TOPIC: Wyandot Nation & the origins of Quindaro: America's Largest Underground Railroad Site, Spawned from Bleeding Kansas
The Wyandot Nation of Kansas was forcibly removed from Ohio to Kansas in 1843, although their homeland is in present-day Ontario, Canada. They are the only Iroquois / Haudenosaunee language group tribe in Kansas. Wyandotte County, Kansas (the location of our former reservation) is just across the Missouri River from Parkville, MO.
The Zane Sisters, Holly (Wakǫresatáhtaʔ = She Who Extends Her Paw) and Kristen (Yarónyaʔawiʔ = Voice that Floats from the Sky) are enrolled members of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas (Bear Clan), and regularly speak to groups on the culture and history of the Wyandots (and other Immigrant Tribes) in Kansas, including the Wyandots involvement in the establishment of the abolitionist town of Quindaro.
Holly Zane, JD, graduated from KU with degrees in Honors English and Law, has represented her tribe pro bono in federal litigation to preserve and protect its burial ground in Kansas City, Kansas, the Huron Indian Cemetery and has served in various roles on the tribal council. Holly retired from the State of Kansas,
after working for the Kansas Board of Indigent Defense, Legislative Post Audit, Kansas Department of Corrections, and University of Kansas. She is now working as the Associate Director of Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area (in Kansas and Missouri), a 501c3 established by Congress that promotes local history, including the border / civil war, settlement of the Western Frontier, and the Enduring Struggle for Freedom.
Kristen Zane, PE Emeritis, graduated from KU with a degree in Civil Engineering and has studied Federal Indian Law at UCLA Law School. Although Kristen is now retired, she spent her entire Engineering career in the KC area and was the first minority and second woman President of the Kansas City Engineer Club.
Kristen is currently working on a grant funded project with other retired tribal members to data archive all Wyandot records throughout the US and Canada and has previously served as Secretary of the tribal council. Kristen is a Trustee for Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area (in Kansas and Missouri).
The Zane Sisters can often be found at Kansas museums, libraries and historic sites, such as the Shawnee Indian Museum, Grinter House Place Museum, Old Quindaro Museum, and Fort Scott, wearing traditional Wyandot period regalia, performing as living historians of Bleeding and Civil War Kansas and demonstrating forgotten crafts, such as pine needle basket weaving, corn husk doll making, and Iroquois raised bead work.
2025 Four Way Speech Test Parkville's Candidate Won 1st Place!
I am honored to announce the results of the 2025 Four Way Speech Contest...
1st Place - Eva Brocksas $1000 Sponsored by the Parkville Rotary Club, Kristin Gillette contest chairperson
Eva is a Senior at Park Hill High School. She is planning on attending KU to Major in Mechanical Engineering. She shared an inspiring and engaging speech utilizing the Four Way Test to emphasize the need and positive impacts of including Special Education students in extracurricular programs in schools.
2nd Place - Madeline Presnell $750 Sponsored by the Lee’s Summit Rotary Club, Blake McKinney contest chairperson
Madeline is a Junior at Lee's Summit High School. She is the Vice President of the school debate team and is excited for her summer internship to write an interactive History Curriculum.
3rd Place - YooJung Lee $500 Sponsored by Chillicothe Rotary Club ,Lindy Chapman contest chairperson
YooJung is a Senior at Chillicothe High School and will be attending Washington University to study Architecture.
Incredible young people with bright futures!
Jennifer Rodgers
First Steps Service Coordinator
The Daulton Group, Inc.
office (816)363-1078
Step Up to the Plate for the Rotary Youth Camp! ⚾🎉
Bring your family to Kauffman Stadium on June 15th as the Royals take on the Athletics.
Enjoy ballpark favorites, teach Dad how to snag his first foul ball, and celebrate Father’s Day weekend by giving back. Every cheer helps support 100 years of free summer camp for disabled and disadvantaged youth.
$5 from each purchase via the following link goes to the Rotary Youth Camp:
The annual District 6040 Rotary Foundation Dinner will be held on November 7, 2025. More details in the coming weeks.
Member News!
Have news you want to share with Parkville Rotary members? Email Dalyn at dnovak@wskfarch.com to have your news added to this section of the newsletter.
Rotary Fact of the Week!
50 Things Every Rotarian Should Know about Rotary
by Steve Garret, District Governor 1994-95, District 5300
#39 THE ROTARY FOUNDATION'S BEGINNING
Some magnificent projects grow from very small seeds. The Rotary Foundation had that sort of modest beginning.
In 1917 RI President Arch Klumph told the delegates to the Atlanta Convention that "it seems eminently proper that we should accept endowments for the purpose of doing good in the world." The response was polite and favorable, but the fund was slow to materialize. A year later the "Rotary Endowment Fund," as it was first labeled, received its first contribution of $26.50 from the Rotary Club of Kansas City, which was the balance of the Kansas City Convention account following the 1918 annual meeting. Additional small amounts were annually contributed, but after six years it is reported that the endowment fund had only reached $700. A decade later, The Rotary Foundation was formally established at the 1928 Minneapolis Convention. In the next four years the Foundation fund grew to $50,000. In 1937 a $2 million goal was announced for The Rotary Foundation, but these plans were cut short and abandoned with the outbreak of World War II.
In 1947, upon the death of Paul Harris, a new era opened for the Rotary Foundation as memorial gifts poured in to honor the founder of Rotary. From that time, The Rotary Foundation has been achieving its noble objective of furthering "understanding and friendly relations between peoples of different nations." By 1954 the Foundation received for the first time a half million dollars in contributions in a single year, and in 1965 a million dollars was received.
It is staggering to imagine that from those humble beginnings, The Rotary Foundation is now receiving more than $85 million each year for educational and humanitarian work around the world.
The Membership Committee has been hard at work looking for great new members. All members and prospective members can access the new member forms by clicking on the blue box below. This link will take you directly to the membership forms.
Parkville Rotary has the following membership types:
Standard Rotarian Membership
Corporate Membership
Spouse Membership
Please submit the forms filled out to Sandra Knoernschild at SandyKnoe@outlook.com, so the new member information can be reviewed by the board for approval! We are always looking for new members to join our growing club!
When you have a speaker scheduled please make sure to provide the following information to Sandy Knoernschild, SandyKnoe@outlook.com, who is managing our events calendar.
Speaker Name
Speaker Bio
Speaker Topic
Any other information you think members would like to know about your speaker, photos are welcomed too!
This information is included in this weekly newsletter and can really get people excited to come listen to our weekly speakers!
