25 years ago: Students boost local business

Mid- to late August meant one thing to housing officials in Lawrence and at Kansas University — a huge rush of business. A summer’s worth of vacancies was dwindling rapidly as students arrived for fall classes due to begin the coming week. University housing was to be taxed to the maximum, said Fred McElhenie, director of KU residential programs. Private housing sources also reported a “land office business”, earlier than usual.

The chamber of commerce had plans to announce that a student loan financing operation would be locating here. The Journal-World learned that a firm negotiating for a location was the Student Loan Marketing Assn. based in Washington. The firm planned to locate a regional office in a building owned by Duane Schwada, local builder and developer at 1919 Del. Officials city approval seemed likely.

Local Democrats said they thought that any controversy surrounding Geraldine Ferraro and her husband’s tax disclosures would soon fade and become a lost issue before the fall elections. Ferraro was the Demo vice presidential candidate on the ticket with Walter Mondale.