From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Dec. 19, 1986:

The bell-ringing tradition of the Salvation Army in Lawrence was about 100 years old, according to Lt. David Jones of the local organization. Thomas King, who was ringing a bell for seven hours at a time in downtown Lawrence this year, said that he had been manning the kettle for four years. “It kind of dresses up your karma, you know what I mean?” he said. “I feel like if I do good for somebody else, something good will happen to me. And it has.” He went on to explain that it wasn’t enough to just ring the bell. “Some people are deadbeat ringers. They put that sad look on their face. Nobody likes that. You’ve got to keep moving and smile a lot, talk to people.” King said that he was trying harder than ever to raise donations this year because the Salvation Army had reported 20 percent more families seeking support this Christmas than the year before.