Chapman Center for Rural Studies

News & Events

In Loving Memory of Mark A. Chapman (1943-2014)

Mark Chapman

We lost a very close member of the K-State family early this morning (April 18, 2014). Mark A. Chapman passed away after suffering a stroke a few weeks ago (April 5). Mark was 71.

Two funeral services are expected to be held: one in Texas and another in Clay Center, where Mark asked to be buried. More details to come as they are available.

Please consider sending condolences to Mark's wife, Cheryl Mellenthin, at PO Box 1687, Sealy, TX 77474-1687. Some of you may know Mark's dad, Leo, who is at a retirement community in Clay Center. Mark also has a sister, Julie Rice, in Winfield, KS, and brother, Christopher, a 1970 Engineering alumnus, in Richland, WA.

K-State's College of Arts & Sciences and Kansas State University as a whole will miss Mark very much. We will miss his generosity, intellect, creativity, and sharp wit.

He brought us the Chapman Scholars Program, and our first full-ride Presidential undergraduate scholarship, the Chapman Center for Rural Studies, the Chapman Art Gallery in Willard Hall, the Chapman-Mellenthin Vet Med Plaza, and he helped give us the All-Steinway designation in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. One of his favorite projects was the window transformation in the Great Room at K-State Libraries.

He was instrumental in many programs and facilities improvements in Athletics as well, including the Coaches Workroom in the new Basketball Training Facility and the Athletic Department’s annual Powercat Choice Awards.

We have so many great memories of Mark Chapman, and he has clearly left an indelible legacy on the K-State campus. We miss him already.

Look forward to new Lost Kansas Communities Archive papers about the rural and lost towns of Kansas. In 2014 there will be at least two new papers uploaded every month. Stay tuned!

The latest papers were uploaded Friday, April 15.

Upcoming Blog Post!

The presentation by Dr. MJ Morgan at Fredonia, Kansas this month was a success! Click here to read more.

Want to learn about Co-Ops? So do we! Watch this video and make sure to check out the CHS Intern's blog chronicling their Co-op project!

Generations of Success, A Photographic History of Kansas State University

Generations of Success 150 Birthday Signing

2013 marked Kansas State University's 150th year as the country's first fully operational land-grant university - and the first public university to open in Kansas. In order to celebrate, K-State hosted a series of birthday bash events, including the signing of Hale Library's 3 millionth volume, Generations of Success: A Photographic History of Kansas State University 1863-2013 which includes an introductory essay from our very own Dr. Bonnie Lynn-Sherow!

Dr. Jim Sherow's Manhattan, a Photographic Journey

Manhattan, the latest book by Dr. Jim Sherow, Editing Manager of Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains and Professor of History at Kansas State University, was published in September as a part of the "Images of America" series from Arcadia Publishing. It is now available in several locations around Manhattan and features a collection of 199 photographs and illustrations chosen from various local archives, including the Riley County Museum, the Special Collections Department at Hale Library, and the City of Manhattan. Gleaned from the thousands available, these carefully selected and arranged photographs provide a visual history of a unique and vibrant city nestled in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Check it out at Claflin Books and Copies and other businesses across Manhattan, such as West Side Market and Dillons!

The Chapman Center for Rural Studies is an undergraduate research-based center that provides hands-on experience in doing the real work of historians. We are located in 111 Leasure Hall in the heart of the Kansas State University campus in Manhattan, KS.

The office hours are Mon/Tues: 10:30am-5:00pm, Wed/Thur: 8:00am-2:30pm, F: 8:00am-12:00pm.

Call us at (785) 532-0380.

Search through the Chapman Center's on-going project, the Lost Town Digital Archive: Lost Kansas Communities.

For more information, e-mail us at chapmancenter@ksu.edu or contact the director, Professor Bonnie Lynn-Sherow, at blynn@ksu.edu.

Kansas State University

News & Events

Quick Links to Chapman Center Projects

Kansas Lost Towns Archive

Melvin D. Bruntzel's Book,

"Quick Reference to Kansas"

The Kansas History Journal