"Matty" Mathias * It’s noon, Thursday, July 5, 1945, in Hutchinson, Kansas. Harry Smith, 58, owner of Smith’s Flower Shop, 2606 North Monroe, is wearing a freshly cut red rose in his suitcoat buttonhole. * Lulu Morse Stapleton, 51, enters the display room and gravitates to the bell-shaped lilies. She bends over and inhales the sweet aroma. Harry approaches with a greeting. “Welcome, Mrs. Sheriff. While our country celebrated its freedom yesterday, I hope you had an enjoyable … [Read more...] about Matty Mathias
Hutchinson Larks
Orville “Matty” Mathias
Ballplayer, Tank Commander, and Lawman David Orville Mathias, known as "Matty", came to Hutchinson, Kansas, in March 1934 to play professional baseball for the Hutchinson Larks. Born in Merom, Indiana, June 24, 1906, he was stretching it to play with the ball team which had an age limit of 26. The Hutchinson Larks existed from 1934 through 1938 (when it became the Hutchinson Pirates through 1942). It was in the Western Association of class C teams. The Larks became a St. Louis Cardinals … [Read more...] about Orville “Matty” Mathias
