The tapes are dusted off, cued up and ready to roll.

Get set for another half hour of Hatteberg Classics.

Here's a look.

I think the last time I time for me was when I was had to quit work.

And you don't know what loneliness is when there's no one around.

Stricken with a progressive, debilitating disease, this McPherson woman stayed positive and learned to enjoy life no matter her circumstance.

I followed her courageous story through the years and we'll share it with you coming up.

Also.

Anyone that has not lived in a small town like Burden has missed an awful lot of lives.

Ralph Henderson loved his hometown and loved his job.

He was 93 and still running the drug store his father founded in the 1880s.

His life is a precious piece of Kansas history preserved on videotape.

Stick around for that.

Plus, a Kansas couple devotes their lives to caring for and educating people about endangered species.

See how they help visitors connect with those amazing creatures and develop a heart for saving them.

Hello, I'm Susan Peters.

It is great to have you with us.

It is.

And I'm Larry Hatteberg.

And those are just some of the stories we'll show you on this week's edition of Harrisburg's People.

These stories are like old friends.

Their lives radiate from the screen, like prophets of the past.

They were teachers, but not in a classroom.

Instead, they taught about life to those around them who cared to listen.

And I was their student.

We all face our challenges in life, but it often seems that the people who have it the worst complain the least.

And that was certainly the case with Karen de Smith.

She was afflicted with a debilitating illness that she knew would eventually lead to her death, but that didn't keep her from living life the best she could and making the most of whatever time she had left.

And I don't know, I'm always going to have the kid.

You know, ever since I was little.

If optimism or gold, Karen Day Smith or MacPherson would be a rich woman.

But perhaps in another way, she already is.

Hey, I just go on.

I don't.

It doesn't bother me.

You know, don't feel sorry for me.

You know, I just.

Go on.

It was 1977 when I first met Karen.

She had just graduated from high school and was packing for college.

Karen has spinal muscular atrophy, a disease that comes under the heading of muscular dystrophy.

Oh.

Four years later, we met again.

This time, she had graduated from college with an associate arts degree in sociology.

She immediately went to work for a bank in Hutchinson.

Later, as the disease progressed, she had to quit.

Good morning for spend the most time.

Part time for me was when I was had to quit work.

And you don't know what loneliness is when there's no one around.

Because I was a people person and for like right after that, no one was there.

Now people would come by and it's not like every day you go to work around people trying to just that really, really hard at first.

But now I'm used to it.

You think it's.

Going to rain?

Then in the early eighties, Karen met Terry Smith.

He had seen her story on the telethon.

We were made for each other.

I guess they married and to this day, live happily in McPherson.

It's not like she has administration just so normal to me.

You know, I never even thought about that.

Terry's right.

You don't see the disease when you're with Karen.

You see the person.

And in the 20 years since we've met, I've been the one who's been uplifted by Karen's overwhelming spirit and her optimism.

You know, there's other people worse off than me.

Her crafts passed the time and painted and beautiful.

Karen spends hundreds of hours creating art from the ordinary.

It's not easy for her to leave home, and that's why her hobby is so important.

A respirator brings air to her lungs so she can talk when she presses on her trachea.

I think it's faith in God that I just have the time now to live each day as I do, as I get up or it's another day.

Maybe tomorrow or next week it won't be.

But slowly starting, you know, knowing that God is with me and my family in a sense.

Well, you're going to be here another day.

Now, I may not be here another two years.

You never know.

Well, Karen did live longer than anybody expected, and she went on for another nine years, passing away in 2005.

But boy, she was an inspiration to so many people.

You look at her life and you say, if she can overcome that, I don't have any problems in my life.

And if I do, I can certainly overcome.

Absolutely.

Karen taught us a lot and still is teach is.

Still teaching through.

Your story, which is why we rerun these things, because the lessons go on and it's.

Great to see these people.

Great memories.

The man in this next story lived a life that spanned from the days of the Wild West.

Shoot em ups to the days of grunge music and Seinfeld.

Ralph Henderson was almost as old as his hometown.

His life and his drugstore remain an important part of history for the town of Burton, Kansas.

Oh, you've been down this road before.

160 highway as it eases into Burden, Kansas, and eastern Cowley County.

Burton has that small town look about it.

A wide main street.

Muddy pickups.

And Ralph Henderson's drugstore.

That's Ralph behind the counter, filling prescriptions.

Folks around here call him Doc.

Well, my hobby has been my store.

Ralph's hobby has lasted a long time.

This 93 year old pharmacist runs the same drugstore his father founded 100 years ago.

It is the oldest drugstore in Kansas operated by one family.

And Ralph may be the state's oldest, practicing pharmacist.

I have to be around where there's noise and this thing and a little fun.

That's another function of Ralph's drugstore.

It's a place for residents to meet over a cup of coffee and a place to catch up on the latest news.

Now, Jean and I are just came in and he's a pretty good visitor, but he's thinks he has to be working all the time.

You can't be in a hurry.

In Ralph's drugstore and nobody ever is still.

Seven years as a pharmacist is a long time.

So why is he stayed at it?

Oh, I don't know.

Just.

Like people.

Well.

And how do you know?

I like people.

Well, I haven't.

Been around here for 30 some years for nothing.

I know a little thing.

A few things about you, anyhow.

Oh, well, that's nice.

His drugstore is like the old general store.

Sell a little.

Talk a little.

Tell you.

And take time to know the people.

Anyone that has not lived in a small town, just like Bergen, has missed an awful lot of life.

Empty stools means that coffee times over.

Ralph's back with his pills and his drugstore that offers a dose of the past and a prescription for living from burden.

This is Larry Hatteberg.

Now, that was 1984, and Ralph kept running the store for several more years.

Then he sold it not long after that, in 1991, he died at age 99.

The store didn't stay open much longer, and now it sits abandoned, unfortunately, like much of downtown burden these days.

But Ralph is still remembered, considered something of a legend Jerry character.

Even those who aren't old enough to remember him have heard about him.

And that is a legacy.

That is a legacy.

And the unfortunate thing is, if you go to burden today and I was just down there the other day, a lot of the downtown is just gone.

It's just abandoned.

And along with the drug store.

I hate to.

See it.

I do, too.

And it's just it's horrible, but it's where we are today.

Maybe someday we'll be doing a story someday soon about the rebirth of downtown Burton.

That would be wonderful.

All right.

Here are a couple of more Kansans who are doing what they love and making a difference.

Tom and Rita Harvey raise wild animals and educate the public about endangered species.

In some small way.

I feel like we're doing our part here, even in Caney, Kansas.

We're doing our part to help the Endangered Species Program.

It was fun to play Sleigh down here.

Tom and Rita Harvey of Caney, Kansas are idealists, preservationists, conservationists.

Oh, you're grumpy.

And some might even call them crazy.

Hey, just pretty laid back.

He's five years old.

A tremendous animal.

One of the most phenomenal animals I've ever seen before in my life.

He weighs approximately £600, is about ten foot long from the tip of the nose to the tip of his tail.

How lucky I am.

The Safari Zoological Park in Caney is.

A lifelong dream and I don't want to do anything.

Else.

A zoo and a wildlife refuge all rolled into one.

You notice their eyes are really close together.

This is.

This is our love of our life.

And it's really a labor of love.

And if you think you're going to make any money at it, a person will go into the business for that.

And then you're in it for the wrong reasons.

I see.

They started the zoo in 1989.

It was opened to the public in 1994.

Jealous?

Aren't you?

Every penny they make goes to support the zoo and to educate the public.

Showing how smart you are now that you are combined.

With their parents.

The Harveys have 150 years.

Give them a hand experience in the care of raising the exotic animals, Mr. Bevo.

What he likes to do is try to drop that lock on my head, knock me out and then attack me.

The zoo gives guided tours.

You can actually see the animals up close if you.

This way, visitors don't see just cages.

We don't try to teach the animals tricks here at the park.

Instead, they know the stories about the animals and their habitat.

On a pad.

And you can just reach up here and paddle right back here.

Humans.

Mankind continues to take over the planet, so to speak.

These guys are going to be pushed out of their natural habitats eventually.

The only place that these animals will be found will either be refugees in Africa or Asia and in zoos here in the United States.

Most people go outside and play with the dog or the cat.

We go out and play with the lion, the tiger.

And remember, this is not just a zoo.

It's also a research facility.

The captive research that we've done here includes the birthing of 16 baby tigers, 24 baby lions, and a couple of the black black leopards that we've had.

But if you look real closely, you can see the spots under their black hair because they really are the same kind of cat as the spotted leopard.

In this whole movie.

A Siberian tiger decided she'd rather have her cubs in the Harveys bit.

It was just a phenomenal experience.

That's how close this family is to their animals.

That's why we're so well bonded.

They think I'm their mother.

Yes.

Oh, I know it.

Yes.

I mean.

We all have just a certain amount of time here and then then you're gone.

And we want to strive to do what we can for the animals and for people.

There's a lot of people that say, well, you shouldn't keep an animal in a cage.

Well, you know, you can keep an animal in a cage and work with it every day and it can be a happy animal.

We're doing the natural death now.

All right.

How my boys?

Let's go.

Thanks, Mike.

Thank you, guys.

I just wouldn't want to do anything other than what we're doing now and are going to be doing.

Now a quarter of a century later.

Tom says the Safari Zoological Park is twice as big, with a lot more animals, including kangaroos and camels.

It is included in many lists as one of the best travel destinations.

In Kansas, it is also one of the most well known.

That's why it's on that list so people know about it.

And by the way, you need to go visit.

It is located just 2 hours southeast of Wichita.

And I remember when I was down there doing the story, he showed me pictures.

He had let a tiger have its babies on his bed.

On his bed.

Oh, that was so cool.

And they are so cute when they're small and so terrifying.

When they're they're fine.

But I bet they're so cute as newborns.

Great place to visit.

Public art has become a popular way to spruce up small towns.

2002 Carol Long was in the midst of a big project to enhance the town square in Saint John.

That's yeah, there's a lot of heritage going on here.

In a small building only a few feet away from her rural home.

Artist Carol Long is feeling the pressure.

They're both cracked again.

This is the second time on the rabbit.

In Saint John, a few miles from her workroom.

They're putting up the brickwork where artwork will soon be placed.

Well, I've had others crack.

And so I'm to the point where I've already gotten used to the fact that I'll just have to start over with this tile.

Delays are just part of an artist's life.

Normally, Carol's art is in pottery.

Okay, so these buffalo will face each other.

But these tiles are different and difficult.

Oh, those turned out really good.

This one could.

You could have used some more glaze.

They're finished.

They will give us a look at Kansas heritage.

I'd love to enhance the downtown area.

I like to be a part of the project, and I'd like to do a really good job.

The Main Street community has been very encouraging and just really supportive.

But I wonder what my neighbors will think.

Outside her rural workroom, Carol's only critics keep to themselves.

But still, it needs to be good art.

Artists are usually the hardest on themselves.

This floor was made all each.

Each of these leaves as a separate section.

Her public art is one thing.

But her private art.

Yet another.

I wanted it to look like a rug pattern here.

She created a stunning tile floor, creating the tiles themselves and taking this bathroom to another level of artistry.

And I don't think I'm done.

I think I need to go clear down to the rest of the room with this mosaic.

And I've got plenty of broken tile to do that with.

But it is these tiles that take months to complete that will be embedded into the town square and that has her nervous.

These are these are set in stone.

They're going to be set in concrete.

They're going to be there to stay.

So this is going to be a new experience for me to drive through town, you know, and see all these up and think, Oh, I wish I had more time with that.

Okay, this one fits.

So a portion of Carol's handmade ceramic tiles become a permanent fixture in the Saint John, the town square.

It looks good.

This tile looks good.

So from these fruit vines to rabbits to Buffalo, Saint John, artist Carol Long does what most hometown artists only dream of being recognized in her own hometown.

Okay.

These are okay.

Those are better.

Now, Carol says she finished the project later that year and the tiles are still in place.

And of course, people love them.

One of her current projects is trying to establish a community art studio and a museum in Saint John.

She's an incredibly creative woman and living in that small town, people don't realize how much artist to do for a small community.

But she's one of those who is who is living the life of an artist.

And really helping the communities in these wonderful, beautiful.

Ways and bringing in a lot of visitors, actually, I hope.

Now to a couple more ladies who work to beautify their hometown.

Tess God is a tiny little berg northwest of Salina.

Claire and Marie Lee were two civic minded sisters in law with green thumbs.

It's a place where clothes still hang on the line, where bugs rest in summer heat and we're clear.

And Marielena takes volunteerism to new heights.

We say this season each year.

In this park in Hesketh Kansas to sister in law spend countless hours pruning, snipping and planting to make the town's park a beauty spot on the prairie.

And then a little kids up, come up here, snatch a flower, take home to their mother.

They are champions of beauty who prefer to be talking with the flowers rather than a camera.

I guess that's all I had to impress.

I've got two rows of nylon hose there holding them back off of the flowers.

Clio was asked to help with the park a couple of years ago.

Yes, it's a lot of work.

It takes about 2 hours to get here.

This whole row.

She and others cleaned it up.

Then she started planning her own flowers.

Then her sister in law decided to help, too.

Now they are harvesting beauty in the midst of summer heat.

Makes you feel proud.

The land was given by a former bank president.

Trees were added, given by others.

Then many gardens were planted around each tree.

Campbell was wary of even turning trees.

Clea and Marie are perfect examples of how a little volunteerism in a small community can make a big difference.

Are we did it after?

Tess Scott Kansas has a park of flowers.

And that simple act is now planting the seed for others in the community to do the same.

Fence, right?

Right in there.

Now, both Clea and Maria have passed on, but their legacy continues as other volunteers have taken over.

And they continue to keep Lions Pride Park, the pride of test cut.

And, you know, in a small community, sometimes people will just go out and do what needs to be done.

What needs to be done.

Yeah.

And they do it with love and care.

And those two ladies had the love and they certainly cared.

And the best part about that is they will never be forgotten.

No, they won't.

Now that that park is there forever and they keep it up, they'll never be forgotten.

It lives on.

The man in this next story is another Kansan of the past who has a timeless message for those of us living today.

Now, Floyd Breading never had it easy.

He grew up during the Depression, had to put his life on the line in World War Two, and his wife died young.

Then his eyes started failing him.

But Floyd just kept moving forward, making the best of every day.

When Floyd Breading sits down to read, the print must be huge and the paper inches from his face.

Floyd is legally blind.

I don't want to sit at home.

I've got to get out.

Because Floyd still has partial sight.

He uses a bicycle for transportation every day like clockwork.

Floyd makes what he calls his rounds.

That's Floyd's code for seeing old friends.

Thinking you just sit around, you fall apart.

If you don't get out and try to get around and mix and talk and visit with people that kind of keep up on what's going on in the town.

You've got to establish a routine.

You're going to sit down.

You ought that long, but mistakes are going to come all your way.

Half of these people that give up it isn't necessary.

I've seen this with too many people.

If anything, I like to see people try to be an inspiration to these people.

They don't have to give up.

That's the worst mistake.

I think with most handicapped people that they quit.

Well, there are plenty of things in this world for them to do.

Through faded eyes, Floyd feels more than he sees.

Feels good, having his daily coffee with friends, including the mayor.

What's going on here?

They share a little coffee, tell a few stories, and give Floyd Bedding a reason to get out of his house.

Hey, we wouldn't have had that.

They're going to.

Ask you to tell the truth.

This is what living is all about for Floyd.

You won't find him sitting at home feeling sorry for himself.

Instead, you'll find him on life's front row.

He keeps us on our toes.

He's going to Hollywood next month.

We could have his autograph.

He'll see you.

Sure.

His friends give him a hard time, but he loves it.

There's another thing you'll notice about Floyd.

Despite his visual handicap, depression is not a problem.

Depression has had only one kind.

Depression.

I ever knew that at hard times.

So now I see the joy every day of life.

Or you cannot get out and do the best you can every day.

This year it's going to be different.

I'm going to meet you.

I'm going to beat you by week.

I have to come down every year and teach him how to be a gardener.

Behind the soda pop vending machine at Buckeye Supply, Floyd continues with his appointed round.

Get him to street lights now, he says, are not bright enough.

I got it.

Floyd Breading lives for life's little moments.

And although visually handicapped, he probably sees more of life than most of us from El Dorado.

This is Larry Report.

A Floyd had another 28 years and before passing away in 2013 at age 94 made the best of a difficult situation.

Every time and another 28 years.

That was great.

Okay, another show in the can.

Those were some real gems, Larry.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Everybody out there just loves these shows.

I hear it all the time in the grocery store.

Well, I appreciate it.

And I love doing them because I just love telling the stories of great people.

These are the real people of.

Kansas hattebergspeople@kpts.org is our email address.

If you want to send us an email.

Until next time.

I'm Susan Peters.

And I'm Larry Hatteberg.

And join us again next time, of course, for the classic stories that help tell the story of Kansas history through its people, Hatteberg's people.

Thanks for watching.

We'll see you again soon.