Wake the kids and phone the neighbors.

Another half hour of Hattebergs People is on the air.

And here's a preview.

Harold Dick flew on almos every flight of the Hindenburg.

He helped design i and in 1982 was living a quiet, unassuming life in Wichita.

You'll learn his story.

Also.

Just like the days of the Pony Express.

Belinda Chambers delivered newspapers on horseback.

You'll see the reaction in 2009 and then learn what she's up to today.

Plus, he started barbering in 1916.

By the time Larry did this story, Bat Nelson was the oldest working barber in America.

Hear the words of this ma from another era who worked hard to keep the men of Alta Vista looking sharp and on trend.

That' just some of what's coming up.

Hello, I'm Susan Peters.

And I'm Larry Hatteberg.

Stories from four different decades are cued up and ready to roll for this edition of Hattebergs People.

These stories are like old friends.

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

They were teachers, but not in a classroom.

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

And I was their student.

When you think about transportatio disasters of the 20th century, two immediately come to min the Titanic and the Hindenburg.

Now, you might think that anyone involved in the design or constructio of either one of those vessels would want to keep a low profile.

But Harold Dick didn't shy away from it.

He went on to live a successful life in Wichita following the cras and explosion of the Hindenburg.

I interviewed him in 1982.

They were called dirigibles o zeppelins, and they were huge, some as large as three football fields in lengt and over 130 feet in diameter.

From 1900 to just before Worl War II, transatlantic zeppelins were in competition with passenger liners for tourist traffic between the continents.

Very few people knew more about the dirigibles than Wichitan Harold Dick.

In the 1930s, Dic was with the Goodyear Company.

He acted as a liaison between that company and the German government, as development on the airships continued.

Well, it was a wonderful way to travel.

It was absolutely quiet.

There was no vibration no pitch of roll or any of those unpleasant motions that you have in seagoing vessels.

People just loved them.

But it was the ill fated Hindenburg that Dick remembers best.

That was because he spent more time on it than any other American.

And that when the ship was on the ground, the top of the ship was at about the same height as the 17th story of one of our tall buildings.

[Newsreel Announcer] In 1937, The Hindenburg, a flying luxury liner with observation decks and lounge rooms for her passengers, began her second year of regular transatlantic service.

My last flight on the Hindenburg was when they were testing an airplane hook-on device.

And we ran these tests in Frankfurt and I participated in all of them.

The days of the Hindenburg were numbered.

A newsreel cameraman captured the disaster at Lakehurst, New Jersey.

[Newsreel:] Everything seemed in perfect order when suddenly-- [Larry:] It was just luc that Dick wasn't on this flight.

On many other flights before his name had been listed on the flight program.

But a meeting in another city prevented him from going.

Harold Dick has had experiences with airships that few others can boast.

But his prized possession is this dirigible balloon pilot's license signed by none other than Orville Wright.

Well, it's one of the finest things I've got.

I wouldn't part with it for anything.

Nor would he part with his memories of the days when the giant airships ruled the skies.

This is Larry Hatteberg.

Now following World War II, Harold took a job as president of Ponca Canvas Products here in Wichita.

He lived the rest of his life here.

And at one point served as mayor of Eastborough.

Harold Dick died in 1997 at age 90.

And he was the kind of guy that when you meet him, you would have no idea of his history with the Hindenburg.

And what a history it was.

Absolutely.

And I think we all remember the famous still picture of the Hindenburg burning.

You know, that was shot in New Jersey.

But he was a fascinating guy.

His office was there on East Central.

Yeah.

And you'd never know it meeting him what had happened to it.

So neat.

All right.

16 year old Belinda Chambers had a safer and more reliable way to get around.

It was all a bit old fashioned, but she got the newspapers delivered lickety split.

Lickety split?

I love that.

Well, back in the day, I caught up with her in the Cowley Count town of Cambridge for this story in 2009.

All the peopl around the paper route enjoying.

In Cambridge, Kansas high school junior Belinda Chambers delivers the Winfield Daily Courier by horseback to all the subscribers in her small town.

It's a nice, quiet, small town.

Quiet.

It is.

This is Main Street in Cambridge, where cats don't worry about getting run over.

Hummingbirds don't worry about cats.

And in the evening, cars are as scarce as thunderstorms that wait in the distance to pounce.

This is Belinda Chambers hometown.

Yes, I love living in Cambridge.

But when the presses start to roll that print the Winfield Daily Courier, Belinda is getting her horse Dreamer ready to deliver that paper.

Need to brush the horse down and make sure he looks nice and clean and if there's any dirt where the saddle supposed to be, then you have to move it so it doesnt make him sore.

You really get to know him.

I mean, it's basically like a best friend.

When the courier arrives in Cambridge, it's time to work and Belinda wastes no time.

I started doing it when gas prices got really, really high and it's, you know, a little expensive to drive around.

But there is more going on here than just delivering papers.

Belinda has been Dreamer's only trainer.

No one helped her.

She trained him on her own.

It builds his muscle going up and down the hills, and gets him ready for shows.

I love horses because I mean, obviously you can ride them and they're fun to be around.

Some people find it odd.

Most people just think it's kind of neat.

Well, it's exciting.

I love horses and I just love to come out and pet the horse and get the paper.

And besides, it fertilizes the yard sometimes.

The people who have relatives over on holidays, it's.

I've gotten told several times that this is one of the coolest things theyve ever seen.

All right, let's go.

Yes, I have lots of fun.

I mean, he's like a person he has good days and bad days, but it's very fun.

They bring a lot of joy and happiness.

Step.

Well, I think it's special.

I mean, it takes a special horse to be able to do it and.

Well, he's a special horse.

Come on.

Belindas last name is now Jones.

She and her husband have four kids, and Belinda work as a veterinarian's assistant.

Sadly, though, her horse Dreamer is no longer with us.

He had to be put down just two years ago after developing cancer.

She was such a fun person to do the story with because here's a small town and here's this young woma delivering the paper on a horse.

Sometimes she'd stick it in the mailbox, sometime they'd throw it up on the porch.

And it was just fun because that's not something you're going to see in New Yor or Wichita or anywhere else or Hutchinson, or... Yeah.

And it only occurred for a small moment in time.

I love it.

She was a teenager.

That's right.

And she loved it.

She loved the horse.

Yeah.

Now, it's an iconic fixture towering over the Kansas sky.

But if you're young, you may not realize that the ad Astra warrior on top of the Kansas State Capitol dome had only been i place for a couple of decades.

That's true.

And back in 99, it seemed lik the project was taking forever.

The artist was hoping and praying that his drea would finally become a reality.

In fact, I drove by that building for years and just wondered, Hey, there ought to be something up there, you know?

Up there is the to of the Capitol Dome in Topeka.

Salina artist Dick Bergen was selected ten years ag to place his Ad Astra sculpture on the top of the copper plated dome.

It certainly is going to be visible from a long way off.

The 20 foot tall, reinforced bronze statue is of a Kanza Indian pointing his bow and arrow towards the sky.

The Kanza Indians, they actually lived in the Topeka area.

So this is appropriate, I think, to honor them with the sculpture on the Capitol building.

And there's more.

The state has already finished a plaza area on the southwest corner of the capitol grounds.

Here, another nine foot version of Ad Astra will be cast and installed on a large granite base.

And it'll be done sometime this summer.

I tried to give this guy a sort of a like a young, brave, you know, I exaggerated, you know.

Of course, you're going to b seeing this from a long way off.

So all the features I made on here, I've made them pretty strong.

You know, it really is part of you, I guess.

Even when I' working on the arms, you know, I hold my arm out, look at it, you know?

So, I mean, it' bound to have a lot of me in it.

While Bergen is confident the job will be finished, there is still a long way to go in fundraising.

I can't think of a sculpture that I would rather do than this.

It will cost $1,000,000 to finish the project.

Only 250,000 has so far been raised.

It's hard to raise funds.

We no matter what we do, it's just tough.

Funding for the arts is never easy, and this project is no exception.

A helicopter is needed to lift the 4,000 pound sculpture to the top of the copper plated dome.

And then there are the thousands of dollars needed for engineer just to sign off on the project.

I'd like to get it finished, but I don't get discouraged because I get so much publicity out of this project.

Publicity is good.

I mean, you know, the more publicity you get.

Not that you're any better but people think you're better because everybody knows about you.

It does seem like it' been going on for a long time.

Actually, we have most of the work finished.

Once the bronze casting is made.

Dick Bergen's work will be finished.

It will then be up to the people of Kansas.

We could have this sculpture cast in less than six months if we had the funds to do it.

Peopl ask me when I'm going to retire.

I said, What could I retire to?

I mean, if I really had a regular job and I retired, this is what I'd be doing.

Finally, by 2002 the money was raised, the sculpture was finished, and it was put in place on top of the Capitol dome.

Now the statue is name for the state motto Ad Astra per Aspera which is Latin for “T the stars through difficulties”.

Dick Bergen, by the way, passe away in 2020 at the age of 95.

But whenever you're in Topeka and you go past the Capitol building, look up and you'll see Dick Bergen's work.

Look to the stars.

Almost to the stars.

Some of us have been fortunate enough to pursue exciting careers.

Then there are those like Cecil Dozier, who worked at a garbage dump.

Yeah, but Cecil wasn't complaining about his job.

His biggest complaint was about the people who were wasteful and didn't think about those less fortunate.

Metal monsters move, smash and squash their kill.

It's all part of lif at the Brooks Landfill northwest of Wichita.

Cecil Dozier works at the landfill as a spotter.

He controls the dumping point for the trucks that have come to feed those metal monsters.

It's a job most of us wouldn't want.

Today the weather was terrible, the ground muddy and full of other people's garbage, and the smell is repugnant.

Yet Cecil remains on the job.

Watch it, watch it.

Odd things occur at a landfill.

Americans discard a lot of useful items.

And Cecil Dozier is a witness to waste.

I look at it just like it is.

People have always had it made all the days alive.

They don't realize how the poor people are suffering.

Here in Wichita, the children in particular.

So you see a lot of stuff that people consider trash that could be used.

Could be used, new stuff, new shoes, new clothes and appliances that could be used.

It's not the greatest job in the world, but the reality of life dictates the choice.

After all, I have to make a living.

And so this is it.

In order to survive, this is what we have to do.

Work on the job.

As the old saying goes, someone has to do it.

And Cecil Dozier does.

This is Larry Hatteberg.

Now, that slice of life was from 1979.

Ceci passed away in 1998 at age 71.

It doesn't matter what you do in life if you feel it's important and if you feel that you're doing something to help humanity.

Whatever the job is, do it with pride.

And he did.

And Cecil, did it.

Thank yo for bringing us Cecil's story.

I mean, nobody would have found that story except for you.

And it's very appreciated.

He's a great guy.

Now, while landfills represent the ugly sid of the great outdoors, Bob Gress spent his time in the company of plants and animals.

Out in the natural areas of our state.

Yeah.

Now, Bob was and stil is a great expert and advocate when it comes to preserving and protecting nature.

So today we're going to b taking a look at a few pictures and then following the pictures, I'll introduce you to a special friend I brought with me today.

With a loaded slid projector and young, eager eyes.

Bob Gress brings nature to the classroom.

One of my favorite animals is a raccoon.

And I think that the reason I like raccoons is because they're pretty intelligent.

He's the city of Wichita's wildlife naturalist.

The biggest challenge at my job, when I do programs over and over and ove and over and over again, is to is to get excited.

I got to present every program like it's the first time I ever presented that program.

Wherever we go, there are things to discover.

His ow personal classroom is out here in nature at one of Wichita's many green areas.

This is Chisholm Trail Park.

These boxes are used not only by wood ducks, but also by squirrels and also by screech owls.

And this one has been used by screech owls.

Whether he's in there right now, I don't know, empty, empty today.

Kress doesn't always come up empty.

This book has many of Gresss pictures of animals that he's taken right here in Wichita.

I can't hardly imagine not being involved with with nature and wildlife.

I mean, it's part of my work.

It's part of my spare time.

Whenever I want to relax, I am out in nature, either taking pictures or learning or traveling.

Like to introduce you guys to Akeelah.

This particular bird came from Wyoming.

It is a golden eagl that commands these children's attention.

He used to make his living flying out over those grass areas, looking for jackrabbits and prairie dogs and ground squirrels.

It's the constant speaking that he hopes makes folks like us aware of our fragile relationship with nature.

Okay, he sounds like he's ready for lunch.

The senior citizens are always so receptive and so happy.

Lets meet Webster.

Gresss popularity is no doubt linked to his enthusiasm for his work.

He works with animal as easy as he talks to people.

We hope that by getting the opportunity to learn about an animal like the Beaver, we may gain some insight.

It is his life's work, the animals, nature, and he hopes the rest of us get the message.

I think animals are an indicator to all of us what we're doing to our own surroundings.

And and when the animals disappear.

I think that's a clue that we'd better be watching out for our own self.

Bob is now retired, but he is still very involved in wildlife preservation and education.

He takes nature photos, writes articles, and serves on the board of the Wichita Audubon Society.

You know, when you go out with him and when I was out with him doing the story, amazing how much he know about the outdoors, about nature and about photography, about so many things.

And when you're around those people you can't help but learn, too.

And not only that, but he's in love with the outdoors, he's in love with nature.

So it makes you appreciate it, too.

Absolutely, we appreciate him.

Would you be offende if I told you to go fly a kite?

One person who wouldn't mind at all is Mark Adams.

That's right, because Mark has been in the kite business for almost 50 years.

Back when he and I were both young, I loaded up my 16 millimeter camera with film, remember film, and aimed at towards the sky.

Here's what I came back with.

They have been children's toys for centuries.

When the warm winds of spring blow into Kansas, clouds and kites fill the sky.

Men like Mark Adams specialize in the romantic flight of man's fantasies.

And thanks to string sticks and plastic, not in the form of airplanes, but in one of man's oldest flying ventures.

It's called the kite.

After flying this long kite.

Being able to se it just up there dancing away, and how it not only blessed me, but other people.

That's what I liked about it.

And I found it's the type of thing that not only I'm not the only one in the world that likes it, but a lot of other people like it.

And it' because it's the type of thing that they can share with each other.

They've got something that' going to bless that other person as well as the person flying it.

And it's such a relaxing type deal.

You can go out after having all kinds of negatives in the world and stuff happening that happens to everybody.

And you go out and you fly a kite and it's just totally peaceful and something you can just look up there and say, Well, that's mine.

It's like my pet.

Not only are kites an outside sport, but an inside one as well.

This is an Indian fighter kite, and it's designed for speed, precision and maneuverability.

But it's outside on those warm spring days when the kite makes a child out of all of us.

Larry Hatteberg, TV 10 News, in the park.

And that was 1979.

And television was still young.

It was another world, of course.

We wondered where Mark is now.

Well, he was pretty easy to find.

All we had to do was stop by the Spring Kite Festivals at Chapin Park.

Now, Mark is just as excited about kites now as he was 50 years ago.

Now, he and his wife, Susan, both recently closed their stor and now they focus on festivals like this one, where they sell kites and give lessons, continuing to share their enthusiasm for kite flying.

You really have to love kite flying.

You probably do.

You know... Theyre still flying kites!

At festivals around.

Well, for a lot of people, kites are magic things.

Yeah.

You know and they're all different kinds.

He's into the construction of all of them.

And it's amazing what you ca learn when you make your career, Kites.

Yeah, that's part of a lot of people's childhood, too.

It is, right?

Yeah.

I mean, when you learn to fly a kite, you know you've made it as a child.

Yeah.

And kids still do.

Kites haven't changed much over the years.

Hairstyles, though, theyre constantly changing.

Oh, yes.

Well, Bat Nelson saw a lot of hairstyles come and go during his 80 years of barbering, whether he was always up on the latest trends.

Well, we don't know about that.

But we do know that customers kept coming back decade after decade after decade.

Beautiful morning.

Bat Nelson's day starts slow in Alta Vista, Kansas.

He's the barbe in this Wabaunsee County town, a town that echoes middle America.

You would have to travel quite a ways befor you'll find another little town that's held up as well as we have.

It's a town of pigtails and braids, a town of Halloween cats and a tow where it's okay to be dog tired.

And a town that boasts Bat Nelson as the nation's oldest barber, who at 94 is still working.

I say I'm not boastful.

I sound like I'm bragging.

But if a man got in my chair once for a shave, he never failed to get back in.

That's quite a record.

Yeah.

Surrounding Bat Nelson's barber chair, tonics, that dat the man, bottles that grow more memories than hair, memorie from his first day as a barber.

February 12, 1916.

I worked almost $0.17 for 17 hours work.

Yeah.

Next week, I did a little bit better.

I took in two and a quarter.

In Alta Vista, there have been a lot of clotheslines filled and wind whipped by a melodic Kansa wind since Bat began his career.

Lester has been a customer for 70 years.

Thats the latherizer here.

As Bat barbers, memories floo in as he remembers how he needed a couple of hundred dollars to buy his barber tools.

I tried to borrow $10 from my dad and he said, You, you never make it, kid.

You'll never make it.

Well, after nearly eight decades of work, he made it.

And with a $3 haircut, Lester's made it too.

Time to go.

He does well for his age, too.

So I figured this little shop was good for me.

Peopl drop in and visit a little bit.

That's right.

Hair International magazine recognizes me as the oldest practicing barber in the United States.

You know, and you stop and think about it.

That is quite an accomplishment.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

In Alta Vista.

Folks come and folks go.

Bat Nelson stays.

Beautiful morning.

Well Bat kept clipping away for another two years.

And at that time, he was the oldest and longest working barber in America.

That record has since been eclipsed, however, but Bat gave it a good run.

He died in 2002 at 102.

Wow.

I just like being around tha guy in his little barber shop.

He was reflective.

He was deep.

And he was.

He cared very much about the community and the people's hair who he cut.

Yeah.

You know, and he had a million stories, as you can imagine.

Yeah.

You know, he lived 102.

You're going to have stories.

Probably hear a few of his customers problems.

Oh, sure.

Trials and tribulations.

Yeah.

But you know what I like about that?

You brought us into that barber shop and made us feel the same comfort that you felt when you walked into that barber shop.

We just felt the same thing.

So thank you very much.

I like to find places that are comfortable.

Comfortable?

He was comfortable.

Well, this trip through time has come to an end for another week.

If you have a question or a comment, we love hearing from you.

And until next time, I'm Susan Peters.

And I'm Larry Hatteberg.

We enjoyed spending time with yo and we will see you again soon.