WILLIS, R. A.
Source: Manhattan, Kansas Morning Chronicle 30 Jan 1941 p 2
RA Willis & Kansas have something in common – by Beth
Kathleen Emmert – 80 years ago Wednesday RA Willis and the state of Kansas were
born. Celebrating his birthday quietly
in his home at 1220 Laramie, Mr. Willis said today that he is proud to be the
same age as the state where he has resided since his youth. Born in Fountain County
Indiana on the Wabash River, Jan 29, 1861, Mr. Willis remembers much about his
early life. The first school he attended was a one-room structure crammed full
with 75 or 80 pupils. His father was the teacher. He described how they cut and
carried in wood to be burned in the schoolhouse stove. “Very few people took the weekly newspaper at
that time,” said Mr. Willis “and as father was well posted on Kansas affairs,
they got the news form him. That’s how they came to give me the nickname of
Kansas.” When he was 17 years old, Mr.
Willis came to Kansas which has been his home since. Wanted to see namesake –
Asked why he decided to come to this state, he replied, “I wanted to see my
namesake.” He came first to Humboldt,
Kan, where he had an uncle. There he worked on a farm for three months at 50
cents a day. He then went to Douglas County and was employed on the farm of the
foster father of the girl who later became his wife. “I was rather disappointed
with Kansas when I first saw it,” Mr. Willis confessed. “All I could see was a
lot of prairie chickens. The jackrabbits were a real curiosity to me. I didn’t
like the southwest winds in the fall when I was trying to put up prairie hay.
However, I knew Kansas was where I wanted to live, and I think I made a wise
choice. It’s a dandy place to be
in.” After their marriage the Willises
resided in Douglas County until 1903, and six of their seven children were born
there. In 1901 Mr. Willis came to Manhattan as a delegate to the Kansas State
Grange convention. He was impressed by the town, immediately, he said, and
during the week he was here he began to make plans to move his family to
Manhattan as his eldest daughter was ready for college. He Trades His Farm – In 1903 he traded his
farm in Douglas County for one in the College Hill community four miles west of
Manhattan. From then until 1923 he had at least one child in Kansas State
College. At one time during these years he had four children enrolled at the
same time. All except two of the seven are graduates of the institution. Of
those who did not graduate, one attended for three years and the other took a
short course. The boys received degrees in agriculture and girls in home
economics. “It didn’t cost much to go to college in those days,” Mr. Willis
laughed. “I remember one year it was only $3 for the three terms. There was a
laboratory fee of 50 cents but that was refunded if you didn’t lose your
key.” The Willis family remained on the
farm until 1919. During the period they
resided on several different farms, all in the College Hill school district.
The children attended the College Hill school which employed two teachers in
the two rooms. For a time there was a College Hill HS, and one of the Willis
children was graduated form it in a class of three. Most of the others went
directly from the rural grade school to college as was the custom at that time.
Two, however, were graduated from the Manhattan HS. “When I first saw Manhattan, the business
section was smaller than Aggieville is now,” Mr. Willis reminisced. “There were
only about two blocks of stores. The streets weren’t paved and they got pretty
muddy when it rained. Many’s the time I’ve been stalled in the middle of Poyntz
Avenue with a four-horse load of hay.”
Owns Several Farms – Mrs. Willis owns several farms and has built
several houses. He can boast that he completely modernized three farm homes at
a time when modern farm homes were completely unheard-of around Manhattan. He
first bought and modernized what is known as the old Huffman place at the
northwest corner of the campus. Later he purchased another farm, built a house
and installed his own electrical plant. He used this electricity until the
district was able to connect with the Rocky Ford power line in 1917. In 1920,
he built what is now the Phi Kappa Fraternity House at the west end of Anderson
Avenue. This spot was outside the city limits at that time, and the city had
rules that no persons outside of the city could use city water. Consequently
Mr. Willis built his own waterworks system and was able to have hot and cold
water throughout the nine-room house. He
later built another house on the west of the same tract. “There wasn’t a telephone in the neighborhood
when we first moved to the College Hill Community,” Mr. Willis said. “And I
remember how the whole family would run out into the yard to see cars go by
when the first cars came to Manhattan.”
Mr. Willis is still interested in farming and takes an active interest
in rural affairs. He has served the public in various capacities. He was active
in farm organizations while he lived in the College Hill district. He served as
president and treasurer of the Kansas Crop Improvement Association. He and Mrs.
Willis have attended Grange conventions in several cities. He was on the school
board many years while on the farm. He belonged to the Farmers’ Union and was
master of the Manhattan Grange for a number of years. A Good Corn Raiser – “For two years in
succession I raised the best ear of corn in Kansas,” Mr. Willis stated
proudly. Several years ago Mr. Willis
took up toy making as a hobby. Many of
his bows, arrows and doll cradles have given joy to the children of Manhattan.
Five years ago his wife suffered a stroke, and he has since devoted his time to
caring for her. Mr. Willis is an alert,
cheerful person in spite of his 80 years and he is much interested in
contemporary affairs. A Republican, he says concerning politics that it should
be “cleaner” and there should be “less of it.”
He advocates a four-year governorship with no reelection. “If a man makes a good governor for two years
he’ll probably be re-elected anyway, so why not put him in for four years and
save the taxpayers’ money,” is the way he looks at it. “I think Manhattan as a
town has kept pace with the college,” he commented. “Both have grown
considerably since I first saw them.”
Mr. Willis likes to read and listen to the radio. He condemns the
present European conflict as “useless tomfoolery” and believes war to be
utterly useless because “you can destroy so much faster than you can
create.” Proud of Grandchildren – On the
parlor table in the Willis home are a number of photographs. “Our
grandchildren,” Mr. Willis explained proudly. “There are seven of them, and
they are receiving college educations as their parents did.” One young man will
graduate from Purdue University in the spring.
Mr. and Mrs. Willis belong to the First Christian Church in
Manhattan. Complimented on his long,
busy life and useful accomplishments, Mr. Willis said, nodding toward his wife,
“Whatever we’ve accomplished, we’ve done it together.” Kansas was admitted to the union January 29,
1861.