Famous underdog recalls his life for audience
Staff writer
"You're not playing the game, sir. It is 1952!"
That statement brought a roar of laughter from the audience when Emporia State University professor Loren Pennington, portraying the role of Alf Landon, briefly stepped out of character to scold Marion County Record publisher Bill Meyer.
Pennington, a representative of the Kansas Humanities Council History Alive program, was portraying the late Alfred E. Landon, former Kansas governor who ran for President of the United States in 1936 only to be defeated in a landslide by the incumbent Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Pennington's performance was sponsored by the Marion County Democratic Women. Each Kansas Day, the county organization brings in a guest speaker who portrays a famous Kansan. More than 60 people attended Thursday's program held at McGillicuddy's Restaurant in Marion.
Speaking as if the year were 1952, "Landon" spoke to the crowd about his life and accomplishments up to that time. But as he concluded his presentation, Meyer — who knew Landon personally — made reference to several experiences involving both himself and Landon, including when Meyer heard about Landon's death.
Landon responded by telling Meyer he wasn't "playing the game."
Unperturbed and smiling, Meyer replied, "The best thing he (Landon) ever did was put in the cash basis law."
Breaking character, Pennington said one of the most difficult parts of playing a Kansas legend like Landon is running into people like Meyer who knew Landon personally and recount stories Pennington does not know.
"I've run into a number of people who knew Al and dated Nancy," Pennington said with a laugh, referring to Landon's daughter, former congresswoman Nancy Landon Kassebaum, another famous Kansan.
Recounting a recent experience, Pennington said he portrayed Landon during an event in Council Grove when he met Landon's grandson, Bill Kassebaum.
"During the presentation Bill asked me, 'What kind of a relationship did you have with so-and-so?'" Pennington told the crowd.
"I replied, 'It's a private matter and none of your damn business,'" Pennington said.
"Later, Bill came up to me and said, 'How'd you know that was the right answer? That's what he always said when we asked him,'" Pennington recalled.
Janet Bryant served as mistress of ceremonies and welcomed those attending to the fourth annual celebration. Marion County commissioner Howard Collett introduced "Landon" as "our former governor and gallant underdog."
Taking the podium, Pennington portraying Landon said, "Sir, I take it you're a Democrat! It figures!"
Landon then asked if there were any Republicans in the room. When several individuals responded they were Republicans, Landon commented, "Good. I didn't think there were that many Democrats in all of Marion County!"
During his presentation, Landon told about his college years at the University of Kansas. While attending school, he received the nickname "Fox."
"I'd rather not get into how I got it. In politics the name Fox didn't turn out to be much of an asset," he said.
Landon noted that when he and Roosevelt were both running for the presidency, Roosevelt also chose to ignore Landon's nickname.
"But I was ready for him (Roosevelt). His nickname was 'Feather Duster'."
Landon said during his political career he learned that power corrupts. The former candidate was against big business and big government and believed that bigness was power and power automatically led to corruption.
Landon said there were three aspects of his political career of which he was most proud: His domestic policy, foreign affairs policy, and his stance on free speech and minorities.
Landon was involved with politics early on serving as an adviser to Kansas Governor Allen and later worked to support former Emporia Gazette publisher William Alan White in his unsuccessful run for governor.
While working in the oil industry, Landon was instrumental in getting Kansas to set up a plan that limited oil production, raising prices and conserving the oil industry. The plan became a model for the rest of the country and brought Landon into prominence and he was suggested for the Kansas governorship in 1932.
Landon was elected and had a successful term as governor. When he became the only Republican governor re-elected in the entire nation in 1934, Republican national leaders decided Landon was the only Republican who could keep Roosevelt from a second term in the White House.
"A lot of people gave me advice on how to beat FDR," the candidate recalled. "He was willing to accept business monopolies. I wasn't.
"I carried the state of Maine in September and back then the saying was 'As Maine goes, so goes the nation.' But 46 other states — even Kansas — voted for Roosevelt except for Vermont which led to the saying 'As Maine goes, so goes Vermont.' And there's another slogan, 'A sunflower never blooms in November.'"
Although the loss was one of the biggest defeats in Presidential election history, Landon did not seem to be crushed and remained active in the Republican party, professor Pennington said.
