Abilene Library hosts presentation on William Allen White biographer

Jun. 13—Author Beverley Olson Buller spoke Saturday afternoon about prominent newspaper publisher William Allen White and his role in pushing the Ku Klux Klan out of Kansas.

Organized by the Abilene Public Library as part of the Humanities Kansas speaker series, Buller presented information she researched for her books, "From Emporia: William Allen White" and "A Prairie Peter Pan: The Story of Mary White."

"We're happy we had a great turn out for our second adult program of the summer," said Wendy Moulton, library director.

The hour-long presentation began with a discussion over the influence White's mother had on him during his formative years, as well as his role as editor and publisher of The Emporia Gazette. Buller also provided a background of the Klan in Kansas and White's failed run for Kansas governor in 1924, which ultimately led to the Klan leaving Kansas.

Buller said White's influence has appeared in her life several times. Her grandmother and other family members were from White's Emporia. Buller also taught her students about White when she worked as an English teacher.

"As an English teacher, I used the William Allen Book Awards with my students," Buller said. "They would say things like 'How does he write all these books,' and I would say 'Well, he died in 1944.' So I found myself having to explain who he was and how he had an award named after him. Then I discovered the only book in the library was his autobiography. ... I thought 'Good grief, somebody ought to write a book about him.'"

After talking and earning permission from his living family members, Buller decided she would write a book herself, which became "From Emporia: William Allen White."

Both of Buller's books featuring White can be found in the Abilene Public Library, Moulton said. To learn more about Buller's books, go to www.beverleybooks.com.