Mr. Clifford Nowlin, a pillar of education in Kansas City, was born on December 7, 1863, in Pulaski, Michigan. At around 1881, his father bought the 173 acre Hopewell Farm in Kansas, and Mr. Nowlin would eventually attend the University of Kansas in 1882. In 1884, he taught school at the Hopewell Schoolhouse (of Douglas and Johnson County) at a salary of $37.50 per month. Eventually, he would go on to teach around fourteen thousand children of the Kansas City area. Some of these would become future leaders, like General Taylor – who stated in 1955: “I wouldn’t be standing here as Chief of Staff today if I hadn’t had their guidance in the public schools of Kansas City.” Mr. Nowlin passed away at 98 years of age in Sept. 18, 1962.

His book, which is now somewhat difficult to find, reveals much about our history in the Kansas City area, as well as the attitudes and social “norms” of years past. While the Kansas city school district flounders with crime and providing a meaningful education to their students, learn some of Mr. Nowlin’s thoughts about a time when the foundational truths of education were clearly defined, and conveyed in the classroom. To learn more about Clifford Nowlin, and his valuable insights into Kansas City education, please see the resource downloads tab, or click the following link: Clifford Nowlin: My First Ninety Years.