Gov. Robert Docking and S. S. Kresge Co. President Robert Dewar were pictured turning over the traditional first spadeful of dirt at the site of Kresge’s planned multi-million-dollar, 23-acre warehouse. The building, which was to be by far the largest in Lawrence, was in the Santa Fe Industrial Tract northwest of the city. It was planned for use as a distribution center for 235 Kresge, K-Mart and Jupiter stores within a 300-mile radius. Lawrence was also being considered as a possible location for a new K-Mart store.

The “feast or famine” claim about Kansas weather could certainly be made on this day. Residents who were currently experiencing severe drought conditions were also remembering that it was the 19th anniversary of the 1951 flood, during which the Kansas River had a peak reading of 30.42 feet at the Bowersock Dam. (Flood stage was officially listed at 18 feet.)

A 13-year-old boy who told police he was “just experimenting” suffered leg injuries when a pipe bomb he was making exploded in the garage of his home. Officials from the KBI and the U.S. Firearm Agency were joining local police in an investigation.