On a 1979 alumni questionnaire, Carol M. (Brunner) Rutledge '77 asked for "an emphasis on growth of alumni, job-wise, self-improvement — or just exploration." Her own life emphasized all three.
Rutledge, a free-lance writer and researcher for the Kansas State Board of Education, wrote tirelessly. Among her published works are The Story of Wichita, a textbook used in Wichita schools, The Women of Hypatia, about a Wichita women's organization, Dying and Living on the Kansas Prairie and other books about the Ark Valley Lodge and Wichita's black community. (Her bachelor's degree is in minority studies.)
Her sense of community led her to found the Historic Midtown Citizens Association, where she was active in the preservation of inner city homes and schools. She also organized efforts to save historic buildings such as the Murdock House and the Occidental Hotel and produced "Shakespeare in the Park" during the 1980s.
In addition, she made two unsuccessful bids for the Sedgwick County Commission. But one of these defeats was within 46 votes of overturning a 20-year career politician — a good showing that encouraged other women to be active in city politics. Her constant working, improving and exploring made her an exemplary Kansas woman.
Rutledge died Sept. 9 in Topeka, Kan.
