As the Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce gathered at the Neosho Civic to honor the past and look forward to its future Thursday night, it paid tribute to long-time volunteer Kay Hively.
Hively, the editor of The Post, a long-time contributor to the Daily News and an area author, historian and songwriter, was uncharacteristically speechless when it became evident she would be receiving the honor. Kay isn’t one to toot her own horn. So, if you will, please allow us to do so for her.
Being named Citizen of the Year is a well-earned honor for Kay, if nothing else than for her work in saving the Neosho National Fish Hatchery from extinction in the mid-1980s.
At that time, things were looking grim for the nation’s oldest fish hatchery. Armed with faulty data on production figures, the U.S. government targeted the local hatchery for closure, and employees were told they would soon be let go.
Kay began a letter writing campaign, petitioning any federal official and office holder who would listen to keep the hatchery open. Her efforts got the attention of then Seventh District Congressman Gene Taylor and other federal officeholders. And her research revealed and corrected the erroneous data about the Neosho facility. These efforts led the government to abandon its plans to close the hatchery. And this past summer, history was made again at the hatchery when a groundbreaking ceremony was held to build a state-of-the-art visitors center at the facility, which will attract more residents and again add to Neosho’s future success.
But Kay wasn’t done there. She was instrumental in forming the Friends of the Neosho National Fish Hatchery, a group which has since become a model for similar groups across the nation. And she testified before Congress on behalf of the hatchery.
Kay has served her community in other ways, including a long stint on the Neosho / Newton County Library Board, the Shoal Creek Heritage Preservation Committee, led the effort to name the local airport after famed aviator Hugh Robinson, a Neosho resident, has been active in the Carver Birthplace Association Board … well, you get the idea. If it has to do with local history, it’s likely Kay Hively has been involved.
When we congratulated Kay on her achievement Thursday, she humbly accepted it and said “I’ll try to earn it now.”
She has earned it. But knowing Kay, she won’t rest on her laurels.
DAILY NEWS
