The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 22, June 3, 2007, Article 5

DICK JOHNSON ON THE KANASAS CITY KANSAN, REVEREND COOLE AND COIN WORLD

Dick Johnson writes: "The Kansas City Kansan was mentioned in last
week's E-Sylum (in the article on the Medal of Honor winner). The
Kansan holds a triple fondness for me.

"I was on the staff of the Kansan and it was there I met my wife.
Shirley was a TV and church editor, while I was in the advertising
department. Yes, it was an office romance, but that did not have
the adverse stigma that office fraternization has today.

"The Kansan also published my first newspaper article. I had
interviewed Reverend Arthur B. Coole. He was the author of 'A
Bibliography on Far Eastern Numismatics,' and had written extensively
on Chinese coins. He had lived in China as a Methodist missionary and
had built an extensive numismatic collection while there.

I had purchased a copy of his book from Abe Kosoff and brought it
along on the interview. I wanted Rev. Coole to autograph it. He did,
both in English, and he pulled out of his desk his seal with the
Chinese character bearing his name. He stamped this in red on the
title page as well.

"After Rev. Coole returned from China to the United Stares he answered
a call to a church in Kansas City. Shirley knew him well and paved the
way for my interview. My resulting feature article told of his numismatic
activities in China and a little bit about his collection. Incidentally,
he gave part of that collection to Baker University in Baldwin Kansas,
where he once attended. He later sold the remainder of his collection
to Jack Klausen (who I knew as a car dealer in Kansas City that I sold
advertising to). Jack later gave up dealing in cars to concentrate on
coins, specializing in gold, and later moved from Kansas City to Reno
Nevada.

"I was still on the staff of the Kansan when a call came from John Amos
of the Sidney Daily News. They were the printers of Linn's Weekly Stamp
News and wanted a similar publication for coins. He had learned about
me from coin dealer Jim Kelly in Dayton. I met with him and circulation
director Cecil Watkins at the airport in Chicago to discuss such a coin
newspaper and the rest of the story is the beginning of Coin World."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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