Good evening.

Welcome to another edition of Inside the Cover.

And here is a shout out to the viewers I recently met at the Wichita Sedgwick County Historical Museum.

I am particularly excited about tonight's program, because I get to share a special book written by a special person.

For the past several years, I have served on the Board of Directors of the Kansa Historical Society, and during that time, one of my colleagues on the board has been Doctor Walt Menninger.

At age 92.

Doctor Menninger has writte the book along with Todd Fertig, a published creative writer with extensive journalism and freelance experience called Like What You Do: The Memoirs of Doctor Walt Menninger.

Doctor Menninger was kind enough to share an advanced reader copy with me in June of this year, and I had the opportunity to read the book prior to actual publication by Flint Hills Publishing.

The book was officially released on September 22nd, 2024.

There are a few names associated with Kansas that have become recognizable on an international basis.

Wyatt Earp, Amelia Earhart, Alf Landon, Dwight David Eisenhower, and Willia Allen White, to name just a few.

Another such name i certainly the Menninger surname.

Four generations of Menningers established and created a world renowned psychiatric clinic, effectively turning Topeka, Kansas into the psychiatric capital of the United States.

Doctor Walt Menninger has certainly enjoye a remarkable life as a doctor.

Father.

Son.

Nephew.

Husband.

Visionary, columnist, author, Eagle Scout, Peace Corps volunteer.

Consultant.

Psychoanalyst.

Executive.

Educator.

Speaker.

Friend.

Doctor Menninger has dedicated approximately half a century to the mental health of his fellow man and he has done a magnificent job of sharing his life with this book.

Menninger writes comprehensively and with modesty, detail, delight and love.

Love for his family, his profession, his world.

The book has 48 chapters and each one provides a unique, compelling and interesting perspective about the various phases of his life the mundane and the celebratory, the highs and the lows, including the difficult decisions involved in moving the multiple Menninge operations from Kansas to Texas.

It is clear that each chapte has been carefully thought about and is supported with historical documentation maintained by Doctor Menninger during his life.

He effectively uses his own words from articles, books, speeches, columns, correspondence, the annual Christmas letters, as well as writings by his uncle Doctor Karl Menninger and his father Doctor Will Menninger.

In his introduction, Menninger writes: ‘When youve been born with a silver spoon in your mouth, your responsibility is not to tarnish it.

I was blessed to be born into a family that already accomplished much earned a great deal of respect, and made a profound impact on many lives.

My responsibility, I felt, was to not tarnish that legac and to add to it where I could.

My blessing came with an expectation.

Life isn't a free ride.

You really should leave the world a better place than you found it And as this memoir dramatically and emphatically indicates, he did.

If it is not yet clear, I love this book and I recommend it to you whole heartedly and without reservation.

It is a sure bet to make m personal top ten list for 2024, and I hope you will add thi book to your own reading list.

And I would suggest that thi book would make a wonderful gift for your family and friends for the seasonal holidays.

That's our show.

Tonight's book has been Like What You Do by Doctor Walt Menninger.

See you next time right here on PBS Kansas.

Good night.