Kauffman Museum’s special exhibit closes with a final presentation May 24 at 3 p.m.
The Sunday-Afternoon-at-the-Museum program by Sara Judge Keckeisen, Topeka, takes place on the final day of the exhibit “Voices of Conscience: Peace Witness in the Great War.”
Keckeisen’s program is “The Cost of Conscience: One Mennonite Family’s Experience in World War I.”
When the United States entered the first World War in 1917 and instituted a military draft, federal and state officials heavily pressured citizens to support the war effort, which threatened the homes, lives and safety of members of the pacifist Mennonite communities in central Kansas, one family in particular. This is the story of how they coped when their Constitutional rights were violated at every turn.
Keckeisen has a bachelor’s degree in history and library science from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a master’s in library science from the University of Denver. She worked at the Kansas State Historical Society as a reference librarian, family history librarian and cataloger for 30 years, retiring in 2019.
She is the author of numerous articles on Kansas history and archeology and five family history books (the sixth is in the works), including a history of the Koop family of western Oklahoma, singer John Denver’s Mennonite ancestors.
Keckeisen’s spouse, Bob Keckeisen, was the director of the Kansas Museum of History for more than 30 years until he retired. Sara is an avid walker, traveler, reader and genealogist, though most of the Keckeisens’ time currently goes to care of their two grandchildren, Ben and Bea.
Regular Kauffman Museum hours are Tues.-Fri. 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 1:30-4:30 p.m., closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission to the permanent exhibits – “Of Land and People,” “Mirror of the Martyrs” and “Mennonite Immigrant Furniture” – is $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 6-16, and free to Kauffman Museum members and children under 6. The museum store is open during regular museum hours. See kauffmanmuseum.org or the museum Facebook page for more information.
