September 4, 2016
“THE GRANDMOTHERS OF MANHEIM PARK”
Alexander Austin
“No one holds a family together quite like a grandma, and through good times and bad, the matriarchs of the Manheim Park neighborhood in Kansas City have remained steady,” said local KCUR 89.3 reporting on the dedication of this mural on Troost near 39th Street. KCUR goes on to quote Doug Shafer of the local neighborhood association describing grandmothers as the “most important social glue.” On the side of the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store the faces of Lucielle Leapheart, Arissa Keli-Logan, Arvern Hughes, and Dorothy Hawkins surround St. Vincent and serve as a constant inspiration to the community. Artist Alexander Austin says the women remind him of his mother and her 35 grandchildren. Larry Thompson, another member of the neighborhood association credits Arvern Hughes, pictured at left, with also being the “neighborhood historian.” @kcur893 @scenesfromthesidewalk
