Kale Roberts collects and shares art.
As you travel down the hallway toward the apartment of Kale and Thorene Roberts at Fort Scott Presbyterian Village, you can’t help but notice something interesting on the walls: original works of art.
“I have 21 original pieces of art, and more than half were given to me. I’d say they’re mostly Western in nature,” said Kale.
Horses and bucolic scenes are what appeal most to this art collector, which makes sense considering Thorene’s rural upbringing and Kale’s horse ownership in later years.
“We’re both from Mount Hope. She was born on a farm there, and my folks lived in town. I joined the Army when I turned 18 in January 1945. I tried to get in the Navy, but they found out I was color blind — red on gray was the hardest for me to see. They said, ‘We have lots of lights in the fog. You can’t make it.’ So the Army it was,” said Kale.
“That wasn’t my only challenge getting into the Army, though. When I started school in 1932, the first grade teacher had my mom change my name to Kayl. I’m not sure why. The army wasn’t one bit interested in my story, though. It was spelled ‘Kale” on my birth certificate, so that’s what I went back to.”
Perhaps people are surprised that someone who’s colorblind would like art, but Kale enjoys it as much as anyone. It didn’t keep him from pursuing much else in life, either. Kale worked in the aerospace industry in Wichita for many years and enjoyed life after retirement on their acreage property which they owned for 50 years.
“We moved onto our acreage in 1959, and shortly after that we got horses. I worked at Boeing for 35 years and retired in 1985, when I was 58 years old. I was in the accounting department most of the time. They had two large computers on order from IBM, so all departments sent people to a six-week school to learn how to use them. I went, and I spent six years in timekeeping. I was then hired in shipping, and then went on to finance for a few years. When electronics improved, we did away with time keeping, when IBM came out with a badge reader. I got put in charge of that conversion,” said Kale.
So how did Kale and Thorene end up in Fort Scott?
“Our son and daughter-in-law, Kent and Becki Roberts, has been here since 1980. Kent came here to run a restaurant and ran it for several years. When that ended, he remained a resident here but started a restaurant in Independence. He then sold that restaurant and opened a restaurant in Nevada. He has a daughter and a grandson in Carthage. So we have family around here,” said Kale. “Our other son lives in Plano, Texas, and he has two sons and three grandchildren.”
While they initially bought a house in Fort Scott, Kale and Thorene decided the Presbyterian Village would be better to suit their needs.
“The personnel that run this place are unbelievable. We love the food. Everyone bends over backward to help us. I thinks it’s very well managed. I’m on the tenant advisory council, and we’re trying to increase activities to encourage more socialization. We have things like church groups coming to sing and taking people on trips to Louisburg for lunch, or to Branson for the day,” said Kale.
In addition to the tenant advisory council, Kale also serves on the Art is Ageless committee, although he doesn’t plan on entering any artwork of his own.
“I think my art career ended with crayons in second grade. I do have an appreciation for the arts, though. I think the Art is Ageless program is great for those who making and/or viewing original art,” said Kale.
Kale celebrates his 90th birthday this month, and he’s quick to tell you his wife isn’t nearly the age she may appear.
“Thorene is a leap year baby. She’s only 22. She was born on 2-29-28, so she won’t even have a birthday this year,” said Kale.
We certainly think both Kale and Thorene are worth celebrating, regardless of when their birthdays may be!
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