Kansas

Kansas

1992/2021

I think I was in Kansas in 1992.  I was an assistant principal at a high school and my Science Olympia team won first place in the PA state competition.  Now we were competing at the national level and the content was here in Kansas. We finished somewhere in the top ten.  I was proud of them.  But I do not remember anything about this state.  And in hindsight, maybe I was in Kansas City, MO.  Maybe I wasn't in KS.

In 2021, I drove through Kansas while driving historic Route 66.  Among other stops, I wanted to make a stop at a local brewery.  I have a goal to visit a brewery in every state.  But during my ride through Route 66, I didn't find any damn breweries.  So I had to make a point of coming back through this state on the way home from this journey.

Three weeks later, I drive through Topeka, KS and did find a place, The Blind Tiger Brewery. The beers were great and my brisket sandwich was delicious.  I felt content with this find and was just about to move on with my long drive back to Philadelphia.  

But then I googled "Topeka" to see if there was anything I was missing and discovered that I was just a mile away from the Brown v Board of Education Museum.  I couldn't believe it.  I spent my career as an educator and this case was the basis of all of our decisions.  This case was monumental and I was right in the back yard of this infamous school.  I just couldn't believe it.  So I drove over there and walked those hallways and I had chills.  And I will always remember Kansas for as long as I live.