EMPORIA, Kansas – The Sage of Emporia in Popular Culture will be presented on Sunday, June 8 at 2 p.m. in the Red Rocks State Historic Site visitor center, 927 Exchange Street, Emporia, Kansas. Roger Heineken will present the slide show program.
Red Rocks State Historic Site, the legendary home of the William Allen White family, opened to the public in May 2005. The 2025 Sundays at the Site series of programs celebrate the 20th anniversary year.
William Allen White became known as the “Sage of Emporia” during his 49 years as editor of the Emporia Gazette, a wise voice of reason from the heartland. He was a prolific author who published 23 books in all genres, wrote numerous magazine features, and produced thousands of editorials which addressed local, state, national and international issues.
White’s career was based in journalism and politics. Most biographies on White focused on his public career and place in American history. But his celebrity inspired or found its way into popular culture during his lifetime and long after his 1944 death.
"I plan to share details on how Mr. White shaped or impacted American popular culture in my slide show,” Heineken said. “We will cover how he helped shape the reading tastes of the nation through the Book-Of-The-Month Club. His movie connections from the silent era to a possible portrayal in a future Spielberg production. I’ll share the theory on the Superman franchise and his connection to the Cola Wars of the 1980s as documented in the Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta. His image appeared frequently on early MTV.”
“In 1934, White was involved in what became the St. Louis Gateway Arch decades later,” Heineken continued. “The words of the Sage appear in two places in the U. S. Capitol now thanks to the State of Montana. I love the story of the enterprising Emporian who created William Allen White tourist souvenirs in his home workshop for the AT&SF passengers passing through back in 1938.”
The Sage of Emporia in Popular Culture is a free Sundays at the Site program sponsored by the William Allen White Community Partnership, Inc. There is ample parking on Exchange Street.
The White Community Partnership is the local organization that works in cooperation with the Kansas Historical Society to help fund annual operations and present the Red Rocks State Historic Site. Each year the Partnership offers a program series to interpret the White family story and associated history. Tour Red Rocks free in 2025.
Red Rocks State Historic Site, the legendary home of the William Allen White family, opened to the public in May 2005. The 2025 Sundays at the Site series of programs celebrate the 20th anniversary year.
William Allen White became known as the “Sage of Emporia” during his 49 years as editor of the Emporia Gazette, a wise voice of reason from the heartland. He was a prolific author who published 23 books in all genres, wrote numerous magazine features, and produced thousands of editorials which addressed local, state, national and international issues.
White’s career was based in journalism and politics. Most biographies on White focused on his public career and place in American history. But his celebrity inspired or found its way into popular culture during his lifetime and long after his 1944 death.
"I plan to share details on how Mr. White shaped or impacted American popular culture in my slide show,” Heineken said. “We will cover how he helped shape the reading tastes of the nation through the Book-Of-The-Month Club. His movie connections from the silent era to a possible portrayal in a future Spielberg production. I’ll share the theory on the Superman franchise and his connection to the Cola Wars of the 1980s as documented in the Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta. His image appeared frequently on early MTV.”
“In 1934, White was involved in what became the St. Louis Gateway Arch decades later,” Heineken continued. “The words of the Sage appear in two places in the U. S. Capitol now thanks to the State of Montana. I love the story of the enterprising Emporian who created William Allen White tourist souvenirs in his home workshop for the AT&SF passengers passing through back in 1938.”
The Sage of Emporia in Popular Culture is a free Sundays at the Site program sponsored by the William Allen White Community Partnership, Inc. There is ample parking on Exchange Street.
The White Community Partnership is the local organization that works in cooperation with the Kansas Historical Society to help fund annual operations and present the Red Rocks State Historic Site. Each year the Partnership offers a program series to interpret the White family story and associated history. Tour Red Rocks free in 2025.
For over 30 years the band They Might Be Giants used the image of William Allen White in live concert venues, on merchandise, and in music videos broadcast on MTV in the 1980s.
 | In 1938, Emporian Robert LeGreasley created White tourist souvenirs for Santa Fe passengers passing through town. This example was purchased at an Illinois yard sale in the early 2000s. Some pop culture historians believe White inspired the Perry White character in the Superman franchise radio serials in 1940. One serial plotline saw Superman battling the “Clan of the Fiery Cross.” |
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