Brunner was dedicated to serving
Newton
Bill Wilson bwilson@thekansan.com
Newton Kansan
"Really and truly, this is like
losing a brother," said Hurley, a longtime railroader and
historian, about the death of his best friend, Orville Brunner.
Brunner, 74, a retired engineer for
the Santa Fe Railroad and three times the mayor of Newton, died
Monday at Via Christi-St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Wichita.
It marked the end of what Hurley --
Brunner's friend and partner in a variety of pre- and post-retirement
projects -- described as a beautiful friendship between two men who
were born 12 hours apart, two men who shared an unwavering dedication
to Newton and their lives as railroaders.
"He was always referring to me
as 'old man,' " Hurley recalled Monday. "Then one time on a
trip, he pulled out one of those little birth certificates and I told
him, 'Lemme see that.' Found out he was born 12 hours before me.
After that, he was the 'old man.' "
For a large chunk of the 1960s and
1970s, Brunner was a major player in shaping the future of the city
of Newton. He served 16 years on the Newton City Commission, serving
as mayor from 1962 to 1964, 1968 to 1969 and 1971 to 1972.
And during those years, he made a
huge impact on the city's quality of life, both through his
unwavering dedication to infrastructure improvements and in the
response he and the commissioners crafted as a flood control project
to the devastating flood of 1965 -- part of Brunner's lifelong
persona as a servant to his community.
"Orville's tenure with the city
commission was one that was unequalled up to that time," said
longtime Newton city clerk John Torline. "Orville was a very
easygoing man, very thoughtful and dedicated. He was genuinely a fine
fellow, someone who was very well respected for his thoughtful
approach to what he did."
He also was a man who accepted his
work on Newton's behalf with a sense of humor.
"The thing I remember best about
Orville is Brad Wells always referring to him as Norton, for Ed
Norton, the sewer engineer on the Honeymooners," Torline said.
"You know. Art Carney. Thing was, Orville took a particular
interest in the sewer system and wanted to make sure that the city's
infrastructure was updated and adequate. Brad would reverently refer
to Orville on the council bench as Norton, look down and say,
'Commissioner Norton, what do you think about that?' "
"That's the kind of man he was,"
said his son-in-law, Newton attorney John Robb. "Common sense
was what Orville was about. If the commission talked about manhole
covers, he would go out and look. That's really why Brad Wells called
him Norton."
"He knew where every manhole in
the city was," said his daughter, Karen Robb. "He
remembered back where the problems were, figured out why they existed
and how to fix it."
Karen Robb said her father's
dedication to city matters grew from the history he loved.
"For one thing, his family was
one of the first to settle in Newton," she said. "Dad had
such a love for Newton. He wanted to see this city be the best it
could be. When he saw something that could be done, he went directly
after it."
Brunner was extremely active in other
city affairs besides the sewer system, counting the Newton Activity
Center and the development of the Newton Ambulance Department as
personal sources of pride.
"He wanted the best ambulance
department in the country, and he believed that it was," Karen
Robb said.
And his unswerving dedication to
Newton didn't end with his retirement from the Santa Fe, or the day he stepped down off the Newton
City Commission bench.
He and his running mate Hurley teamed
to head the "Save the 1880 Engine" project, which left the
historic piece of railroad memorabilia in Newton's Military Park.
"We're railroaders," Hurley
said, explaining why the engine had to be saved from a prospective
buyer in Texas. "That engine's pretty important to us."
With the help of many retired
railroaders, other volunteers and the Harvey County Builders, the
project was completed for use as the backdrop for the Atlanta
Olympics torch ceremony in 1996.
Family members characterized
Brunner's work on the 1880 as a "labor of love." For that
work, he was featured on KAKE-TV's Hatteburg's People and received
the Mayor's Posse award from Mayor Carl Harris in June 1996.
Brunner also was, quietly, a patriot.
That was never more evident than during the Vietnam War.
"Dad would write a letter to
every one of the Newton guys who was going to Vietnam and thank them
for being willing to go," Karen Robb recalled.
Brunner also volunteered for a wide
variety of organizations, including the Boy Scouts, the Tin Can
Sailors, the United Transportation Union, the Harvey County
Historical Society and the Newton American Legion.
He leaves behind a large group of
survivors, and that extra brother.
"Basically, Dad and Mike were
together all their lives," Karen Robb said. "They were best
buddies. They worked together. Their families and kids celebrated
birthdays together. They gave each other a hard time. They just fit
together so well."
Maybe that's why Mike Hurley found
talking about his friend difficult Monday.
"I'm gonna miss him," he
said.
