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Gift puts KU whistle back in business
Thanks to a Lawrence surgeon and his wife,
the University steam whistle—silent since January—signals
the end of classes at KU once again.
Neal Lintecum, m'90, and his wife, Julie, pledged to
cover the manufacture and installation of a new whistle
in honor of Neal's late father, Dean. The couple's pledge
to the Kansas University Endowment Association allowed
the university to move quickly to find a replacement
for the whistle nicknamed Big Tooter, which suffered
an irreparable crack on Jan. 22.
Richardson's Landing, a family-owned steam and air
whistle shop in Cincinnati, Ohio, manufactured the new
whistle. Aaron Richardson of the company personally
delivered the whistle and helped George Cone, assistant
director of mechanical systems and utilities, install
it. Big Tooter is now on display in the KU History Galleries,
located in the newly renovated Memorial Union.
A lover of steamboats, Richardson designed the whistle
like one found on the 1920s-era George M. Verity steamboat,
now at a museum in Keokuk, Iowa. The new whistle has
four separate whistles, each with its own note, and
together the notes form a chord.
The previous whistle, a "chime whistle,"
had a single unit with three chambers that produced
a three-note chord.
James A. Long, vice provost for facilities planning
and management, said the gift would help carry on a
KU tradition that spans more than 90 years.
"The University community is grateful to the Lintecums
for their contribution because there were no state funds
to replace the whistle, which has been marking the end
of classes on Mt. Oread since 1912," Long said.
"The new whistle wouldn't be possible without their
support."
Neal said his father, who died two days before the
old whistle's last blast, would appreciate the gift
in his memory.
"My father's funeral was the day the whistle went
out, so this gift makes a fitting way to carry on his
memory," Neal said. "He had a great love for
KU, and he'd appreciate any gift for KU."
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| Photo courtesy University Relations |
Neal called KU Endowment to offer his assistance when
he heard the old whistle had broken. He said he hopes
the new whistle will last at least as long as its predecessor.
"I just think it's a nice tradition to have that
marker for time in Lawrence," Neal said.
Neal described his father as an avid KU football fan
who missed only two home games in 35 years. Dean, a'55,
founded Lintecum Architects in 1969 and directed the
Kansas City, Mo., firm for more than 30 years. The Olathe
native was the immediate past president of the Kansas
City chapter of the Kansas Alumni Association.
Neal said his father was proud that everyone in the
Lintecum family had graduated from KU. Neal's mother
is former KU cheerleader Frances Henningson, d'55, of
Prairie Village. His sister is Ann Lintecum, c'82, a
resident of Fairway.
Neal is an orthopedic surgeon at Orthopedic Surgery
Associates in Lawrence. Julie, who holds a bachelor's
degree in communications from Kansas State University,
is a jewelry and home interior designer.
KU Endowment is an independent, non-profit organization
serving as the official fund-raising and fund-management
organization for the University of Kansas. Founded in
1891, KU Endowment is the first foundation of its kind
at a U.S. public university and one of the largest.
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