Investigators were converging on downtown Kansas City to determine why a crane snapped atop a 38-story tower, sending two construction workers to their death and injuring two others.

Extension Director Earn Van Meter was surprised by the presentation from the fair board of an engraved plaque honoring his “tireless effort” from 1971 to 1985. Van Meter was leaving to take a new job as area extension director for south-central Kansas in Hutchinson.

A cool air mass had finally moved into the area, bringing moderate temperatures and lower humidity. A storm accompanied the front, and area residents were treated to light rain and spectacular lightning. Overnight lows were a comfortable 61 degrees.

More than 4,000 new students were expected to attend Kansas University’s orientation. The week was scheduled to include some programs revived from old KU traditions or begun this year. The Traditions Night was to include a “passing of the torch” ceremony, which had been discontinued in the mid-1950s but was being revived at the suggestion of students, who may have heard about it from alumni.