Their Talents Came Together "One Magic Night" on the OHS Stage

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Written by: Rick Nichols
     By the time the so-called "Roaring '20s" were behind them, Marshall Ensor, W9BSP, and his younger sister Loretta, W9UA, had begun teaching radio by radio from the comfort of their cozy Radio Room in the Ensor home, volunteer work they eventually would be honored for by CBS, and Charles "Buddy" Rogers had already appeared in the first film to receive the Academy Award for Best Picture.
     But the early part of this tumultuous boom-then-bust decade found all three of them at Olathe High School, Marshall as a teacher doing what he always did best, building things, and Loretta and "Buddy" as students, where, 100 years ago this month, they each had a role to play in putting on a theatrical production with a pronounced Oriental flavor to entertain their fellow Occidentals. Here is the story from the May 25, 1922, issue of The Olathe Register: Feast of the Little Lanterns Presented by Girls' Glee Club
     The Feast of the Little Lanterns, a Chinese Operetta by Paul Bliss, was presented by the Girls' Glee Club of the Olathe High School, in the High School Auditorium, Wednesday evening May 17. The play was the last number of the Lecture Course. It had been planned to give the play on the Central School Grounds, but the weather prohibited them, so the play was given in the High School building. The decorations at the Central School Grounds were exceptionally beautiful and the audience for the most part, had the privilege of seeing them before the rain.

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City Officials Tour Ensor

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Written by: Rick Nichols
EnsorTour
 

John Bacon, the mayor of Olathe, his assistant, Liz Ruback, Brad Clay, deputy director of Parks and Recreation, and Mike Sirna, director of Quality of Life, visited Ensor Park and Museum the afternoon of November 17 and were given a tour of the eight-acre historic site by Marty Peters, KE0PEZ, the secretary-treasurer of the club, and Howard Cripe, N0AZ, with Peg Nichols, KD0VQO, and myself contributing to the experience here and there.

The tour lasted approximately an hour and a half and even included a stop at the large building at the end of the driveway where Marshall Ensor's 1949 Ford is stored.

A "Wow!" was heard from the mayor while he was in the north room of the Peg Barn, and when I asked him for a comment about the park and museum at the conclusion of the tour, he said, "It's amazing."

Special Event to Remember Loretta Ensor

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Written by: Rick Nichols
 Loretta EnsorLoretta Ensor

 A pioneer in the field of amateur radio, the longtime operator of the family farm and an avid collector of stamps and postcards, Loretta Ensor, W9UA, packed a whole lot of life into her 87 years in this world.

It was 30 years ago this month that Loretta, her body by then crippled by the effects of arthritis, left us to join her older brother Marshall and her parents Jacob and Ida in the Great Beyond where every "CQ" results in an immediate contact and propagation is never an issue.

To mark the occasion, our club will be holding a special event at Olathe's Ensor Park and Museum, 18995 W. 183rd Street, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, September 11.

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  1. Ensor Park and Museum Reopens ... Finally
  2. He Was The One In '41!
  3. Ensor Story Told By Marty, Howard
  4. Update on Marshall Ensor Field

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