On February 15, 1865, eighteen anxious students gathered on the second floor of a stone building belonging to School District No. 1 of Lyon County to begin their quest for learning at the Kansas State Normal School. It was less than two years after Gov. Thomas Carney signed the bill creating what has become one of the most renowned teacher education universities in the nation. Despite economic setbacks and the loss of the main building to fire in the 1870s, the normal school attracted students from every county within the state. By the end of 1892, the board of regents reported that the Kansas State Normal School was the largest in the nation. In 1923, the school's name was changed to Kansas State Teachers College, recognizing its importance in teacher education. Today, Emporia State University continues to offer outstanding academic programs and an energetic campus environment that has been changing lives since that day in 1865.

Steven Hanschu, the reference and local history librarian at William Allen White Library for 30 years, received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Emporia State University. All author royalties from the sale of this book will benefit the William Allen White Library.