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Corinthian Nutter's contributions to integration in Johnson County, Kansas

Corinthian Nutter Papers Collection, Johnson County Records

Corinthian Nutter: Dearest Friend and Teacher

Integration of South Park Elementary School

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Corinthian Clay Nutter, born in 1906, served as an influential educator in Merriam, Kansas. Earning her Kansas teaching certificate in 1938, she would continue her education at Emporia State University in pursuit of a Master's degree. She later accepted a teaching position at Walker Elementary School, a segregated school in Merriam, Kansas, for African American students. The school lacked funds and was in disrepair due to the racial segregation of schools at the time. When a new school was built in the district, but restricted Black students from attending, parents and activists in the area boycotted the Walker Elementary school. Nutter provided tutoring and classes outside of Walker Elementary during the boycott, using church basements or personal living rooms to conduct class. Esther Swirk Brown, a local activist, organized a legal case to challenge the segregation of the newly established school in the district, which eventually reached the Kansas Supreme Court, entitled Webb v. School District No. 90. After the case granted African American students attendance to the new school, Nutter would move to Olathe, Kansas, to teach and later become the principal at Westview Elementary School. Corinthian Clay Nutter passed away on February 10, 2004.

Corinthian Clay Nutter, Walker Elementary School Historical Marker

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The Huron Indian Cemetery, or the Wyandot (Wyandotte) National Burying Ground, serves as a sacred final resting place for those of Wyandot descent. Although the Wyandot were originally from the Great Lakes area in Canada and later lived in the northern parts of Michigan and Ohio, the Indian Removal Act of 1830 led to their forced relocation to the Kansas City area. Generations of Wyandot are buried in the cemetery, making this land legally protected under treaties between the tribe and the American government. However, these treaties were regularly violated when the value of real estate created powerful interests, a scenario that appeared to play out in downtown Kansas City. However, the three Conley sisters decided to act to protect the cemetery. Through occupation of the space and through legal measures, the sisters were able to thwart development plans and preserve the burial grounds at several moments in the early 20th century. The grounds, which are under further protection today thanks to their status as a National Landmark, also serve as the final resting place of each of the Conley sisters.Eliza “Lyda” Burton Conley, Ida Conley, and Helena “Lena” Conley were born to Andrew S. Conley and Eliza Zane. The three sisters experienced numerous losses from young ages, with their mother, father, grandmother, and fourth sister all passing away before the sisters’ adulthood. Although experiencing great loss and grief early on, the sisters relied on each other and persevered through their hardships. Lyda and Lena both attended school and also completed some level of college coursework. While all three sisters were important in the fight for and preservation of the cemetery, more information is known about Lyda Conley who led the occupation of the space and the legal fight to protect the burial ground.Lyda attended the Kansas City School of Law, graduating in 1902, and was admitted to both the Missouri Bar and the Kansas Bar by 1910. Although legal means were important to defending the cemetery, physical protection needed to be enforced while legal procedures were underway. Thus, when the cemetery’s protected status was removed in 1906, the Conley sisters moved onto the burial grounds. The sisters erected a hut on the land and waged an armed resistance as they lived at the cemetery. At several points, the sisters demonstrated their intent to use their shotguns to deter anyone from attempting to forcibly take or sell the land.As Lyda expanded her knowledge in law and built her case, the sisters worked together to demonstrate their passion for the burial grounds. The sisters correctly calculated that their actions would attract media attention. Demonstrating the legality and moral justice of their cause, the sisters rallied some degree of public support at a time when many other burial grounds within city centers were lost.In 1907, Lyda began her legal battle to prevent the sale of the land to developers. The case would eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court in 1910. Lyda Conley became the first woman of Native American descent to bring a case in front of the Supreme Court. Although the Supreme Court did not rule in Lyda’s favor, the Conley sisters continued their efforts to protect the land.After the Supreme Court rejected their case, the Conley sisters continued to occupy this land while seeking support from like-minded residents of Kansas and Missouri. By 1912, Charles Curtis, a United States Senator from Kansas who was also of partial Native American lineage proposed a bill that designated the cemetery as a national monument. While that effort was not successful, Curtis's support helped the Conley Sister's cause. By 1916, the grounds received funding for preservation which was led by faculty at the Haskell Institute (Haskell Indian Nations University).Still, the fate of the land was not yet secure and the Conley sisters continued their efforts to protect the burying grounds over the next three decades. At various moments, the three sisters used both physical and legal strategies when they perceived a threat to the land. Their multiple interventions, which included several arrests, deterred would-be developers and saved the Huron Indian Cemetery from destruction several times in the first half of the twentieth century.Lyda Conley passed away on May 28, 1946, leaving both of her sisters to continue to uphold their shared family legacy. Ida Conley passed away on October 6, 1948, and Lena Conley joined her sisters in the afterlife on September 15, 1958, Although the loss of the three leading defenders of this space led to several new attempts by the federal government to sell this land, various Wyandot descendants and historians in the area worked to protect the grounds. The cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 3, 1971, and the cemetery became a National Historic Landmark in December of 2016. The cemetery includes the graves of the Conley Sisters, including this inscription on Helena's headstone: “Cursed be the villain that molest their graves.”10

This section of the cemetery contains the graves of the Eliza, Helena, and Ida Conley, their parents, and other members of the Conley family. Without the three Conley sisters, this cemetery would have surely been lost as developers sought to acquire this land for commercial real estate projects over many decades. Starting in 1906, Eliza "Lyda" Burton Conley and her two sisters, Helena and Ida worked to prevent this from happening. At a critical moment, they armed themselves and occupied a small fort at the cemetery, warning all would-be developers from disturbing burial grounds. At critical moments, the Conley Sisters used techniques ranging from legal strategies to physical resistance to prevent the removal of graves or the sale of the cemetery. The three sisters shared Wyandot lineage and are buried here among their kin. According to local stories, Helena Conley's final resting place even displays a warning about a "curse" that will befall anyone who harms the sanctity of the cemetery, perpetuating the sisters' preservationist crusade to the present. The three sisters passed away in the 1940s and 1950s, and this cemetery is a monument to their perseverance. The cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and became a National Historic Landmark in 2016.

The Conley Sisters and Wyandot National Burying Ground

Rebecca L. Bloodworth, born in Bethpage, Tennessee, in 1901, served as an influential educator in Kansas City, Kansas. Although little is known of her early life, as a young adult she would pursue a bachelor's degree at Atlanta University. She continued her education, receiving a master's of English from Columbia University before beginning her career as an educator. Although Bloodworth had spent her life in the South, she would eventually move to Kansas City, Kansas, during her career.Starting her career in Kansas City, Kansas, at Northeast Junior High School, Bloodworth would move on to Sumner High School an English teacher. Sumner High School was a traditionally African American school, originally opened in 1905 as Manual Training High School. The name of the school swiftly changed due to dissatisfaction among the Black community with the title. African American community leaders and the school board pushed for a new name, resulting in Sumner High School, in honor of the abolitionist Charles Sumner. Sumner High School was newly opened after the re-segregation of high schools in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1905. Prior to such changes, the state of Kansas had passed legislature in the 1870s that allowed racially diverse students to attend high schools in the state, without encompassing segregation in high schools. Sadly, due to racial tension and pushback by white community members, Kansas City, Kansas, re-segregated their high schools in 1905. Thus, Sumner provided Black students with an education throughout the decades of segregated schooling within Kansas City, Kansas. Rebecca Bloodworth provided her students with a wonderful classroom experience, contributing to the success of Sumner's classes throughout her career. In 1965, her efforts were awarded through her acceptance of the Kansas State Teachers College of Emporia's, now Emporia State University, Master Teacher Award for excellence in English education. She retired shortly after, much to her students' dismay, after serving nearly four decades as an educator. The students dedicated the 1966 Sumner yearbook to Bloodworth, highlighting how the educator encouraged student's to expand their minds and contributed to the betterment of their lives. After retirement, Bloodworth returned to the South, moving to Tuskegee, Alabama, where she passed away in 1991.Sumner closed in 1978, reopening as Sumner Academy of Arts and Science, an integrated school for academically gifted and motivated students, as per state ordered desegregation. In 2005, Sumner was named to the Register of Historic Kansas Places as well as the National Register of Historic Places. Today, Sumner continues to host academically gifted students and serves as an IB World School, providing students opportunities to expand their horizons and prepare for their futures.

Rebecca L. Bloodworth, born and raised in Bethpage, Tennessee, was an influential educator who contributed to education in the Kansas City, Kansas area. Equipped with a bachelor's degree from Atlanta University and a master's degree from Columbia University, Bloodworth started her teaching career at Northeast Junior High School in Kansas City, Kansas. She would later join the staff of Sumner High School, a traditionally Black high school. Although high schools in Kansas state had been desegregated since the 1870s, due to racial hostility, segregation in high schools was re-established in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1905. Sumner, originally labeled the Manual Training High School until members of the African American community and the School Board chose a more appropriate name, provided education to Black students. In 1978, Kansas City, Kansas, desegregated their high schools once again, and Sumner High School was re-envisioned as the Sumner Academy of Arts and Science.

Rebecca L. Bloodworth, Sumner High School

Carol Marinovich was born in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood of Kansas City. She attended St. Mary's College, receiving Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in 1972. Marinovich used her degree to become an educator in Unified School District #500 from 1972 to 1982. She returned to school to pursue a Master of Science in Education and an Administration Certificate from the University of Kansas. She earned the degree and certificate in 1980 and 1981, respectively. With her additional education, Marinovich became the Special Education Coordinator at Unified School District #500 in 1982, a position she held until 1995.Marinovich, a lifelong Kansas Citian, watched a steady decline in Kansas City, Kansas, throughout her life. The city's decline led to economic difficulties and a reputation as a "sordid city." Disappointed with the city council’s seeming inaction to such community issues, Marinovich became a candidate for the 1989 city council election in Kansas City, Kansas. Marinovich was elected to the city council in 1989, becoming the first woman on the council in Kansas City, Kansas history. She served as a council member for six years, focusing on regulating adult entertainment establishments in the city, improving housing opportunities, and bolstering the economy. Her leadership as a council member led to the creation of Palo Vista, the first housing development in the area in almost 30 years. However, in the mid-1990s, Marinovich believed she could contribute even more to community development in a higher political position.Marinovich ran for Mayor of Kansas City, Kansas, against 12 other candidates, winning the seat in 1995. For the first two years of her mayoralty, Marinovich lobbied in Topeka for consolidation of the Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas governments. Added to the ballot in 1997, members of the community voted for consolidation of the two governments, which went into effect in October of 1997. Marinovich was voted the first Mayor and CEO of the unified government, a position she held until 2005. Under her leadership, Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County experienced less government scandals, an improved relationship with the state government, and economic growth.Throughout her mayoralty, Marinovich wanted to make Kansas City, Kansas a world-class destination for tourism and entertainment. Such aspirations led to her approval of the development of the ISC Speedway, bringing NASCAR to Kansas, and the development of Village West, a tourism center that featured shopping, food, and other entertainment. NASCAR saw a growth in viewership in the 1990s, and Marinovich believed it could bolster the economy through ticket sales. The Kansas Speedway broke ground in 1999, and had its inaugural race in 2001. Additionally, the Village West tourism district was erected adjacent to the Speedway, encouraging visitors to shop, dine, or participate in other entertainment. Businesses such as Cabela’s, Nebraska Furniture Mart, and the Great Wolf Lodge came to the area, providing thousands of jobs for residents and increasing tourism revenue throughout Marinovich’s mayoralty. The Speedway and Village West, through its outlet mall and other businesses, continue to accrue revenue for the city today. Additionally, the construction of Children's Mercy Park, home of the Sporting Kansas City professional soccer team, in 2011 across from the Speedway added another tourist attraction in the area.Marinovich remained Mayor and CEO until 2005, after which she became partner and Vice President of Fleishman-Hillard, Inc., a public relations firm. Later in 2005, she received the prestigious Kansas Citian of the Year award from the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, one of numerous awards Marinovich received throughout her life. In 2021, Marinovich was inducted into the Starr Women's Hall of Fame for her accomplishments as the first female mayor of Kansas City, Kansas and her additional community engagement.

In 1989, Carol Marinovich was the first woman elected to the Kansas City, Kansas City Council, and in 1995, she became the first female mayor of Kansas City, Kansas. As mayor, she lobbied for the consolidation of the Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County governments, which went into effect in October of 1997. She was subsequently elected the first Mayor-CEO of the newly unified city and county governments, holding the position until 2005. Under her leadership, Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County experienced less government scandals, an improved relationship with the state government, and economic growth. A tourist district, as well as improved housing developments, greatly improved the city's economy. After the end of her mayoralty in 2005, she became partner and Vice President of Fleishman-Hillard, Inc., a public relations firm. Marinovaich was awarded the prestigious Kansas Citian of the Year award from the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce in 2005, and was inducted into the Starr Women's Hall of Fame in 2021.

Kansas Speedway, Mayor Carol Marinovich

Sonia Warshawski was born on November 10, 1925, in Miedzyrzec, Poland. She was one of three children, having both a brother and a sister. While she was a girl, she enjoyed a life full of love and happiness with her family and friends. She attended a public school in her town that had both Jewish and Catholic children, but was majority Catholic, meaning Sonia had to recite Catholic prayers while at her school. However, each week a Jewish teacher came to teach the Jewish children in town about their history, culture, and religion. Unfortunately, such happiness and normalcy would not survive the first half of the 20th Century. As the Nazi regime took hold throughout Europe, horror began to gradually enter the lives of those who were deemed unsuitable by the regime. Prior to the infiltration by the German SS, Miedzyrzec was a relatively industrialized town, creating brushes and other materials that were valuable for the country. Such industrialization provided jobs for Sonia and her family when the Germans gradually took over their town. As Sonia explains in each of her interviews, the German SS gradually established their power over the Jewish community members. Changes began, including restrictions on certain aspects of life. For example, Jewish citizens could not own their own businesses, but did have to maintain a job. Sonia began working in a brush factory in order to have papers to prove she had a job, and her brother and father also worked in different factories. Other restrictions enforced on Jewish members included a curfew, they could not walk on sidewalks, and Jewish children could not attend school. As restrictions increased, Jewish townspeople were forcefully relocated to a “Jewish district” in town, and eventually to a ghetto that had horrible conditions. Sonia and her family suffered through such hardships, and witnessed multiple deportations and mass murders of Jews within their town. In order to better protect themselves and hide, the family dug a hide-away under the bed in their one-bedroom space in the ghetto. This proved to be useful, until German Shepherds were used in a raid. All of the family members except for Sonia’s brother, who was working outside of the area at the time, would be rounded up to wait outside while the raid continued. However, Sonia’s sister and father managed to escape while the soldiers were distracted.  After their escape, Sonia’s father and brother found a hiding place in an attic, and found a farm for Sonia’s sister to hide on while paying the farmer for her protection. Sadly, Sonia’s father and brother would be betrayed, and they were subsequently shot and killed when they were discovered. Once the farmer found out he would no longer be receiving compensation, he removed Sonia’s sister from his farm. She escaped to the forest, and Sonia would not hear from her until after the liberation of the concentration camps. Sonia and her mother were not so lucky as to escape the raid. Instead, they were rounded up onto cattle cars to be transported to a Nazi death camp. They were originally taken to the camp called Treblinka, but it was overcrowded, so Sonia and her mother were taken to the Majdanek death camp. This was in May of 1943. Early into their time at Majdanek, Sonia would suffer a bout of dysentery, which she only survived thanks to her mother’s care. Sonia’s mother would be selected for the gas chambers months later, while Sonia was selected to be moved to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest death camp in the Nazi regime. Sonia had to watch as her mother was marched away towards her death before she herself was carted to a new place. Sonia described her time in Auschwitz-Birkenau akin to living in Hell. When she arrived, she was put into a type of quarantine and had to move stones, which also served as a selection process. She was moved to Barack Commando 22 and was used for forced labor in the fields. Throughout her time at Auschwitz-Birkenau, she went through multiple selection processes, narrowly surviving each one. She even hid away from guards in a pile of clothes to escape one such selection process and avoid the gas chambers. She survived in Auschwitz-Birkenau from the Fall of 1943 until early 1945, when she was forcefully moved away to avoid the liberation by Soviet forces. Such was the start of Sonia’s experience in a death march towards the Bergen-Belsen camp. Camp prisoners were forced to walk for days with little food and water while wearing inadequate clothing. Many died along the way before the remaining prisoners were loaded onto open cattle cars with only small blankets to shelter them against the blistering cold of winter. Sonia survived the trek only to be greeted by a new camp. Although Bergen-Belsen did not have a gas chamber like the Nazi death camps, it still maintained a crematorium due to the massive amounts of death that occurred from disease. Sonia managed to avoid contracting any disease, and was selected as a peeler of vegetables for her forced labor. She maintained this routine until April 15th, 1945, otherwise known as the day of liberation of the Bergen-Belsen camp by British forces. But, on the day of liberation, she was struck in the chest by a bullet, narrowly missing her heart. Would she die, after all of her suffering, moments before her own liberation? Luckily, the liberation forces were able to get to her in time, and a British Army doctor administered first aid before she was relocated to one of their barracks for further treatment. There she stayed, injured but alive, while she recovered. Afterwards, the Bergen-Belsen area was recreated into a displaced persons camp by British forces. After her recovery, Sonia would stay at the Bergen-Belsen Displaced Persons (DP) camp. Although she left the area briefly to reunite with her sister, whom she discovered had also survived the Holocaust, she remained in the camp for some time.  Sonia met her husband, John, in the Bergen-Belsen DP camp. They eventually moved to the American zone in the camp in order to move to the United States. When they were sent to New York City for their immigration, they were assigned to Kansas City because John had two sisters who were already living in the area. While in Kansas City, John established a tailor shop in which Sonia also worked. While it is no longer in its original location, John’s Tailoring and Alterations is now located near 95th Street and Nall Avenue in Overland Park. While she originally did not plan on speaking about her experiences during the Holocaust, as they were painful memories, Sonia abruptly changed her mind when she became aware of Holocaust deniers. She knew that she had to spread her story to contribute to the prevention of such an atrocity from happening again. For decades, Sonia would visit schools, prisons, and other groups to tell her story and spread Holocaust awareness.  Now lovingly referred to as “Big Sonia” and the star of her own documentary, Sonia Warshawski holds an important place in Holocaust education and remembrance. One of the few Holocaust survivors in Kansas City, she recently commented on the Auschwitz exhibit that was temporarily displayed at the Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri. While she has found such exhibits to be great for education, she constantly reminds the public through her own interviews and talks that the true barbarity and horror of the Holocaust could never be understood by “normal people.” Her determination pushed her through some of the worst horrors in human history, and her work as an outspoken survivor could help prevent such atrocities from occurring again.

Sonia Warshawski is one of about 100 Holocaust survivors that resided in Kansas City. Her harrowing story of survival and perseverance is difficult for anyone to hear, but necessary. From growing up in Poland to surviving three separate death camps to her move to Kansas City with her husband, Sonia demonstrated bravery and determination. With only herself and her younger sister out of her immediate family surviving the Holocaust, her story demonstrates the sheer devastation that Adolph Hitler and the Nazi regime wreaked throughout World War II. Sonia's continuing work of spreading awareness of the Holocaust offers the Kansas City area with a warning against hatred and bigotry, and she hopes she could be a factor in preventing similar events from occurring ever again.

Kansas City Women's Heritage Trail: Kansas City Kansas to Overland Park

Corinthian Clay Nutter, Walker Elementary School Historical Marker

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