[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 130 (Tuesday, October 2, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10057-S10058]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO DANE GRAY BALES, A KANSAS LEGACY
Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to call attention to
the death, August 26, 2001, of a good friend and distinguished Kansan,
Dane Gray Bales of Logan, KS.
Mr. Bales was born in 1918 to a pioneer Kansas family. He served in
the Army Air Corps in WWII and returned home to Kansas to work for the
Hansen Oil Company.
Throughout his life he was a community builder and civic leader known
across the State. Fort Hays State University gave him its Distinguished
Service Award in 1985.
Mr. Bales is best known for his untiring support for higher education
in Kansas. With his wife, Polly, he was life member of the University
of Kansas Chancellor's Club, the School of Business Dean's Club, the
School of Fine Arts Dean's Club, the Williams Fund, Jayhawks for higher
education, the Mt. Oread Fund and other organizations.
They were major contributors for the Dane and Polly Bales Organ
Recital Hall and the Wolff Organ and they established the first organ
professorship at the University of Kansas.
I submit for the record a recent article from the Hays Daily News
that comments on Mr. Bales' outstanding life of service to Kansas and
the eulogy delivered by Kenneth Tidball, superintendent of schools in
Logan.
I ask that the article and eulogy be printed in the Record.
The material follows:
[From the Hays Daily News, Sept. 2, 2001]
Logan Legacy
Flags flew at half-staff. Downtown businesses closed early.
For at least an hour on Wednesday afternoon, this small
Phillips County community closed up shop to pay its respect
to a man who was more than just a lifelong resident.
Dane Bales embodied the tradition of small-town Kansas.
While he carried the portfolio of an accomplished
businessman, political activist and world traveler, Bales'
appreciation and love for his hometown was one of his
greatest attributes.
It was something he had learned at an early age.
His uncle, Dane G. Hansen, the namesake of a multimillion-
dollar trust fund and not-for-profit foundation in downtown
Logan, exemplified the same characteristics.
Hansen never married, and at the time of his death in 1965,
his estate, valued at between $9 million and $16 million, was
left to a foundation bearing his name. Those funds were to be
used explicitly for the betterment of area residents.
That money had grown first from a simple general store,
handed down to Hansen by his parents, Danish immigrants who
were part of Logan's original settlement in the late 19th
century. His business dealings later developed into a
lumberyard, then road construction and finally the oil
business. Ultimately, Hansen's success developed into exactly
what he wanted, innumerable opportunities for Kansas
residents.
For 36 years, it all overseen by his nephew, the lone
descendant of the Hansen family.
At the time of Hansen's death, Bales was named to head the
family trust and also was one of seven men handpicked by his
uncle to head the Hansen Foundation. Now, Bales' widow,
Polly, said the family legacy will continue, just without a
family patriarch heading the board.
The couple's only son, Dane G. Bales Jr., died of leukemia
in May 1998. His widow, Carol, now of Atchison, still serves
as a trustee for the trust and foundation.
Polly Bales said legal documents stipulate that the trust
will continue for 20 years after the death of the Hansen
family's final descendant. That now ensures it will continue
through 2021.
Although his life was surrounded by great experiences and
people of all walks of life, this week Bales was remembered
as a man who loved a few simple things.
The Rev. Ron Lowry told the hundreds of people who packed
into the Logan United Methodist Church for Bales' funeral
that he frequently tries to ``find the unique'' things in a
person. That was a simple task this week, he said. ``There
were so many unique things about Dane.''
Neighbor Kenneth Tidball talked about Bales' passion for
golf. And while he loved Kansas football and basketball, golf
had been his game for a number of years. He played his last
round of 18 holes less than a month ago.
Following a lifelong admiration for airplanes, at age 46 he
learned to fly and bought his first plane. Also an
accomplished ham radio operator, Lowry said he shared that
hobby with Bales. As he talked to Polly Bales about it, she
joked with Lowry that if he's ever able to send a message to
Bales' signal, he was to notify Bales that she also expected
to hear from him.
``I appreciated the kind of love they had for each other,''
Lowry said. ``They were such a complement to each other.''
The two met while students at the University of Kansas.
Polly Bales said her husband of nearly 60 years was dating
her roommate while they were in school.
``I was trying to get the two of them together,'' she
recalled.
Then one night, Bales called and asked if she wanted to go
to Kansas City to attend an Ella Fitzgerald concert.
``I said, `Oh I sure did.' That's how it started. We dated
for at least a year and a half. I wasn't trying to get him. I
didn't really notice him, but that's how it worked out,'' she
said.
Their love of the Jayhawks was a shared passion. They were
members of countless school-related organizations and
activities, all dedicated to the promotion of higher
education.
For 21 years they have hosted the area KU Honors Program,
and in recent years have welcomed KU Chancellor Robert
Hemenway's Wheat State Whirlwind Tour to the Dane G. Hansen
Memorial Museum and Hansen Plaza. They were among the first
to tour with the KU Flying Jayhawks and traveled with the
group on 30 international trips.
They were major contributors for the Dane and Polly Bales
Organ Recital Hall, adjacent to KU's performing arts center
in Lawrence, and the couple since have established the
university's first organ professorship.
Although Polly Bales said at first they ``protested a
little bit'' the name of the recital hall, school officials
told them that the Board of Regents already had decided on
its name.
``So much of what we have is because of the Hansens. We
thought that would be the name attached to it, but they said
it was done. That was what they had decided,'' said Polly
Bales, a former organ student at KU. ``What an honor.''
In 1985, the couple were awarded the Fort Hays State
University Distinguished Service Award. Two years later, they
were included in the KU Gallery of Outstanding Kansans, and
both have received the Fred Ellsworth Medallion from the
university.
``We were in pretty heady company,'' Polly Bales said with
a smile.
Earlier this year, the couple received the Volunteers of
the Year award from a 10-state district of the Council for
Advancement and Support of Education.
All of those recognitions, which Polly Bales said they both
cherished, hang in the hallway of the couple's home, built on
the same stretch of land where Bales was born and where he
died, and just across the street from Hansen Plaza.
``I always told him he didn't go too far,'' Polly Bales
said of her husband, joking that he was born, worked and even
died in an area equivalent to the size of a couple of city
blocks.
His steadfast commitment to his hometown has not gone
unnoticed. His death in fact brought an end to a long-
standing record in Logan, 130 continuous years of business by
a member of the Hansen family.
This week's issue of the Logan Republican, the weekly
newspaper, refers to Bales on its front page as ``a legend.''
``The love he had for our community was extraordinary. He
could have chosen to make his home anywhere in the world but
he chose to stay in Logan, Kansas, where his family roots had
long been a part of our community. The recognition and
prestige he gave our little town will forever be
remembered.''
Even among all of their success and fortune, Polly Bales
said she knows her husband would be floored by all the
attention showered on him this week. Floral shops delivered
more than 80 arrangements in his name, and just one day's
mail, full of sympathy cards and condolences, filled a couple
of shoeboxes.
``He would be so thankful. I know he would,'' she said as
tears filled the corners of her eyes. ``I'm so lucky that I
fell into this family. They're so loving, and they've always
taken care of me. But I'm going to miss him.''
____
Eulogy for Dane Gray Bales
(By Kenneth Tidball, Superintendent of Schools, Logan, KS, August 29,
2001)
A reporter from a big city newspaper called me Monday at my
office to ask me why I was doing the eulogy for Dane Gray
Bales. He said why isn't the governor or the chancellor of KU
or Congressman Moran doing it. I told him I didn't know why,
but I could tell him this, no one could be more honored, no
one could feel more privileged than I did to talk about what
a wonderful, kind, loving man Dane was.
I told that reporter that I felt so inadequate to do
justice to the man we've come to honor today. There are so
many of you gathered here that have had a much longer
relationship with Dane that I have; some of you did business
with Dane; some of you played golf with Dane; some of you
flew, or skiied, or traveled or went to ballgames or
supported KU or loved chocolate or did several of those
things that made up such a
[[Page S10058]]
large part of Dane's life; I didn't have those special
opportunities.
My special opportunity was that Dane was my neighbor. When
we moved back to Logan, God saw to it that we had the special
privilege of moving next door to the Bales. There I learned
to respect and admire a descendent of true pioneer stock, a
man with more determination and tenacity than most of us have
bones in our body, a man who could do hand-to-hand combat
with his fountain in the yard, or underground sprinkler and
make them work again. He could also talk about world affairs,
the stock market, education and consumer prices.
But a special delight was I always knew things were right
with the world when I would look out my east window and see
Dane up on his roof with his leaf blower, or getting ready to
go play golf; wrestling with his fountain or getting ready to
play golf; filling his bird feeder, putting ears of corn out
for the squirrels, or getting ready to go play golf. There's
no doubt about it, Dane loved to play golf.
Some of his golfing buddies have told me stories about
Dane's game. Rich Wallgren says his special putting
technique, the jump-n-putt, should be adopted by the PGA
tour.
Jerry Patterson gave me the following observation from
which I now quote:
``I have played a lot of golf with Dane, all over the state
of Kansas and in a few other states as well. Dane was a very
honest person in all that he was involved in. At the age of
83 his golf game wasn't as good as it might have once been
and after tallying up, say an 8 on a hole, the scorekeeper,
which was usually Rich or I, would try to make it a little
easier on him. We'd ask Dane, `You had a 7 didn't you?' He
would answer back `No, I had a dag-blasted 8.' If you are a
golfer you know when someone offers to give you one less
stroke on a hole, it tests your honesty. Dane always
declined.
Dane loved the game of golf and when we had finished for
the day, he would often ask, `Where are we going tomorrow?'
The answer from the rest of us usually was, `I don't care,
wherever you guys want to.' ''
Dane played 18 holes less than a month ago.
As dedicated as he was to his golf, he was even more
dedicated to the responsibility of his office. Less than
three weeks ago, Dane came back from KU medical center to
work in his office for two hours because the trustee meeting
was the following day. Dane faithfully felt the
responsibility and the importance of carrying out the wishes
of his Uncle Dane and rarely missed a meeting of either the
Foundation or the Trust. As they traveled around the world,
to 60 different countries, I always knew they would be home
for the third Friday of the month.
There is no doubt that Dane was respected by important
people and men of position. He was invited by then Secretary
of Defense Dick Cheney to become a member of the Joint
Civilian Orientation Committee and later the Defense
Orientation Conference Association. With these organizations,
Dane visited U.S. military installations in the U.S. and
abroad.
Dane was among the first six men inducted into the Kansas
Oil Pioneer Hall of Fame.
He and Polly were awarded the Fred Ellsworth Medallion for
unique and significant service to KU and the Distinguished
Service Award from Fort Hays State University. He and Polly
received the Volunteer Award for District 6 for the
Advancement and Support of Education.
He was a member of the Chancellor's Club, School of
Business Dean's Club, Williams Fund, School of Fine Arts
Dean's Club, Friends of the Lied Center, Friends of KU
Libraries, Friends of Spencer Museum of Art.
Dane and Polly were honored by the KU Gallery of
Outstanding Kansans in 1987.
There is no doubt about it, Dane has made his mark on the
face of this earth. In the oil industry, in defense, in
education, in the world of music with his role in the
construction of the Bales Recital Hall at KU, and in cancer
research.
A few years ago, I wrote Dane a short letter congratulating
him for some recent honor bestowed upon him. I'm going to
share with you the gist of that letter. ``In 1964 my father
met D.G. Hansen. When he came back from that meeting he told
me he had just met the smartest man he'd ever met. I would
say the smartest man I ever met was Dane Bales.''
You know something, Dane would not like for us to make over
him this way, he would be uncomfortable and embarrassed.
But I can't help it. I admired him so, I respected him so,
and I, like the rest of you, will miss him so.
Dane was not a demonstrative person, but his love for Polly
was legendary, and although they won't get to celebrate their
60th wedding anniversary this November, the last sentence
that Dane said to Polly was ``I love you.'' What a beautiful
memory.
I'm going to close with a quotation from a letter written
by a grand-nephew of Dane's just last week. ``A man who
spends his life doing God's work and helping others, is a man
that will be remembered forever in the hearts of loved ones
and all who have known him. I feel my life has been enriched
having been able to say that Dane is my uncle. I know in the
Bible that a `proud person' is a sinner, but I will be
forever `honored' for what my Uncle Dane stands for and
believes in. With all my love, Michael.''
My life has been enriched having been able to say that Dane
was my neighbor.
____________________