Amongst the 14 scheduled speakers at Friday’s dedication of Greensburg’s new Kiowa County Memorial Hospital (KCMH), it wasn’t hard spotting those at the lectern with a personal connection to the milestone. They were the ones with misty eyes struggling for words.
Though he was second on the list, KCMH Board President Paul Ross was the first to tear up, hardly able to whisper, “It does me good to see the crowd that’s come here today to wish us well in our new hospital.” Before leaving the stage Ross called the afternoon’s moderator, KCMH Administrator Mary Sweet, to join him behind the mike.
Once she had, Ross put his arm around her as he expressed his gratitude for her leadership in the darkest days of the May 4, 2007 tornado’s aftermath. Sweet succumbed to the emotional moment, bringing her head to rest on Ross’s shoulder as she silently mouthed words of appreciation.
Former Kansas House Minority leader and current State Treasurer Dennis McKinney is no stranger to emotional appearances at groundbreaking and dedication events in his hometown. Friday afternoon was no exception as the Democrat many expect to run for the governor’s seat in four years began to speak of “all these milestones” before having to pause more than a few seconds to compose himself.
McKinney went on to speak of Kansas as a place Greensburg residents have found “2.8 million neighbors” willing to lend a hand in the nearly three years since the town-leveling storm.
While she’s not a Kiowa County native, KDEM’s (Kansas Department of Emergency Management) Angie Morgan likewise had a lump in her throat as she spoke of having spent seven months of her life on site in Greensburg following the tornado—a time she referenced as “living here in a box, so it’s my hometown, too. Guess I’ll be back for the school dedication (expected to take place in August).”
By way of contrast was FEMA deputy administrator Richard Serena, his thick Boston accent unmistakable as he read a prepared statement that was abandoned for a moment when he spoke of his wife who at that very moment was working at a Bean Town ER “helping sick people.”
The $25 million facility now sits on the site of the former BTI John Deere dealership, which has rebuilt on the east edge of town—a site that was little more than a leveled, gravel lot when the hospital’s groundbreaking was held under a flapping tent on a cold, blustery October afternoon in 2008. The nearly 200 guests this day were warm and comfortable inside what is expected to later be certified as the first LEED Platinum (highest level of energy efficiency awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council) critical access hospital in the nation.
The politicians were there as well, including Governor Mark Parkinson, Congressman Jerry Moran and Senator Sam Brownback. Though their remarks were predictable and by now well worn, they were brief, as if the pols realized this day was really about something bigger and more fundamental than government assistance.
The true significance of the day was best captured by Sweet in a simple, but telling recollection of her staff having to not only work out of the same tent-like quarters the military uses overseas for medical facilities, but resorting to portable toilets for relief the first six months of post-storm operation.
“We had to learn port-a-potty etiquette,” Sweet said, “which isn’t so bad in summer, but on cold, windy days it can be challenging sitting and shivering in there, knowing a big gust can tip you over at any moment. Now that kind of thing’s no longer a worry.”
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Amongst the 14 scheduled speakers at Friday’s dedication of Greensburg’s new Kiowa County Memorial Hospital (KCMH), it wasn’t hard spotting those at the lectern with a personal connection to the milestone. They were the ones with misty eyes struggling for words.
Though he was second on the list, KCMH Board President Paul Ross was the first to tear up, hardly able to whisper, “It does me good to see the crowd that’s come here today to wish us well in our new hospital.” Before leaving the stage Ross called the afternoon’s moderator, KCMH Administrator Mary Sweet, to join him behind the mike.
Once she had, Ross put his arm around her as he expressed his gratitude for her leadership in the darkest days of the May 4, 2007 tornado’s aftermath. Sweet succumbed to the emotional moment, bringing her head to rest on Ross’s shoulder as she silently mouthed words of appreciation.
Former Kansas House Minority leader and current State Treasurer Dennis McKinney is no stranger to emotional appearances at groundbreaking and dedication events in his hometown. Friday afternoon was no exception as the Democrat many expect to run for the governor’s seat in four years began to speak of “all these milestones” before having to pause more than a few seconds to compose himself.
McKinney went on to speak of Kansas as a place Greensburg residents have found “2.8 million neighbors” willing to lend a hand in the nearly three years since the town-leveling storm.
While she’s not a Kiowa County native, KDEM’s (Kansas Department of Emergency Management) Angie Morgan likewise had a lump in her throat as she spoke of having spent seven months of her life on site in Greensburg following the tornado—a time she referenced as “living here in a box, so it’s my hometown, too. Guess I’ll be back for the school dedication (expected to take place in August).”
By way of contrast was FEMA deputy administrator Richard Serena, his thick Boston accent unmistakable as he read a prepared statement that was abandoned for a moment when he spoke of his wife who at that very moment was working at a Bean Town ER “helping sick people.”
The $25 million facility now sits on the site of the former BTI John Deere dealership, which has rebuilt on the east edge of town—a site that was little more than a leveled, gravel lot when the hospital’s groundbreaking was held under a flapping tent on a cold, blustery October afternoon in 2008. The nearly 200 guests this day were warm and comfortable inside what is expected to later be certified as the first LEED Platinum (highest level of energy efficiency awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council) critical access hospital in the nation.
The politicians were there as well, including Governor Mark Parkinson, Congressman Jerry Moran and Senator Sam Brownback. Though their remarks were predictable and by now well worn, they were brief, as if the pols realized this day was really about something bigger and more fundamental than government assistance.
The true significance of the day was best captured by Sweet in a simple, but telling recollection of her staff having to not only work out of the same tent-like quarters the military uses overseas for medical facilities, but resorting to portable toilets for relief the first six months of post-storm operation.
“We had to learn port-a-potty etiquette,” Sweet said, “which isn’t so bad in summer, but on cold, windy days it can be challenging sitting and shivering in there, knowing a big gust can tip you over at any moment. Now that kind of thing’s no longer a worry.”
