Dr. Mary and Barton Cohen enjoy traveling to all parts of the world, but when they compare the exotic locations they’ve visited, there is still no place like home for the Leawood couple. The Cohens have spent the past 17 years collecting art and books by artists and authors who hail from the wheat state. They’ve collected more than 700 books, one dating back to 1849 and more than 40 predating 1900, but now they are planning to donate their vast collection to Barton County Community College. The collection will be housed in the college’s library in a newly constructed Cohen Center for Kansas History that the Cohens funded.

Dr. Mary and Bart Cohen

"The great value of giving a gift is putting it some place where it can be put to the best use," said Mary, who has worked 47 years in education and has served as the Secretary of Education’s regional representative for Region VII for more than four years. "There is no comparable collection like this anywhere in central or western Kansas. This is a place where people will be able to come and learn and have a fine collection available to them. We’re delighted to be able to share our books with the college and the community."

On the east side of the library, the new center measures 620 square feet and is constructed of oak and glass with blue and beige textured and patterned carpet. Bookcases line the south and north walls and will hold approximately 139 linear feet of regular books, six feet of oversize books and 36 feet of undersize books that constitute the Cohen collection. Barton Library Services Director Mary Hester said the collection will fill about half the space in the Cohen Center, leaving space for additional books and collections that may be donated later. Hester said that more shelving could be added later if needed.

"Bart and Mary truly appreciate the value of education and want their resources to benefit the communities within our state," said Barton Institutional Advancement Director Darnell Holopirek. "This collection allows us and future generations to appreciate and understand our wonderful state history."

Beginning their collection by purchasing books reflecting Jewish history in Kansas and books written by Jewish authors from Kansas, the Cohens soon broadened their collection to include books about Kansas history in general. They had hoped to write their own book about Jewish history in Kansas, but because of their busy careers, they do not have time for the mammoth project.

"We’ve reconciled ourselves to the fact that this history will have to be written by somebody else," said Bart, who is an attorney for the law firm Blackwell, Sanders, Peet and Martin LLP and serves on the board for Metcalf Bank, Johnson County.

"We don’t have the time to sit down and write it, but we have everything in the collection so it’s still a possibility," added Mary, who also is serving a four-year term for the Commission on Judicial Qualifications, an advisory board to the state Supreme Court that investigates disciplinary complaints brought against judges. "The fact is still true that we have had an enjoyable time collecting the art and collecting the books."

Barton’s Shafer Memorial Art Gallery initially attracted the Cohens to the college. The couple visited the gallery more than a dozen years ago and met then Barton President Dr. Jimmie Downing, who established a relationship with the Cohens. Downing retired as president of the college in 1996 and died unexpectedly in 2002, but the Cohens have maintained their relationship with the college through the years.

"It all started with one Gus Shafer bronze and the fact that Dr. Downing was very welcoming and nice to us," said Mary. "You never know from whence your donors may come. They often come from the least likely encounters. While the seed was planted many years ago, charitable contributions take time to cultivate."

The Cohens also liked the college’s commitment to showcasing regional artists in the Shafer Gallery, said Bart.

"As we’ve traveled through Kansas and seen attempts by different institutions to have a community art gallery, we’ve been impressed with Barton’s Shafer Gallery. We think the Shafer Gallery is more compatible with what we like and what we have collected."

In addition to offering works to the public in the Cohen Center, Holopirek said some of the books contained in the collection will eventually be placed online for anyone to access. Hester said she and her library staff plan on providing PDF or HTML scans of the books dated before 1923, when copyrights were not available. The library will seek permission to scan copyrighted books in the collection, she said.

"Barton is the recipient of this remarkable lifetime gift and we are fortunate to have gained such a wonderful friendship with this couple who truly understand the importance of giving their personal resources to benefit others," said Holopirek.

No timeline has been designated for delivery of the books to complete Barton’s Cohen Center. The collection is being appraised now by a Topeka book dealer who specializes in Kansas and regional history books. The Cohens are hoping their donation helps spur others to contribute to a funding campaign organized by the BCCC Foundation to renovate Barton’s outdated library, which has its original floor plan, carpet, lighting, furniture and shelving.

"We look forward to seeing those books in these shelves," said Mary while visiting the unfinished Cohen Center last May. A month later, the center is nearly complete. Doors with brash-mesh centers for the oak bookcases are the only construction pieces to finish, and the room needs to be furnished.

Anyone wanting to contribute to the college’s library renovation campaign is encouraged to contact the Foundation, 620-792-9306, holopirekd@bartonccc.edu.

Interesting History on Cohens’ Kansas History Collection

The oldest book in the collection is "Wells Lawyer and U.S. Formbook," John C. Wells, 1849.

There are four books published in 1856: "Kansas: Its Interior and Exterior Life," by Sara T.L. Robinson, wife of Kansas territorial governor; "Six Months in Kansas, by a Lady," Hannah Anderson Ropes; "Kanzas and the Constitution," Sidney George Fisher, under the pseudonym Cecil; Kanzas and Nebraska: the History, Geographical, and Physical Characteristics, and Political Position of those Territories; an account of the Emigrant Aid Companies and Directions to Emigrants," Edward E. Hale.

A few rare and valuable books included in the collection are: "Quantrill and the Boarder," William Connelley, 1910; "Farming and Dust Bowl," Lawrence Svobida, 1940.

Twenty-five of the books were signed by the authors, significantly increasing the value of most of those works.

Whenever available, the Cohens purchased first-edition books for their collection.

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