25 years ago: Lawrence resident celebrates birthday with long bike ride

From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for June 16, 1988:

  • Lawrence resident Glen Paden had risen early this morning with the decision to celebrate his 72nd birthday by pedaling his bike 72 miles. “There’s a little breeze, but it’s comfortable,” he said during his 50-mile break at 11 a.m. His birthday ride was not of an unusual length for Paden, who usually rode his bike 20 to 30 miles a day and had participated in several long-distance rides. Paden said that he had been working out for the past 20 years to stay in shape.
  • Continued drought was causing river traffic nationwide to slow down as water levels were reaching record lows. Local water officials reported this week that the Kansas River was flowing at only about half its usual June rate, but its key supply sources were still holding up well and few problems were anticipated unless the drought were to worsen significantly.