From the Alvin and Rosalie Sara Check studio, PBS Kansas Presents Positively Kansas, it's time for Positively Kansas.

Coming up, a high altitude crusade for the human spirit.

We take a flight in the cockpit of a legendary warbird to discover why a vintage veteran of the skies is the ultimate metaphor for healing.

Also, we see how a new vision emerges as this Wichita man continues a lifetime of helping others, proving that compassion never loses its focus.

Plus, the shattered remnants of the Kansas that almost was.

We go beyond the rust and ruins to reveal the haunting history hidden in the shadows of the forgotten ghost towns.

I share Scott those stories, and this week's Kansas Wild Edge are cued up and ready to roll on this edition of Positively Kansas.

trading therapy for a World War Two cockpit.

Doctor McKayla Johnson is on a high altitude mission to prove that no one is beyond repair.

She uses her vintage warbird as a raw metaphor for shattering the beliefs that keep us grounded in trauma.

Chris Frank met her on the tarmac in Wichita to discuss wounds, wings, and the radical path to healing.

When Doctor Michaela Johnson touched down in Wichita, it wasn't just another fuel stop.

The psychotherapist, author and pilot is on a 7000 mile journey in her 1944 Stinson airplane.

She named Scarlet.

It's a journey she hopes will help people rewrite the story they tell themselves.

It starts with the premise that you're not broken.

You're actually working very well.

So I explain to people that it's kind of like a hot stove moment when you start to learn to cook on a stove.

At some point you're going to touch a hot stove, you're going to get burned, your body is going to do what it needs to do is going to pull your hand back, and then you're going to make a decision from that moment.

Either you are never going to cook on a stove again, and you're going to eat microwave dinners for the rest of your life, or you're going to learn how to work with that environment and that hot stove.

And sometimes that's exactly what we need to do in our relationships.

We need to have the hot stove moment and realize that we don't have to microwave dinner for the rest of our lives.

We can still have excellent relationships even though we've been wounded in the past.

I'm Mikayla Johnson.

Johnson often gets called upon for interviews for television and podcasters for her insights on mental health, resilience and healthy living.

Sometimes the questioning is very specific, like how to be a calm airline passenger.

Johnson is a pilot as well as therapist.

Well, I'll tell you, I think that's a rational thought to have.

In recent months, she's crossed the nation to promote her new book, Seven Primal Wounds.

She's promoting it in a way, as far as she knows, has never been tried before.

It's the first ever aerial book tour, so this is an exciting adventure and definitely one for the books.

The tour, covering 7000 nautical miles across 35 states and more than 100 airports, now including Eisenhower National in Wichita.

Johnson says after 15 years as a therapist and doctoral research, she noticed seven patterns appearing again and again.

What she calls the primal wounds.

I think people love to.

I love to associate with the inadequate primal wound or not good enough, but there's actually very few people in terms of the population that I've worked with that fall into that it actually is pretty equally spread out.

The seven wounds are insignificant, inadequate, damaged, incapable, powerless, undeserving, and outsider.

She says wound patterns keeping people stuck can be broken and turned around.

Well, once you understand your primal wound, you can actually turn it into a superpower.

So, for example, my incapable primal wounds.

They feel like they're unintelligent or not smart enough.

And once they identify that that's a narrative that they're making decisions from, they'll actually say, you know what?

Well, let me prove it to you.

Let me show you how smart I can be.

They go on to be CEOs, entrepreneurs.

They launch successful businesses.

And so you can really take your primal wound and turn it into a superpower.

So flying her stints in aircraft, Johnson lands at airports, meeting pilots, reading clubs, families and handing out copies of her book.

Each comes with a flight log.

Once a reader finishes a chapter or even the book, they're invited to pass it along like a flying game of tag.

You're it.

Tonight, we welcome award winning airshow performer and mentor Julie Clark into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

She made a particular point to come to Wichita when the Aviation Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the B-29 Dark Hangar.

That's because her close friend, Julie Clark, was one of those being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

And I've also been mentored by Julie Clark and actually, I spent quite a bit of time with her before I did my first air race.

She gave me a lot of tips and tricks.

We really, you know, became friends over the years.

Johnson encourages those wounded that changing their story can change their outcome.

And I've been so pleasantly surprised at people opening it up, reaching out to me.

People have already moved it from from origination airports to other airports, and they've said, this book is going to change lives.

So that feels really affirming to me that I'm on the right track.

Her goal is to get 100 of the advanced reader copies to circle the globe, reaching seven countries before the official publication date.

The aviator and therapist says healing isn't about perfection.

It's about taking off even after you've been burned and discovering you can still fly.

This is Chris Frank for Positively Kansas.

As she continues her cross-country journey, Johnson hopes her message travels long after she wheels up.

Her book.

Seven Primal Wounds is now available in bookstores and online.

He served the richest of the rich, then changed to serve the poorest of the poor worldwide through his organization trees for life and other nonprofits.

Now legally blind, Wichita's Bellville Mather continues to serve humanity through his artwork.

Special correspondent Tom Joyner has the incredible story.

A man that sets the standard for the good of all humanity.

Ball.

Beer, Mister Ball Beer Master was born in India in 1935.

He came to Wichita in 1958.

He became a very successful businessman in the import export business and traveled the world.

Years ago, he refocused his successful business to helping the underprivileged on a global basis.

He was a consultant to the wealthiest of the wealthiest, and he transformed himself doing the same thing that he loves.

But he served the poorest of the poor.

Trees for life.

Books for life, teach for life.

And from that are connecting hearts and the corporation to see for life.

Now blind ball Beer continues to share his message of giving.

At the age of 80, when I retired, I started to get macular degeneration and dry coma, and I lost my sight.

Just before my retirement, I had taken some art lessons and Trevor had given me a studio here in the basement.

And I started to have dreams, colors erupting, and I said, I'm going to paint.

I came down in the basement and started to paint.

And I must have spent an hour.

It looked horrible.

The colors kept on coaxing me, just like David Cox, a child.

Come on, let's see.

You can do it.

You try it again.

So I came and finished that painting.

And when he brought me that painting the first time, I thought, that's interesting.

That he can do something like this and ruin my life sight.

Trevor hugged it to her chest.

This is beautiful.

I believe Trevor is the rock for Barbier.

Without Trevor, there's no out there.

I marvel just like other people do when they come down here and look through and see these paintings.

And it's just amazing.

They can't believe that he is has done all these paintings.

Without her, I don't think I could do any of the strength.

I went back to the store and said, I would like to have some more paints.

And the saleslady, Jenna, she said, I would like to buy this painting.

An idea struck me that, hey, you have lost your sight, but you could help other children.

Took some to her and I said, you can have any of these paintings and I'll trade you for two pairs of glasses for children.

And she said, how much would that be?

I shot one pair of glasses for a child.

And what?

Most of these developed countries will cost $15.

So for $30, I'll trade you this painting.

And almost 200 paintings have been committed.

If there is a person who is never, unhappy, he's always happy.

This past December 13th, the Wichita community honored Bob year on his 90th birthday with a special global celebration that was recognized around the world.

Well, we're just thrilled to have this opportunity to, open up art connecting hearts to the greater Wichita community and also connect with Alvear and all of his friends around the world through a live video feed that's going on.

There's so many people here that have known there for anywhere from a couple of months to maybe even meeting him from the first time today to, knowing him, maybe his whole life.

This is a really great day.

Paul was celebrating 90 years of helping people around the world.

90 years of grateful less.

So I express my gratitude.

Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Wichita City Council does hereby proclaim.

Saturday, December 13th, 2025, as Art Connecting Hearts Day.

And so I have here today a an official Senate certificate.

The official Senate certificate says, from the state of Kansas.

A Kansas Senate tribute is hereby known to all that official recognition is extended to doctor balladeer.

Here's a blind man painting to provide eyesight to children in need globally.

I see it as a prayer.

Hope.

I don't see that as an art piece.

I see each painting as a prayer, a hope for these children.

Barbara is very generous.

Bobby was very humble.

Barbara will be best remembered for his generosity, for his love, for his joy, and for sharing.

Everything you touch, everything you see is beautiful.

So enjoy when you can.

Ball beer.

Method of force for good for positively Kansas.

I'm Tom swanky Bo beer's life of service was inspired by a 1984 meeting with Mother Teresa.

Or simple advice to serve those right in front of you transformed a successful career into a global mission of philanthropy.

There they're the silent skeletons of the prairie, thousands of forgotten towns where the wind is now the only voice once teeming with ambition.

These lonely places are the shattered remnants of the Kansas that almost was.

Chris Frank goes beyond the ruins to uncover the haunting history hidden in the shadows of Kansas ghost towns.

Every county in the state has its ghost towns.

We may drive right past or through them every day without even thinking about them.

Take Reno County, for example.

It is said to have as many as 75 ghost towns.

That's too many to list here.

All have their reasons for rising and falling.

We've we've had our share of shootings in southeast Kansas, just over 100 miles from Wichita is the town of Elgin and Chautauqua County.

One can see from the air how the town covers several square blocks.

The farm fields border the town on three sides.

Elgin South border is the Kansas Oklahoma state line, but this is Elgin.

This is state line.

State line road.

Jim Chase has lived in Elgin for several years.

He's an historian on the town of Elgin, and the people flocked in here.

We had the old timers that were the.

Freight people, the cattle people, and now the oil people.

And at that time, this town had 2500 people.

Today we have 62 and no businesses to speak of any longer, he says.

That's why we're considered a ghost town.

But we have 62 people there.

T shirt, shoes.

This is their little corner of Paradise.

Yeah, but don't call it a dead town.

For, as the sign says, Elgin is a town too tough to die.

And as the brick streets and the few remaining former storefronts indicate, this once was a busy, prosperous community.

Like hundreds of other Kansas communities, Elgin languished and struggled to survive until the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad in 1886.

The railroads coming made Elgin a boom town through cattle shipments.

Texas cattle were in high demand to be shipped to eastern U.S.

markets to feed a hungry nation.

Now, the thing about being a cow town, then men also catering to cowboys, vices.

Once their drive was done, the Cowboys made a beeline down Grand Avenue to whet their thirst at one of Elgin's 13 saloons.

Those saloons range from the hole in the wall saloons to higher class drinking establishments.

And that's despite Kansas prohibition.

Often the overindulgence led to shootings and knifing.

It wasn't anything for a person to every day, for at least one person to be shot or stabbed in this day.

Elgin's cowtown prosperity attracted outlaws.

The old jail law breakers were locked up in still stands, but with cracks in it.

One of the more interesting Kansas ghost towns is Runnymede.

In Harper County, about 50 miles southwest of Wichita, there were actually three Runnymede locations, as shown by this old State Highway Commission map of Harper County, where this Kansas historical marker is on.

Highway two is the last location of what was actually called South Runnymede.

Now I will focus most attention on the Runnymede.

Populated by English immigrants two miles northeast from the roadside marker.

Mike Newsome is a Harper County farmer.

This particular section of land he farms stands out because of what once occupied it.

He looks over it.

Imagining what once was here.

Probably a hotel and some businesses, I don't know.

Now there is no hotel businesses or any signs of any structures ever being here.

This 160 acre parcel looks no different from Newsome's neighbors farm ground.

But from 1888 to 1892, this was the town site of Runnymede, while the town of Runnymede is named after Runnymede, England, where they signed the Magna Carta.

The English colony Runnymede was founded by Ned Tern.

Lee turned Lee and Irishman had the idea of establishing a farm and ranch school to advertise in London newspapers, appealing to wealthy Brits that for $500 a year he would turn their sons into gentlemen, farmers and ranchers.

But these English colonists played like urban cowboys more than they studied farming.

They love getting their photos taken, dressed up like cowboys.

The running mates also like to party hardy, shoot off their guns and make a general nuisance of themselves.

Runnymede went bust and was rolled up like a carpet when the railroad bypassed the town to become another Kansas ghost town.

This is Chris Frank reporting for Positively Kansas.

The PBS Kansas documentaries Kansas Ghost Towns Part one and two can now be streamed on the PBS Kansas YouTube page.

DVDs are also available.

When a mercury plunges, survival turns into a desperate race against the elements driven by hunger, the prairies most elusive creatures are forced into the open.

And Mike Blair has a front row seat to the raw beauty of the struggle.

Well, that's a wrap for this week.

If you enjoyed the show and want to see it, continue on PBS Kansas.

Here's how you can help.

Go to Cover Story and make a $100 donation specifically for Positively Kansas to help pay for production costs.

As a thank you, your name will appear at the beginning and end of future episodes.

I host the show for free because I believe that telling these stories is important.

I'm Cierra Scott.

Thanks for watching.

See you again soon.