 | Faye Graves, a native Wichitan, attended school at Friends and Wichita State, concluding at Midwestern Theological Seminary. He has been active in media for many years with Channel 12, KIRL, KFDI, KOOO AM & FM (Omaha), KFRM & KICT 95, as an owner, manager, producer, director and announcer. He has served as President of the Haysville Board of Education. He has also served on several national boards of the Southern Baptist Convention. Faye currently serves as Executive Pastor and Director of Administration and Education at Immanuel Baptist Church, 1415 S. Topeka, Wichita. You may contact Faye by e-mail fmgraves@amenibc.org, or by phone at (316) 262-1452. |
Nostalgia
2012-02-27 11:21:17
Remember...
Q: I read your February column in The Q & A Times about the Forum. My Mom and Dad, Aunt and Uncle had a big double wedding there November 29, 1941. My Mom and Dad were members of the KFH Ark Valley Boys and also KANS Corky’s Chorale Gang. My Aunt Beulah Victory is the only one alive today. She was married to Bud Victory. My Mom, Dorothy, was married to my Dad, Oby Victory. I guess it was quite a scene. It was kept secret until the night of the wedding. I was curious if there are any photos of that event. My parents had a photo showing the crowd of about 2,500 plus but I don’t know what happened to it. My Mom passed away last March and it seems like us kids had no idea how special the times were to set and listen to the stories about the “Good Old Days.” If you run across any old photos of the things I’ve mentioned, please let me know.”
A: In my column for February, I wrote about the old Forum auditorium which was the main theatre venue and events for Wichita and the surrounding area. The many events that were held there were circuses, rodeos, concerts performed by major stars brought in by Hap Peebles, school graduations, revival meetings with nationwide evangelists, sporting events and the U.S. Army training in the garage area.
I received the above question, comment, letter or whatever you might choose to call it, from Rex Victory who elaborated about his family and events at the Forum.
His family were KFH radio personalities who played at numerous events all around the country.
They had a radio show at noon that made them famous. There was no television in this area at that time. I remember as a teenager going to the KFH building and watching the famous Ark Valley Boys as they broadcast and performed. The Ark Valley Boys were a great group and were local celebrities. Corky is still around and still plays at various gatherings. His Chorale Gang was also a daily feature on Radio KANS.
Those were great times and good times. Our thanks to Rex Victory for taking us back to those good days of the Ark Valley Boys.
