“Local boy makes good” – such stories are traditionally earnest and heartwarming, and, to be frank, often a little on the dull side. The saga of Blevins Davis, however, is […]

Cricket West was a fresh, new shop at 108 West 47th Street on the Country Club Plaza in 1938. Its owner was from an old Kansas City family, one steeped […]

In 1942, Random House published Instruct My Sorrows, a first novel with a distinctly unusual author’s bio: “Clare Jaynes was born some thirty years ago in Kansas City and again […]

Are these the eyes of a killer? Technically, no. All that was years in the future… Back in July 1939, our scribe wrote glowingly of a young woman who graced […]

She married a jazz musician. That doesn’t completely explain Tillie Heyle’s love for the Conservatory, but it’s a good start. During his college days at the University of Missouri, Alvin […]

Author’s note: A decade ago, Michael Churchman wrote Storied Halls: The Brookside Hotel, Treadway Hall, and the Crestwood Condominiums Through Ninety Years, and this scribe is heavily indebted to him […]

Reprinted from the May 9, 1942 issue of The Independent: Unheralded was Mr. and Mrs. Pasquale Di Cicco’s bow into Town’s social life last week-end. Guests at the Hotel Bellerive, […]

So lovely! The proposal, the ring, the wedding…  Oh, dear! The 10,000 details that go into planning the wedding…   Of course, you could always elope… In the early days […]

[Editor’s note: The archives are an ideal place to find the unexpected. This article, originally published in the August 10, 1929, issue, is a reminiscence of happier days written by […]

Evan S. Connell, the novelist, grew up in Our Town, frequently drawing inspiration from the world of his childhood for his writings. His novel, Mrs. Bridge, a 1959 bestseller, introduced […]

Sometimes, we like to imagine the places we’ve loved in the days long before we knew them. The Country Club Plaza is one such site. J. C. Nichols created it, […]

Molybdenum. That’s probably not what you first think of when The Independent magazine is mentioned. Here’s the story. Nearly 20 years ago, our scribe interviewed the chief executive officer of […]

Long ago, our scribe called Daniel MacMorris “multi-faceted.” He worked in oil, watercolor, charcoal, and pen-and-ink, creating portraits (including many of prominent Kansas Citians and benefactors and chancellors at The […]

Back in September 1926, The Independent published a photo with this caption: “Winthrop Williams, good-looking, popular, young business man, who has signed a contract for life!” That was our scribe’s […]

Need inspiration for your holiday shopping? You’ll find it here. Ours isn’t the most practical approach – the biggest item on our wish list is a time machine. (Imagine Santa […]

When Sue Cunningham married William Granger Blair in 1952, he had already launched his professional career. (Hers was still to come.) Bill was a newspaperman, as was his stepfather, the […]

In 1950, Sue Cunningham was photographed feeding the pigeons in St. Mark’s Square. She turned 20 that August, and spent most of July, all of August and the bulk of […]

Her maiden name was Margaret Frances Sally. She was born in April 1903 and grew up in Rolla, Missouri. After attending Springfield Teachers College and serving as a St. Patrick’s […]

(Continued from the July 21, 2018 issue) On July 5, 1944, Hans Schwieger’s wife, Elsbeth Bloemendal Schwieger, died unexpectedly, just hours after he had been sworn in as a citizen. […]

The new conductor of the Kansas City Philharmonic and his missus arrived in Our Town in 1948. “I’m bringing the best part of Fort Wayne to Kansas City,” Hans Schwieger […]

As unlikely as it sounds, R. Hugh “Pat” Uhlmann might never have met his bride if he hadn’t attended Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, which was an all-male school back […]