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Chase County Kansas Historical Sketches

1863 - 2003 



Greene, Zula Bennington

Zula Bennington Greene came to Chase County in 1918 when she married Willard Greene, whom she met when she was a senior in high school in Colo rado and he was assistant principal and teacher, as well as athletic coach. They lived on a farm near Bazaar, where four children were born. The two older, Margaret and Edward, died at an early age. Willard lives in Boca Raton, Florida, and Dorothy, Mrs. Richard B. Hanger, in Topeka. Willard and Dorothy each have two children.

Mrs. Greene began writing her column, "Flint Hills Fantasies," in the Chase County Leader, now the Leader-News, in October 1928 and it has appeared continuously, making 44 years this October. Several other papers asked to use it and she became known as ''Peggy of the Flint Hills." The name Peggy had been given her by the editor for her first columns, which were about the County Fair.

In 1933 the family moved to Topeka and she began writing a column for the Topeka Daily Capital in October of that year, six days a week. This October marks 39 years with the Capital.

In 1959 she was named Outstanding Newspaper Woman in Kansas by the Theta Sigma Phi at Kansas University and in 1969 was given the same honor by the Theta Sigma Phi chapter at Kansas State University. She was made an honorary member of the Emporia State Teachers College chapter of the National Collegiate Players. In March of this year she went with the College's drama group to London to attend plays.

In the late 1930's she wrote a serial for WIBW Radio, "The Coleman Family," that ran weekly for two and a half years. She was in a national do cumentary film, "A Desk for Billie," and has done some work for Channel 11, the Educational TV in Topeka. She has been a member of the Topeka Civic Theatre since the 1930's and conducts a small drama group as a volunteer worker at Veterans Hospital. In earlier years she spent a good deal of time as a volunteer at Topeka State Hospital.

In Topeka she is connected with several educational and cultural organizations and is a member of the literary committee of the Kansas Cultural Arts Commission. She and her husband, who died in 1959, enjoyed taking automobile trips and visited a number of places in this country, Canada and Mexico.

Chase County Centennial, 1872 - 1972.





Chase County Submitted Historical Sketches
compiled and abstracted from the Chase County Courant, Chase County Leader, other sources and newspapers
by Lorna Marvin.
Please submit your historical sketches.



Return to Chase County Submitted Historical Sketches


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