with us, Katherine Rogers was a professor of English at Hays University. Katherine penned several books and was a daily columnist for the Hays Daily News. Some authors of EverydayCitizen may remember "Grammy Rogers."

Dear Jenn and Alex,

Your mom sent me photos taken at the election night party in Topeka. What a night that was! I’m so delighted you were both active in some way in the political campaign. That night is certainly one you’ll remember the rest of your life. I know you both had tears as the results came in. I will tell you, tears were running down my cheeks as well, while watching TV at home in our den. I’ve wanted to share some thoughts with you since that night…. Here goes.

As you may know, life on a college campus was much different for me than it is for you two. There were not only no coed floors in the dorms, but no coed dorms when I was a freshman in 1964. As a freshman, I had to abide by closing. The doors locked at straight up midnight, 1 a.m. or whatever on weekends (can’t remember for sure) and earlier on school nights. Big trouble if you weren’t inside by then!

I now smile while remembering those differences, which were not all that bad. But there were other differences that were bad. There was only one single-person room on our dorm floor, and that’s where Oleta lived. Oleta was black. She was bright, attractive and friendly, but was not assigned a roommate. The other black girls in the dorm either roomed together or also alone. I guess we checked a box or included a photo with the dorm application. One of my best friends in high school was president of her sorority at Fort Hays. A girl from Russell wanted to pledge that house. She was outstanding in every way. In fact, my partner and I debated against her and her partner in the state debate finals! (They won.) Well, there were girls threatening to leave the sorority if they pledged this person, and girls threatening to leave if they didn’t. Jenn, I’m so glad you won’t ever have to deal with that issue as president of your house.

I started KU in the fall of 1964. That wasn’t so long after Kennedy was assassinated. I remember that day vividly. Kennedy had been my hero! Eisenhower was the first President I really remember. Living in Kansas, I was proud his boyhood home was Abilene! But Mamie, in her pill box hats and dowdy suits, didn’t exactly seem like a national role model for young Americans, and although everybody liked Ike, nobody seemed really thrilled with him. Jackie Kennedy, on the other hand, was easy to adore, as was JFK! JFK always spoke with such eloquence and articulation; he really inspired hope and excitement among young Americans! Sound familiar? The first time I heard Obama speak, I immediately thought of JFK. He aroused those same passions in me, and that brought back a lot of memories and emotions.
Back to college in the 60’s…Those were the days of protest and unrest. War protestors regularly picketed the Military Science building. Cops were the bad guys in many young minds, and dreams of something better flourished. Peace and love.There was a lot to think and worry about in the world around us outside of campus life, and sometimes on The Hill.

I remember picket lines of students protesting an apartment complex south of campus—can’t remember the name—that wouldn’t rent to black students. Apparently that wasn’t yet illegal.

I also remember a special visit to the home of the Dean of Woman where there was an Underground Railroad cave in her back yard. Lawrence had been a key part of that segment of history, and that was something to feel good about. Growing up in Hays, I had never thought much about racial prejudice. It was easy to say I wasn’t prejudiced; there weren’t any blacks in Hays.

There were legends about an old unwritten law saying any colored person seen on the streets of Hays after dark would be hanged. I don’t know if that was true; nor do I know if any black person ever saw the noose in Hays’ rough and tumble wild west days. Could have been so.

I do remember while, as a child, making many trips to medical specialists in Wichita, seeing “Colored” and “Whites Only” signs on some bathroom doors there. This was in the 50’s. It confused me, and even as a youngster, I knew there was something gravely wrong with everything those signs represented. And there was something wrong with students not being able to rent an apartment simply because of their skin color.
Many years later, we were living in Lenexa, and I was working on publications for Camp Fire’s National Headquarters in KCMO. My favorite graphic designer and illustrator was a black artist named Ron Garnett. We became pretty good friends through frequent projects and publications. Ron shared with me that it was still hard for a black person or family to find housing in Kansas City. Ron didn’t “sound black” when he spoke, and so he’d often make an appointment to see an available apartment only to discover when he met the manager, there were no vacancies after all.

That kind of thing has probably gone away because of the increasing number of civil rights laws. Brown vs. Board of Education happened in Kansas after all. But still, even today, bigotry has not gone away. We know many people in our generation who still carry strong racial prejudices. We have noticed judgmental glances towards our bi-racial grandkids. We’ve heard many disgusting racial ‘jokes,’ until people figure out we don’t see humor there. We’re still not in a perfect world. We all took a giant step forward on November 4th, however. I am filled with pride in not only what Obama stands for, but especially that the color of his skin did not stop his ideas and philosophies from being heard and accepted by the majority.

I hope you see many more magnificent changes in the years ahead for you, that racial prejudice is something you’ll see really disappear from our society in your lifetime.

I hope one day the discrimination against gays and lesbians will be legally forbidden and eventually socially disdained.

One day you’ll tell your grandchildren you remember the night when our first African American was elected President. And, hopefully, they’ll say they can’t believe that was ever such a big deal. But it is a big deal. And I’m glad it’s an event we all shared.

I love you both so much. You represent all that’s right and positive about our future!

Grandma