The Barnes Files - Part V

We close our series with a number of “leftover” research items.

While a member of the Jackson County Legislature, Barnes and other members voted to “give away” windfall profits from a bond restructuring. Yes, instead of putting that money back in the hands of taxpayers, each legislator was given 1/15 of the money to give away. Barnes gave her portion in part to the Urban Team at Metropolitan Inter-Church Agency, The Panel of American Women, Cross-Lines Community Council and the Kansas City Regional Commission on the Status of Women. All were organizations she belonged to at one time or another.

Speaking of the Panel of American Women, Barnes was an active member and regional director of this group which held seminars to promote diverse thought and racial harmony. She was recruited while still married to Doug Waldo and while a teacher at Meadowbrook Elementary in North Kansas City. The panels would speak at various events and would consist of one “WASP,” one Black, one Jewish person and one Catholic. One set of handwritten “reviews” of Barnes’ performance was not so kind. They say she “needed to speed up delivery” and said “every student would be drifting out”. The Source has also uncovered documents which detail the “roles” of each panelist. While too long to share here, these documents are mind boggling in that they further cultural and religious stereotypes of the time. Blacks were to talk about “militancy” and “Black Power.” All panelists were recommended to read “Black Rage.”

As a student at the University of Kansas in the fifties, Kay Barnes joined the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma. While little information exists about her role there, she has been an active member of the alumnae chapter here in Kansas City. In fact, Barnes’ Ward Parkway area home was featured in the sorority’s Holiday House Tour in 1994. Later, Barnes opened her new Briarcliff digs to several alumnae events.

In November 2001 Barnes was named to a statewide anti-terrorism panel by then Governor Holden. She was named to the Missouri Security Panel with Kathryn Shields, then Jackson County Executive. But neither Barnes nor Shields submitted the KC area report to the full panel. That task was off-loaded to MARC. From what we can tell, Barnes had no role in developing the report.

Kay Barnes likes to bash on pharmaceutical companies, but she should come clean about her own personal fortune. Her second husband, Frank Barnes, was a pharmaceutical executive. Much of her multi-million dollar fortune (some of which she dumped into this campaign) comes from her late husband’s pharmaceutical stocks. Early Personal Financial Disclosures show shares of companies like Direct Theraputics, Afferon, Molecular Geriatrics, and CYDEX, all in the pharmaceutical arena. Frank Barnes also had more pharmaceutical money from his fifty year career at Johnson and Johnson and at Abbott Laboratories.

Kay’s sex seminars may be the most famous “odd” thing she has done, but there have been many more. A 1999 Kansas City Star article talks about her belief in UFOs, reincarnation and psychic ability. In addition to the sex seminars she taught in the 70’s she also taught Gestalt Therapy and TA (Transactional Analysis). She did all of this without any certifications for therapy or counseling that we could find.

In 1984 Kay Barnes was named executive director of the Kansas City Arts Council. She did such a bang up job, not a single story was written about her role after the announcement that she was hired.

Interesting Tidbit #1 – The Panel of American Women, while Barnes was active in the organization, actively promoted bussing as a solution to integration. In fact, Barnes attended Kansas City meetings to promote a bussing agenda. The Panel also supported almost every radical left-wing cause of the day.

Interesting Tidbit #2 – Kay Barnes and Wilt Chamberlain went to KU at the same time. Does anyone else wonder how many Kappa Kappa Gamma parties he went to?

Interesting Tidbit #3 – On Kay Barnes’ 1999 Personal Financial Disclosure, Frank Barnes is listed as owning stock in DST. DST becomes a prime player in Kay’s downtown projects

Interesting Tidbit #4 – Kay Barnes held her own “unique” 40th birthday party at the Waldo Astoria Dinner Theatre.

Interesting Tidbit #5 – In January 2000, The Pitch named Kay Barnes “The Most Embarrassing Member of Local Government.”

Interesting Tidbit #6 - Yes, we read her book, “About Time: A Woman’s Guide to Time Management.” *yawn*

Comments

[Geoff]

In the tidbits we find the NUGGET.

Interesting Tidbit #2 – Kay Barnes and Wilt Chamberlain went to KU at the same time. Does anyone else wonder how many Kappa Kappa Alpha parties he went to?

As always the racist views of the Republican Socialist come to the surface. Isn’t that right Hank Williams Jr.?

[Eric]

This is excellent!

It's good to see a Republican candidate (Sam Graves) actually trying to win an election in this state.

Hulshof is the worst candidate to run for Governor....EVER!!

[Funny]

I attended a meeting yesterday where people who are fairly involved in local government or Boards and Commissions were present. Our table had a lively discussion about local ads and campaign materials. There was an interesting segment of the conversation about Kay Barnes the Farm Girl candidate. Most of these people knew her to some degree and they were all laughing at the sight of her propped on a fence post in a denim shirt. Why do these campaigns make fools of otherwise reputable people? She was high profile enough that no one would buy it.