Edna Larkosh Davenport

is honored with a Brick from Anne Burton and Thomas Davenport.

Educator and teacher, she never forgot that it was children that she taught, not subjects. In the process of learning to read and write and count, her young students, many of whom were immigrants who spoke little or no English, or came from economically disadvantaged homes, came to value their ethnic and cultural roots. They learned to accept others who were different from themselves and to celebrate their own uniqueness.

Devoted and dedicated wife and mother, she accepted the often difficult life of an Army wife with grace and enthusiasm. She taught her sons how to welcome each new move and assignment as an opportunity to experience new places and learn about new cultures. Her curiosity knew no bounds and she often enabled others in each new place she lived to see what they had through new eyes and to appreciate what they took for granted.

Notable for her generosity, she opens her heart and home to her siblings, nieces and nephews and, most of all, to her grandchildren. As a sister, she has no equal, always available to listen, coach, advise and cry when trouble occurs. But she can also laugh and celebrate when fortune smiles and she has shown her family how to learn from the children how to celebrate life.

Authentic to the core, she has never sacrificed her reverence for life and her respect for individuals for any cause or claim of others. There is always room for one more at her bountiful table. She shares her love for conversation, music, art, antiques and books with all. Rare is the visitor to her home that does not leave with some treasure which she generously bestows on them. One of her favorite sayings is "I always get back more than I give away," but to those who know her well, they always seem to be on the receiving end of her generosity.

We who have know her longest and are most aware of her courage, her husband and her sister, salute Edna Larkosh Davenport as our heroine. The world, our lives, and the lives of many of the children of Wichita would surely have been much poorer without her.

Submitted by Thomas A. Davenport and Anne Larkosh Burton

June 2, 1998