Another half hour of Hattebergs People is ready to roll.

And here's what's coming up.

We've really gotten down several times.

It just seems like there's no way out of a situation.

The Allen Ball family was down, but certainly not out.

They displayed amazing strength and courage in the face of incredibly difficult circumstances.

See how their story has something to teach all of us.

Also, we'll have this.

My oldest son says, Mother, you can't save the world.

But if you don't try, then you might as well quit hunting.

Louise and Ryan gave it her best shot by caring for injured and orphaned animals.

You'll see how this mission of mercy was also a labor of love.

Plus, I feel so happy, you know, knowing that I'm a person that can be there, somebody they can look forward to meeting or seeing again.

From her work with military veterans to her native heritage to Sheena, Marvin is as American as anyone can be.

See how her cultural background, along with life's challenges, compelled her to care for America's heroes.

Hi, everybody.

I'm Larry Hatteberg.

I'm Susan Peters.

Those are just a few of Larry's classics that are queued up and ready to roll for this edition of Hattebergs 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.

In the face of difficulty.

We often hear.

At least you have your health.

But what if you don't have that either?

It's a problem.

And when it rains, it pours for a lot of people.

But the Alan Ball family of rural Burton faced a hurricane of hardship, and they faced it with courage.

One thing you.

Learn in life right fast is a lot of things that you can't control no matter how hard you try.

So you just have to learn to deal with it.

This is a family.

I want you to meet the Allen Bors of rural Burton.

All three of the Alan Ball children have muscular dystrophy.

13 year old Dawn, 11 year old Stacy and seven year old Paul Jacob all have juvenile spinal muscular atrophy.

Their father, Mike Allen Ball, was diagnosed two years ago with lupus, a disease that is now affecting some internal organs and makes him allergic to sunlight.

Their financial problems just keep getting worse.

They are now making double house payments just to keep their home.

Short on luck but long on love.

The Allen boys faced these adversities with a dose of reality and uncommon courage.

Whenever we've needed to reach inside ourselves or reach to each other for help, any kind of help, moral help, emotional help, physical help, it's always been there.

We just hope, hope and pray that it stays that way.

We don't always have high points in our life, which right now is definitely not a high point.

But you just have to try to overlook that and go on.

You get up in the morning and you say, Well, you know, you got another day ahead of you.

If you can't face that day, you say, Well, I've got X amount of hours to go till dinnertime.

You work at it.

If you can't, they take it day by day.

You take it a half a day at a time.

If you get to the point where you can't take it a half a day at a time and you take it an hour at a time, you just sit down and you just keep constantly working at it.

You just keep plugging away.

That's the only thing you can do.

The children receive some money from Social Security.

The MDA Association and a handicapped children's fund.

But the money doesn't match the bills and its families like the Allen bars that fall through society's safety nets.

Because Mike can hold a part time job, he isn't eligible for most government aid programs despite the condition of the children.

I don't I don't believe in anything is too difficult or anything is too hard.

You can get really down in the dumps.

I know we've we've really gotten down several times.

It just seems like there's no way out of a situation.

Just no stinkin possible way out of it.

And so far, it's worked out.

It's been some mighty close shave.

It's worked out.

The kids may not be able to walk.

Mike can't get out in the sunlight like he used to.

But you can't turn and run from that situation.

You've got to face it.

You can't be scared of it.

And just like when you were a little kid being scared of the dark, that there was a big boogeyman hiding in the corner.

Well, you can't believe in boogeyman.

You just got to take hold of the situation and deal with it.

The Allen Balls are giving the rest of us a gift.

The gift of courage through adversity.

By concentrating on the strong bond of a family love, they're holding it together where lesser mortals might fail.

With the Alan Ball family.

This is Larry Hatteberg.

Now, that was 1985, and we're not sure what has become of the Alan Ball family in the years that follow the children would no longer be alive.

Maximum life expectancy for their form of muscular dystrophy is in the early twenties.

They were very strong people imagine having three children with muscular dystrophy and facing that, and they did it every day.

They were great parents, did everything they could for the children.

Unimaginable.

But it's life, you know.

It's life.

Took it in stride.

And they were so brave and the kids were great.

And that's what we really love about how to bergs people is you find the stories not only are happy woo woo, but you also find the inspirational stories of what is real life.

You know, I learned from every one of those people I.

Know, you know, and.

Those were great teachers.

And now we can all learn from them.

Great.

A lot of people say they love animals, but what if those animals aren't exactly the cute and cuddly type?

In northeast Kansas, there was a woman named Louise and Ryan, who cared mostly for the injured and neglected creatures of all types.

And she didn't discriminate.

If there was an animal that needed help, Louise was eager and willing.

For most of us, the closest we come to having any kind of a wild animal is a kitten or maybe a dog.

And, you know, we try to take care of animals like these because they're our pets.

Well, wild animals need someone on their side and that someone as a woman who lives in Marietta, Kansas.

A steamy afternoon in northeast Kansas.

Hot, muggy.

A real lazy day.

Lazy, except for Louise unrefined, one of the human members on this 80 acre farm near Marietta.

One farm.

Louise is a combination nurse and social worker.

Her clients are animals.

She is licensed by both the Department of Interior and the Kansas Forestry Fish and Game Commission.

Her mission to care for injured and orphaned animals.

Orphans like the mischievous Sammy the bobcat.

Sammy learned a lesson today the hard way.

You don't mess with a domestic tabby.

My husband is very kind, but he says I'm a real do gooder.

Said by mind my own business.

But I think animals are my business.

Animals?

She's got geese.

Pigs.

Mustangs.

Raccoons.

Donkeys, hawks.

Coyotes.

Cats, dogs.

And not to forget Sammy the bobcat, that old Sammy always a kidder.

My oldest son says, Mother, you can't save the world.

But if you don't try, then you might as well quit.

And you, you know, you got to keep trying.

He's pretty tolerant, isn't it?

You?

I know a lot of people won't agree with what I say, but I've put a lot on this and I think there are worse things for animals than death.

But the alternatives like dumping, are starving to death.

If people would see some of the things the birds, even bird wildlife that I get to take care of or dogs and cats, that the condition that they come in.

Death is good.

Animals like Sammy are lucky.

But Louise says the responsibility for their care belongs to all of us.

Children and animals, you know, are at the mercy of adults.

We don't have empathy for them.

I think we're going to lose the children and all the animals.

Even though she doesn't get paid for the care or the food.

Louise will continue her work with animals for her.

Animals like Sammy are not pets.

They are her guests.

You want them?

And who knows?

Maybe through her work, she can change the world.

Okay.

It's worth a try.

I'm Larry Hatteberg and.

You know, he really is.

He's a charmer.

Remembered for service to all of God's creatures.

Louise passed away in 2006 at age 79.

And I love the people who take care of animals, because it's amazing how many people don't.

I know.

You know.

And then you have these.

These people are gifts to the animal kingdom.

And they they just step up and do it without any.

They make.

They make such a huge difference to the animals and to the rest of it.

She'll always be remembered.

Exactly.

This next story is about a young woman named Sheena Marvin.

She was 19 from Mulvane and was using her Native American heritage to honor veterans.

Take a look.

You may enjoy it when I come.

That makes me feel so proud.

I can do that.

At Wichita's VA Hospital, Tasnim Marvin, part of the Osage tribe, wears her native dress that honors veterans.

If I could do this every day, I'd get well tomorrow.

For a year, she was an Intertribal Warrior Society princess.

She traveled frequently representing Native American veterans and war mothers.

But it's here with veterans like Gary Darlington, where she excelled.

And when I got out of that war, I had a Jeep.

There's so many.

They're so unique.

Which way did you serve?

It was just the start of the Vietnam War.

Vietnam Marine Corps.

Make me a man.

I'm proud that I was a marine.

It's respect and honor for them.

This is what I do.

I make it a part of my life to do this.

It was her grandfather who began this journey of listening.

My grandfather was in World War Two and a veteran, and he had a Purple Heart.

Captivated by the stories, the warrior dress became an instant talking point with the veterans.

They love this dress because it represents you know, there's always, you know, somebody in the Marines or somebody in the Army and they know that's who they fought for.

At home, the warmth she brings into a room goes into the scrapbooks of her activities.

Everybody's culture should be the most important because that's the most precious thing you have.

But her life has not been perfect.

A brain injury in the second grade gave her challenges not readily apparent today.

So it affected me.

Tremendously, actually.

I couldn't remember when I was little or I couldn't remember like where I've been yesterday.

But now I got to the point that I can actually remember maybe a month ago.

Recovered and always moving forward.

She concentrates on her Osage heritage, Indian fry bread.

Also part of her daily life is prepared for a school project.

Very important because you got to keep your traditional alive.

Always on the go.

Her goal is to let those who have made great sacrifices know that someone cares.

You get pleasure.

It makes me forget I'm an old man.

You're not old.

You're still young.

Oh, that's a very pleasant thought, you know.

But I've accepted age.

I just wish I could go back and do it again.

It was so much fun.

I feel so happy, you know, knowing that I'm a person that can be there, somebody they can look forward to meeting or seeing again.

They see you like.

As they see me.

I miss you already.

And I'll be here.

Okay?

I have to have some snacks.

She is a very special person.

You talk about Larry Hatteberg people.

She is a Larry Hatteberg people.

All right.

I'll see you later.

Bye.

Two.

Sheena is now married with two daughters as she is now busy serving as chair of Wichita's chapter of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman Organization.

So she's still providing an immense amount of service to our community.

Yes, she once again, she's one of these people who works so hard in the community to make a difference.

Yeah.

You know, and I love profiling people like that.

And she actually says.

Yeah, well, nowadays when something breaks, we just throw it away.

But earlier generations, for example, those who lived through the Great Depression had a completely different attitude.

Yeah.

And if nothing else, simply throwing things away is wasteful and it takes up landfill space.

But Charlie Ice of Abilene had an even better reason for saving and fixing things.

This is from 1986.

This was all going to go to the landfill.

We throw it away, covered up.

Nobody ever getting us out of it.

Well, that made me feel kind of bad to think that there were kids who could use this stuff.

And I just thought if I couldn't be of any use of fixing it, or if I was able to do the fixing of it and get it fixed, I would give it away to them at Christmas time.

The real work is done in Charlie's basement.

It's here where the broken toys are mended.

Now, that's going to take a little fix.

And yeah, next for that one.

But I think I can work it, so I don't think I can fix that.

In another corner of Charlie's crowded basement or more repaired toys rescued from stores who had doomed them to be dumped.

Anywhere around 12, 1500 toys.

Or that I went through the process of fixing to be given away.

Now, this machine had a loose wire and so I had to do is restart her.

Now, after years of collecting toys from stores.

Charlie says he gets good cooperation from merchants.

But when he first began, there were problems.

It wasn't exactly the stores.

It was the suppliers who didn't want to give up.

They ought to just really destroy the thing.

But after they were told and what they would be done and guaranteed that that's what would be done with them, i they were glad to cooperate.

Charlie believes there are two lessons to be learned from his toy collecting for underprivileged children.

First, stores should be encouraged to give toys to those who can repair them instead of throwing them away.

And second, consumers should try to fix broken toys themselves rather than taking them back to the store for a refund.

Take, for instance, this ball glove.

The only reason the customer returned it was due to a broken leather string.

This would have went to the landfill if it hadn't been for me.

I think any old person who doesn't know what to do them sounds.

This is a great hobby.

And the results from this is that you're making children happy.

And I think it's a good feeling.

I think any old person should do something besides just sit around and watch TV.

In Abilene, Larry Hatteberg, KAKE News.

He gave new life to a lot of things that you and I would have just thrown away.

And he enjoyed doing it.

And again, he made a difference.

He did.

He made a difference.

I love I love getting introduced to these people.

They're fun people.

Well, some of us need the bright lights of the big city and nonstop excitement to be content.

But not Herbert Roads.

Herb was satisfied with the simplest of things, like doing the yard work at his Conway Springs church.

I'd rather more grass and work on trees and shrubs than stay at home watch TV, but rather there's something to it.

Yeah, I like to work here.

Folks around here say Herb Roberts and Nature speak the same language.

At home, he talks, and nature listens.

And he's here.

It's kind of nice.

The silver mounds.

They come back every year.

I've been trying to get most of my stuff.

Perennial that comes back every year.

One of them little bunches about that big around for a photo.

And they come back and they get bigger after they've finally got it.

I just bought them this spring, the one kind of live and the other one did well.

There's little work in a place like this, and they got a pretty nice backyard.

Nothing extra back there.

The only thing I got that's nice, I think is here is my grotto.

I'm proud of them girls.

The Blessed Virgin statue over there.

That's really pretty.

My daughter painted it back in there, and when she got done, I kidded.

I said, this virgin look younger.

And she did.

40 years ago.

I bought that about 40 years ago.

There are a couple of fruit trees.

There's a rabbit right over there taking a picture of me.

I can get within a several feet of it.

Oh, look at that rabbit.

Well, I work till noon on a general for other people.

And then afternoon I take me about an hour and a half nap, and then I start trying to test the heat.

And then I get out here and I'll also be doing some.

Yeah, well, see, I got much garden, but it got to me this there.

People can't raise tomatoes this year.

But I want to show you this.

Here is a tomato.

That's the way I try to raise them.

But it got too hot then it.

But I still got a few little ones.

Even.

For years, Herb has taken care of the grounds at Saint Joseph Catholic Church.

I got the idea, and it just got me closer to the church.

There's so many people in my age there.

They hurt here and I hurt there.

And it hurt all over.

I got hurts, too.

But when I get my head out in the morning and get out there in about 5 minutes after I get to work and I forget this.

Not scared.

Nobody wants to die.

But I mean, when I was a little boy, my mom always said, you ought to say a little prayer every day to meet whatever comes in life.

And I remember that every night.

And I thank God for my help.

But death is for later.

Now there is life in Herb's Gardens.

It's a poor man's place.

I just stare, get up and go.

Herb's presence is still felt at the church, even though he passed away in 1999.

He's buried right there in that cemetery that he used to take care of.

And when I did this story with him, I'd have the camera on my shoulder and we'd be going down and he'd be trimming a tree or trimming bushes.

And he was a happy guy and he thoroughly enjoyed what he was doing.

And he'd look at the church and he'd know he was making a difference.

It's so nice that he's laid to rest there.

It's almost like he's still watching over the cemetery.

I love.

That.

I do, too.

Well, we've all heard it many times that a little hard work never hurt anybody.

Well, Glenn and Gladys Morgan of Hackney lived that philosophy.

And maybe it's something those younger folks should take to heart.

Yes, there's another one in there.

I saw the father, Bill.

Here it is.

Yeah.

Yes.

We don't have much room here, but we try to raise a few meters and a few peppers.

That's Gladys Morgan, and this is her husband, Glenn.

I don't know what I'd do without him.

Glenn is 90.

Gladys is well, not as old as Glenn.

They're small backyard boasts, flowers, insects, and a couple of people who are just plain folks.

We're just ordinary old farmers.

Older farmers, maybe ordinary.

Know how many 90 year olds do you know who still mow yards?

She can stand this heat better than anyone I know.

Better than I can.

Glenn likes work.

Never in his life has he shied away from it.

He always Mo's his own yard, and he has two other customers to boot.

And that's all very work.

That's all I know.

If you first sit down that rocking chair, you better watch out.

It's got to.

Have found on your maternal.

Do I think sometimes that he better watch it?

But he seemed to get along pretty good in there.

Say it.

Trying to get on your back from my little girl.

He's wondering if she's cooking something, ready to have something to eat.

Are you tired now?

No.

Actually, I was here all day.

In fact, I didn't think we'd ever see our 50th anniversary because, you know, he was 33 years old and I was 27 when we were married.

Yeah.

So in their backyard, full of life.

Glenn and Gladys Morgan are two after 50 years of marriage.

They are still in love.

Good for another ten years.

I don't know what that be here.

Well, another six, anyway.

Glenn lived to be 96.

Gladys went on to live to 105.

So they obviously knew what they were doing.

You know, people who live long lives have so much to teach us.

All we have to do is stop and listen.

That's something we do not do.

I'm going to get on my soapbox a little now.

Okay.

We need to listen to our elderly more.

They're the ones with experience.

They know what's going on.

And.

And we so often push them to the side.

But you don't with people.

You bring them to the forefront.

You're so sweet and so kind.

All right.

Many of us can remember the days when we'd pull up to the gas station and our Hudson or Studebaker and say.

Up never had a Hudson or any that in most places that went away many years ago.

But in Cunningham, Kansas, at least for a while, that kind of service was available up until just a few years ago.

Ken Scripps Sick wouldn't have it any other way.

Sometimes a slow afternoon you get to watch the different trucks utilize different types of people.

You went around the world, you get down the highway that didn't deal.

I started out as 20.

I'm almost 85 now, so I've been here.

For Kenneth a while, is since the 1940s.

He's been with Standard Oil now Amoco since he's had this little station a.

Long time ago.

He's changed, but not his philosophy.

You take care of the customer.

He's first.

Yep.

You come in here and it's always full service.

Always.

We get our windshield warm, and I even my headlights get washed.

Some of these I don't see how they see where they're going to.

Bugs, bugs, bugs.

And a smile every day.

45.

Kenneth son.

Mike also works with him.

He's been here since he came back from Vietnam.

But there is one face missing.

My wife is real close with this one.

Kenneth's wife, Billie Jean.

They were always here together until her death three years ago.

When you get by yourself, you're going to be doing that.

You go through this very exciting version when.

It's fun just to come in, just because you get to see somebody that you know and and and say hi and and have that personal interaction, too.

And I got good looking customers.

It's the first time that I've had my friend here with me.

She was like.

Wow, this place is great.

This lady here is here, a nice woman.

See, this guy out here is really nice gals and the whole country.

They just act happy to see you.

It's not work.

This isn't right.

You can't do that.

They're helping me and I'm helping them.

And this is like the only place you get to see a guy like him.

In many ways, work is his therapy and his therapists are his customers.

Each and every one.

I think is nice.

These some of these guys and still keep on doing their job.

Good old Kenny and his son kept the place going for as long as they could.

Kenny died in 2007 at age 89.

That gas station is now permanently closed.

You know, it's just a moment in history.

It's now gone.

Like so many other things.

But we remember it.

On how to work with people.

I know.

I know.

It's so cool that he believed in the old style gas stations and was going to give it to his community.

And the people.

And Cunningham.

Loved it.

Well, that's the end of another trip back in the Kansas history, the otherwise untold history that most of us would never know about were it not for Larry Hatteberg and Hattebergs people, and for that we owe him a debt of gratitude.

I'm just having fun with it.

Thank you.

It was.

Great.

I know you do.

How?

Well, of course, it's my pleasure.

And if you'd like to email us right here at KPTS its hattebergspeople@kpts.org.

That's our e-mail address.

That is it for now.

Thanks for watching.

We will see you again soon.