Cronkite’s Early Missouri & Oklahoma Roots

Yesterday, as you know, Walter Kronkite Cronkite died at his New York home at the age of 92.  Kronkite Cronkite was born on the other side of Missouri in St. Joseph Missouri, 56 miles north of Kansas City.

Wikipedia indicates his family lived in Kansas City, MO until he was 10, when they moved to Houston, TX.  After attending the University of Texas in Austin Kronkite Cronkite found work at the oldest radio station West of the Mississippi River, WKY in Oklahoma City, my hometown:

“5XT” became the 28th licensed station in the United States on March 16, 1922. The station was assigned the WKY call letters and began broadcasting weekdays from noon to 1:00 P.M. and from 7:30 to 9:30 P.M. On Sundays, WKY was on the air from 3 to 4 P.M. and 7:30 to 9:30 P.M.

In November 1922, WKY announced a “silent night” policy, meaning the station would broadcast only four, and later three nights a week. This was so listeners could have a chance to tune in to other stations in neighboring states.

WKY operated from the Skirvin Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City from 1936 to 1951, and was contracted to broadcast live from the Venetian Room from 11:00 to Midnight every evening.

Kronkite Cronkite announced on WKY the football play by play for my alma mater, the University of Oklahoma, during the 1936 season.  Kronkite was only 20 years old.

The Skirvin Hotel, where WKY broadcast during Kronkite’s Cronkite’s time at the station, was one of the fanciest hotels of the day.  Remember that Oklahoma had only become a state in 1907.  The Skirvin Hotel was opened by Michigan native Bill Skirvin:

On September 26, 1911, Skirvin opened the ornate hotel for public inspection. Visitors attracted to the 10-story building found an unique exterior with two wings, each facing south, and a rounded bay between the wings running the height of the structure. The façade was red brick laid in a Flemish bond pattern, the lower level was faced with limestone, and two covered entryways were located on both 1st Street and Broadway.

By 1923 the hotel’s success and the continued growth of Oklahoma City convinced Skirvin that expansion was justified. Again, the oilman went to Sol Layton, who developed plans to add another wing and bay to the east, replacing the one-story Skirvin garage, and to raise all three wings to 14 stories. In addition, plans called for remodeling all existing rooms, the first of many refurbishings which would change the hotel each decade thereafter. By 1926, with revisions in plans and the investment of $650,000, the hotel had a new wing of 12 stories and two wings still 10 stories.

Although his original plans had been temporarily halted, Skirvin persevered. In March 1928, as another prosperous era was overtaking Oklahoma City, the rotund entrepreneur announced plans to raise all wings to 14 stories and to initiate an extensive remodeling of the entire hotel. As Skirvin noted, “we are planning our improvement in anticipation of a greater Oklahoma City,” an attitude which would consume every subsequent owner of the grand dowager of hotels.

One year later and three months after the first well in the world-famous Oklahoma City oil field was discovered, Skirvin let the first contracts for the renovation. When workers left in April of 1930, the proud owner opened the hotel for public inspection. The entire building had been raised to 14 levels, capacity had been increased to 525 rooms, a roof garden and cabaret club had been added, and the old café had been enlarged and converted into a modern coffee shop. The improvements carried a price tag of $3 million, almost twice the cost of the original building.  (source)

Skirvin himself had done quite well over the years. His daughter Perle Skirvin Mesta also did well.  In 1916, the year Kronkite Cronkite was born, she married George Mesta at the age of 27.  By age  36, in 1925, she was a widow.  A rich widow, inheriting her late husband’s $78 million estate.  She lived in Rhode Island, Maine during the year that Kronkite worked at WKY radio in her father’s hotel but it is possible they met. After Perle Mesta moved to Washington DC in 1940 she became a leading socialite.  She served as the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg for four years in the early 1950s after being appointed to the position by President Harry Truman.  She died in 1975 but it is possible that Kronkite may crossed paths with her after he became the CBS News anchor in 1962.

The places we live and the people we know along the way contribute to our character.  Walter Cronkite was from my late parents generation — he was 12 when my father was born and 14 when my mom was born in March 1931.

My folks watched Kronkite on the news like so many others.  They would have seen his reports on the assassination of  President Kennedy and the moon landing. Kronkite Cronkite, as we’ve been haring, was fascinated with space travel.  Among the 12 or so graduates from my dad’s 1947 high school class of 1947 was astronaut Thomas P. Stafford.  Stafford was commander of Apollo 10 that orbited the moon in May 1969.  Two months later, in July 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the moon with Commander of that mission, Neil Armstrong, walking on the moon.

Thank you for indulging me in a sentimental journey that was triggered by Kronkite’s Cronkite’s passing.  RIP Walter Kronkite Cronkite.

– Steve Patterson

Boards and Commissions in the City of St. Louis

On Twitter Mayor Slay has been asking for interested parties to speak up if interested in serving on a local board or commission.  One recent tweet:

Wonder if Chuck Norris would like to serve on a City board/commission. (If YOU would, email wahbyr@stlouiscity.com and tell her.) 6:51 PM Jul 12th from web

The following are the boards & commissions in the City of St. Louis or regional boards where our Mayor gets to appoint some of the members:

1. 620 Market Transportation Development District
2. Adjustment, Board of
3. Adult Welfare Services, Board of
4. Affordable Housing Commission
5. Aging, Advisory Council on
6. Air Pollution and Variance Review, Board of
7. Airport Commission, City
8. Art Museum Subdistrict
9. Baden Market Centre Special Business District
10. Broadway Hotel Transportation Development District
11. Bryan Mullanphy Emigrant and Travelers Relief Fund, Board of Commissioners of the
12. Building Appeals, Board of
13. Cathedral Square Special Business District
14. CB5421/5975 Transportation Development District
15. Central West End North Special Business District
16. Central West End South Business District Commission
17. Central West End Southeast Special Business District
18. Charity Solicitations Commission
19. Cherokee-Lemp Special Business Districts
20. Citizens Advisory Committee for Capital Expenditure
21. Civil Rights Enforcement Commission, St. Louis
22. Civil Service Commission
23. Convention and Sports Complex Authority, St. Louis Regional Convention and Visitors Commission (CVC)
24. Crime and Law Enforcement,
25. Commission on Decent Literature Commission
26. Demolition Contractors Board
27. Developmental Disabilities Resources Commission (DD Resources)
28. Disabled, Advisory Council on the
29. Downtown Economic Stimulus Authority of the City of St. Louis (MODESA)
30. Downtown Parks Business District
31. Downtown Saint Louis Business District
32. East-Loop/Parkview Gardens Special Business District
33. Electrical Examiners, Committee of
34. Enhanced Enterprise Zone
35. Enright/Arlington Community Improvement District
36. Equalization, Board of
37. Firemen’s Retirement System of Saint Louis, Board of Trustees
38. Forest Park Advisory Board
39. Fumigators, Board of Examiners
40. Gardenside Subdivision Special Business District
41. Health, Board of
42. History Museum Subdistrict
43. Hospitals, Board of
44. Housing Authority of St. Louis, Commissioners of the
45. Industrial Development Authority
46. Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority
47. Land Reutilization Authority
48. Library, Board of Directors St. Louis Public
49. Locust Central Business District
50. Loughborough Commons Community Improvement District
51. Mechanical Contractors, Board of Examiners
52. Mental Health Fund, Board of Trustees for the Community
53. Merchants and Manufactures Tax Equalization, Board of
54. Metro St. Louis HIV Health Services Planning Council
55. Metropolitan Park and Recreation District (Great Rivers Greenway)
56. Metropolitan Sewer Districts Board of Trustees
57. Metropolitan Zoological Park & Museum District Board (Cultural District)
58. Missouri Botanical Garden Subdistrict
59. Missouri St. Louis Metropolitan Airport Authority
60. Orpheum Theatre Community Improvement District
61. Philanthropic Organization, Inc., St. Louis
62. Planned Industrial Expansion Authority, Board of Commissioners of the
63. Planning Commission
64. Plumbers and Drainlayers, Board of Examiners of
65. Plumbing Review, Committee of
66. Police Retirement , Board of Trustees for the Maintenance and Admin. of the Alternative Sys. of
67. Port Authority Commission
68. Preservation Board
69. Regional Cultural and Performing Arts Development Commission
70. Regional Health Commission
71. REJIS Commission
72. Residence Inn Community Improvement District
73. Retirement System City of Saint Louis, Board of Trustees
74. Science Center Subdistrict, St. Louis
75. Soldiers’ Memorial Building Commission
76. Soulard Special Business District
77. Special Administrative Board (Transitional School District)
78. Sprinkler System Contractors, Board of Examiners
79. St. Louis Center for International Relations d/b/a WTC St. Louis
80. St. Louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District
81. Tax Appeals, Board of
82. Tax Increment Financing Commission
83. Taxicab Commission, Regional
84. Tower Grove South Concerned Citizens Special Business District
85. Transportation Development District
86. Washington Place Special Business District
87. Waterman/Lake Special Business District
88. Westminster/Lake Special Business District
89. Workforce Investment Board
90. Zoo Subdistrict

The list is as of 7/15/2009.  I received the list from my friend Seth Teel who got it from Robbyn Wahby, a staffer with Mayor Francis Slay.

Each of these 90 boards/commissions has guidelines about membership.  For example, the composition of the Preservation Board:

shall consist of eight voting members appointed by the Mayor, each of whom shall be a resident of the City and shall have demonstrated interest and ability in the preservation and enhancement of Structures and neighborhoods. Of the eight members appointed by the Mayor, at least two shall be registered architects, one shall be a practicing art or architectural historian, one shall be a practicing landscape architect or planner with experience in urban or civic design, one shall be a licensed real estate broker, one shall be a registered engineer and one shall be a citizen member of the Planning Commission.  In addition to the above, the Chairman of the Public Safety Committee of the Board of Aldermen of the City shall be a voting member of said Preservation Board and shall constitute the ninth (9th) voting member of said Preservation Board, and the only voting member not appointed by the Mayor of the City.

Of course finding out who currently serves on these boards and when their appointments expire is a major challenge.  If only we had a way to make this information available to everyone.  Some sort of central location where such information can be found. Printed and kept at the library?

Perhaps we can get the city’s website to advance beyond 1996 and actually provide the info we want to know.

The city’s website has those stupid building blocks with CIN on them — Community Information Network.  Don’t worry about the community, that is covered elsewhere.  Just cover the city government. Serving on such boards is part of civic duty but we need to have access to which boards exists, what they do and when vacancies need to be filled.  I invite each city resident to email Robbyn Wahby and let her know  you are interested in serving on one of the above.  Ask for the qualifications and when a vacancy needs to be filled.

If you don’t live in the City of St. Louis I suggest you look into similar boards & commissions in your own community.

– Steve Patterson

Accessing One Memorial Drive

The other day I had a meeting st the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, the St. Louis regional MPO. The building houses a number of firms as well as KMOV Channel 4 and KMOX radio.  I’ve been here numerous times before — including one in my wheelchair.

As you approach the building entry, above, you see the revolving door and individual doors to each side.  Obviously a wheelchair is not going through the revolving door.  So two choices remain.  Many buildings have door openers that can be activated by button — a nice feature.

There is the button just below the black square.  Interestingly they didn’t put the opener on the door on the left with the level sidewalk.  They opted for the door with the angled sidewalk.  In my power wheelchair this is not a major problem but anyone in a manual chair would have issues.  When walking with a cane I often use the openers to help with doors but I wouldn’t even think of walking near that button.

So often designers making decisions don’t realize how bad their choices are.  This door was probably selected over the left door because it is closer to the elevators.  The person that made the decision on which of the two doors would get the auto opener had a 50/50 chance of getting it right… or getting it wrong.

– Steve Patterson

Community or Die!

The key to inner-city rejuvenation is the establishment and invigoration of communities. Without coherent social structures empowering, educating, and energizing individuals cities tend to fall apart. The worst aspects of modern infrastructure planning involve the isolation, division, and starvation of communities. The resulting individual atomization ends in isolation and dehumanization.

Humans need communities, they need them just as much as they need families and friends. How else do they come by these? Per chance? From the masses of strangers that surround us we select our friends, our lovers, our mates. From thence we find love, happiness, and identity. Without that, what are we? The struggle for community is a struggle for the bonds which hold all of us together. It is the basic unit upon which our country is built on. Even the family wouldn’t exist without a community to support and encourage mate selection, and what family could do without the vast educational and social support of the greater society?

Suburbia is perhaps the most horrific example of dehumanization through the lack of community. The obvious Lack of intellectually-stimulating diversity is not the most damaging consequence of moderate-density life. Suburban Americans suffer from relative detachment from the rest of the population. The immediate population! It is not unusual for someone in O’Fallon to have no idea who their neighbors are. From five houses down to next door. Television, fences, the internet, motor vehicles, and corporate malls have allowed people a relative mental detachment from everyone else.

This is far from the “good ‘ole days” complaints of our grandparents. The isolated existence of suburbanites results in sociological catastrophes. Many of our socio-economic problems arise directly from the collective choices of millions to live in a most abnormal manner. Global Warming, cultural depreciation, educational lagging, Wal-Mart, Garth Brooks, Republicans; the most daunting problems of the 21st century find their root in freshly trimmed, identical lawns.

Great men and women, great ideas, great projects; these all rise from the cities and dense villages of the world. From communities.  If we are to generate those geniuses and a culture to rally behind them we must regroup and recommit to each other on a local level.

To put it plainly, every suburban sprawl zone must be evacuated and leveled. For the sake of our people, for ourselves individually, and for the future of our country. This is not necessarily an extreme program, people must voluntarily leave their yard gnomes and three car garages behind. There must be a grand national campaign to bring the people back to the cities and town centers, leaving the razed ground to return to nature. Our cities and towns must develop in a humane and socially-oriented manner. Our cities must be welcoming places; places of peace, prosperity, ingenuity, art, and diversity. The best of the Urban must be magnified and the worst must be diminished to negligible proportions. Crime, poverty, educational atrophy, and prejudice need to go the way of the dinosaur.

What have we to lose? Should we allow catastrophe to occur? Most importantly, do we have hope and faith that such important and integral policies can be implemented successfully?

In future installments I will identify what the former suburbanites will return to, current examples of strong communities and community centers. Additionally, methods and tactics for community-building will be enumerated and left to public debate. By working together we can create an Urbia attractive and enticing to the lonely denizens of the counties. Your lowly idealist (myself) will strive to present alternatives and methods for establishing them.

This will be a series much like what Brick By Brick will become.

– Angelo Stege

A Year of Driving

A year ago today I bought my first post-stroke tank of gas. The 9 months prior to my stroke I did not have a car — my motorized transportation was a 49cc Honda Metropolitan scooter that got around 90 miles per gallon.  A year ago I felt guilty about going back to driving a car. I’m over the guilt although I want to, someday, go back to not having a car.

So the day I buy gas for the first time in nearly six months just happens to have been the day gas prices peaked in St. Louis.  I paid $3.979/gallon for basic unleaded. By December 30th I paid a low of $1.339/gallon – a 66% drop. I tracked each fuel purchase and my mpg on an application on my iPhone:

Cold winters and recent a/c use took a toll on my average MPG.  My last fill-up was on a return trip from Chicago – 70mph with a/c.  Pretty good numbers.

During the year I drove 7,200 miles which included a trip to Oklahoma and the recent one to Chicago.  Take out those two road trips and I drove about 5,500 miles around town.  Admittedly I have a big advantage of working from home.  But I also have a compact life shopping locally as well as combining trips. Even as the price of gas dropped I continued to conserve.

The above chart shows the price per gallon that I paid over the last year.  Yes, I’m a nerd by charting this but I’m a visual person.  As we seen the price per gallon has steadily increased in 2009.  It is still a long way from where it was a year ago – the climb up is much slower than the drop off.  But the prices from last summer will return at some point.  There will be a point in a year or two where $4/gallon seems low.

By the end of 2010 I hope to have another scooter — perhaps a hybrid or all-electric scooter.  Like before, I’ll go a couple of years having a car and a scooter before going to scooter-only.  This time I will be able to join Enterprise’s WeCar car-sharing program for those times when I need/want a car.

– Steve Patterson