Richard Shank will talk about his restoration of his family farm in Saline County when the Barton County Historical Society meets at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the museum, located just south of Great Bend’s Arkansas River bridge on U.S. 281. Admission is free and open to the public.
Shank was born in Salina and raised on a farm near New Cambria in north central Kansas. After graduating from Kansas State University in 1971, Shank has had several careers including seven years as an assistant to two Attorneys General. In 1980, he was hired as a manager for Southwestern Bell and spent 30 years with the company, including 21 years as the external affairs manager for Hutchinson and 35 other cities and towns including Great Bend.
After retiring in 2009, Shank has been employed by several companies and organizations as a lobbyist, newspaper columnist, and professional speaker and is associated with the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center.
In 2003, Shank started the restoration of his family farm, which included the home, barn and nine other outbuildings. He has written a speech which includes humorous stories about the secrets of the farm that he uncovered during the restoration including the history of the farmstead which saw its origins in 1900.
Shank delivers several other speeches and information about those can be obtained at the website shankenterprises.com.
Shank and his wife Patti continue to reside in Hutchinson.