RESOLUTION NO. 241102

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Sponsor:  Councilmember Nathan Willett

RESOLUTION - Honoring Kansas Citian Edward T. Matheny, Jr. for his contributions to our City, State, and Country.

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WHEREAS, born in 1923, Mr. Matheny grew up in the Brookside area and graduated from Southwest High School; and

WHEREAS, in 1940, Edward T. Matheny, Jr. attended the University of Missouri, graduating in December 1943 with a degree in history, and while in college was a prominent member of the campus community with numerous accomplishments: elected to the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honor society, selected to join the QEBH secret honor society, member of the Xi Xi - Sigma Chi Fraternity, played on the basketball team (and is rumored to be the Inventor of the “Jump Shot”) and served as editor of the Savitar, the school’s yearbook; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Matheny was an officer in the Navy and assigned to the staff of Adm. Chester Nimitz, commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet; and while headquartered at Pearl Harbor, he helped track the movement of thousands of vessels throughout the Pacific Ocean and then was  transferred to the 5th Fleet under Adm. Raymond A. Spruance, where he served through the war’s end and beyond; and

WHEREAS, in 1949, Mr. Matheny graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School and returned to Kansas City to join the firm now known as Husch Blackwell, eventually becoming a managing partner; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Matheny is a respected civic leader who established Kansas City’s first public television station, led the non-partisan Citizens’ Association to support good governance, and served for 15 years as president and foundation chairman of Saint Luke’s Hospital; and  

WHEREAS, Mr. Matheny is also a notable historian and has written the following books about our city and its institutions, including “The Rise and Fall of Excellence - The Story of Southwest High School,” “The Presence of Care -The History of St. Luke's Hospital,” “The Pursuit of a Ruptured Duck - When Kansas City Went to War,” and “Cowtown - Cattle Trades and West Bottom Tales;” NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:

That the Mayor and Council hereby recognize Edward T. Matheny, Jr. for his contributions to our City, State, and Country; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution be spread upon the Minutes of the Council in testimony thereof and that a copy hereof be presented to Edward T. Matheny, Jr. with the appreciation of the Mayor and Council for his contributions to our City, State, and Country.

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