Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius were among those at Ark City’s Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum Thursday to mark the dedication of the Docking Memorial Library.
Those in attendance at the afternoon event included Judy Docking, wife of William R. Docking who died in March at 73, Jill Docking, the wife of the late former Lt. Gov. Tom Docking and dozens of local dignitaries. The library has its own section of the museum and includes items, speeches and papers from the Docking family’s public life.
It is meant to document the family contribution to Ark City, Cowley County and the state.
Following remarks, Gov. Kelly invited Ark City residents and the public in general to the grand opening of the newly-constructed Robert B. Docking Building in Topeka. That is scheduled for Oct. 30.
“There’s a lot of Docking history in Topeka,” she said. “And here in Ark City I’m just thrilled to see the fruits of many of their labors. They’ve had a huge impact on this community.”
Robert B. Docking, Bill’s father, served as Kansas’s 38th governor from 1967 to 1975.
