Golden Alumni	Class of 1925
Agnes (Bane) Chartier
2007 article by Pat Dougherty

Agnes Mertina was born to DeWitt and Emily Louisa (Wells) Bane in Stevens County, Kansas, September 7, 1907.  She was the last and latest addition to her seven older brothers and sisters, born six years after the next youngest, Ralph, and just in time for the marriage of her oldest sister, Eva Pearl, her senior by 22 years.  In between Agnes and Eva were Rhoda, John, Decie Louise, George, Margaret, and Ralph.  This coming September 7, 2007, Agnes will be 100 years old, and is, so far as is known, the oldest living graduate of Manhattan High.     From fine pioneer stock, DeWitt, called “Witt” by friends, brought the family west from West Virginia in 1885.  They first settled in Saline County, but very soon started a farm in the far southwestern corner of the state, 16 miles south of Hugoton and one and a half miles north of the Oklahoma line, at a place known as Lafayette.  Witt placed great importance on ownership of land and education.  He moved the family to Liberal in 1914 for the sake of better educating his children, and then in 1921 to Manhattan, for the same reason.  Agnes graduated from MHS four years later in the spring of 1925.  The Banes’ moved into a big new house at 1223 Bluemont where Witt would live out the rest of his life, dying in 1961 at the age of 102.     Agnes, now living in a retirement home in Leawood, near her son Larry, remains of sound mind and strong constitution.  She has always been a strong person even though she was on the “wiry” side during her high school days weighing not much more then 65 pounds when she arrived in Manhattan.  Along with the mastery of English, Latin and mathematics in high school, at KSAC she would excel in field hockey and running the hurdles in track. From photo of 1925 Senior Class officers     Although social life was constrained in those days, one social highlight does stand out, the Junior-Senior banquet, her senior year.  The Banquet was just that, a banquet, no dancing, just banquet.  Her date was Vernon Barlow, and everyone had a wonderful time.  They did have senior sneaks back then, and Agnes and the seniors skipped out of class one day for fun and a picnic at Pillsbury Crossing.  Again there was no dancing, just picnic.  Though the gym class was a little different story that year.  It seems the limitations on the social life of the students did not fully apply to the male and female gym teachers.  “Complications,” shall we say, prevented their continuation as role models and mentors for the students.  That year, gym classes were canceled without further explanation.     Her school day often started with a real bang.  The family of some of Agnes’s best friends, the Kimball’s owned a 1920, Page Touring Car.  It was big, black and beautiful, and usually open, like a boat with the top down.  Agnes and the Kimball girls, Ruth, Patty, Helen, and Alice, called “Babe,” loved the excitement of the morning ride, wind in the face, trees and houses flying by, all the way down Poyntz Avenue to Manhattan High.  The High School was then located between 9th and 10th streets on Poyntz, where the MHS East Campus is now.  The school had a very good cafeteria with many good choices of things to eat and drink.  Agnes remembers they offered substantial food, meat, potatoes and vegetables.  No fast food.  No soda-pop, not your hot dogs and hamburgers kind of fare.  You could get four items for 15 cents or two for a dime.  Agnes, like a lot of her classmates, found there was merit in going for the two item deal, as that would leave her with a nickel to spend on candy and sweets after school at the “Head Light,” Hervey’s 9th Street Grocery, located across from the school at the corner of 9th and Poyntz.  The school circus and parade was fun too, though Agnes was a little uncomfortable appearing fully costumed as a mouse, complete with long squiggley tale, and riding, for the whole world to see and mock, on the back of a flatbed truck along the town’s main street.  Her favorite teacher was probably Josie Griffith, who taught English, though she did like very much Mr. Chestnut, the history teacher.  School was a little more business like in those days she recalls.  Not nearly as much fooling around as you hear about now-a-days, if you don’t count gym teachers.     After graduating in 1925, Agnes went on, as expected to Kansas State Agriculture College, now Kansas State University, and graduated with a degree in Home Economics in 1929.  While at K-State she became a member of Alpha Xi Delta sorority, Mortar Board, and helped establish first pep club at the college.  They were known as the Purple Pepsters.     On March 23, 1928, Agnes first met the acquaintance of an interesting and handsome young pharmacist that just happened to be passing through town on his way to visit his mother in Miltonvale, Kansas.  It seem Emmett Chartier’s sister, living in Manhattan, had somehow arranged that Agnes might run into him right out in front of her home at 1223 Bluemont.  Emmett courted Agnes for about two years and thinking that Agnes might benefit from experience in managing her own affairs, supported her short experiment at teaching school at Fellsburg, a little town of about 15 homes between Kinsley and Pratt, Kansas.  Emmett went to work at the Palace Drug in Aggieville and after a proper courtship, on June 10, 1930, they were married in front of a small group of family and friends at her family home on Bluemont.     Emmett started his own pharmacy business, being one of the first in Kansas to open a store specializing solely in compounding and sale of prescription drugs.  It was called “The Prescription Shop,” and was a long-standing downtown success.  After Emmett’s retirement and many wonderful travel adventures adventures with him, Emmett passed away at Manhattan in 1990.     Agnes in addition to raising their son, Larry, kept up her involvement in education as an active member of P.E.O. and substitute taught for many years at the Junior and Senior High.  She maintains her interest and very active support of Alpha Xi Delta sorority to this day.  In 1972 she was awarded the “Edna Epperson Brinkman Award for devotion and services to Alpha Xi Delta as a member of Alpha Kappa chapter.” November 2006     She and her family attended and loyally supported the Manhattan Christian Church, Disciples of Christ.  Elected to the Board of Directors of the church, she also took on responsibilities as an officer in Kansas and National Church Woman’s Work, and became national president of Kappa Beta, an organization for Christian Church college girls.     As proud as she rightfully is of Emmett’s and her many accomplishments, she does takes equal pride in the successes of her son Larry, his late wife Sandy, and her grandchildren, Julie, born November 28, 1969; Ryan, born November 27, 1972; and Richard “Richie,” born January 12, 1975.  As Larry, his new wife Evany, grandson Richie, granddaughter Julie and her children Quinn and Alex, live nearby in the Kansas City area, Agnes gets great joy from their frequent presence and companionship, not to mention a very real pride in founding three generations of Chartiers who have graduated from good old MHS.  She says she is working on getting Julie to return to Manhattan just so there can be a fourth generation to add to the previous three.  She is a very strong woman.  Don’t be surprised if one these days a great grandchild of hers doesn’t again march across a Manhattan High stage to receive his or her diploma, just as Agnes did in 1925, and Larry did in 1957, and Julie did in 1988, Ryan did in 1991, and Richie did in 1993.