Meet the Past features Library Director Crosby Kemper III interviewing prominent historical figures (as portrayed by veteran Chautauqua performers) with Kansas City-area connections. On June 9, 2010, Pete Hansen portrayed Arthur Stilwell, the dreamer and visionary whose crowning achievement was the railroad that became the Kansas City Southern. When Stilwell arrived in Kansas City in 1886, he found a city much like himself: ambitious, brimming with optimism, and possessed of a sense of destiny. From all accounts, he had a rare ability to inspire people to believe in him and to share his hopes. He persuaded a generation of Kansas City business leaders to invest in his visions, and many a fortune was founded on them.
