Dorri Partain
Northeast News

Situated in a perfect spot to view Kansas City’s Liberty Memorial, a new bench was recently placed and dedicated to author and historian Dory DeAngelo. The author of “Passages Through Time: Stories about Kansas City and its Northeast neighborhood,” among other publications, DeAngelo was one of the first to highlight the historic houses and features of Northeast, as well as champion historic preservation through research and documentation.

DeAngelo grew up in Northeast, on Windsor Avenue in the Indian Mound neighborhood. Her sister, Frances DeAngelo, was honored with a memorial bench years prior, which is located to the west of the Kansas City Museum, overlooking Cliff Drive. The funding for the bench at Liberty Memorial was provided by the Kauffman Foundation in recognition of the biography penned by DeAngelo about Ewing Kauffman, former owner of the Kansas City Royals and founder of the Kauffman Foundation.

Additional funding was provided by the Liberty Memorial Association in recognition of research provided by DeAngelo when the memorial was undergoing restoration.DeAngelo’s niece, LeAnna DeAngelo, contacted the organizations that contributed as she felt that all DeAngelo’s contributions to the fabric of Kansas City’s history and culture should be recognized. The plaque on the bench reads: “Dory DeAngelo (1932-2020) Champion of Kansas City History, A visionary who shaped Kansas City’s historical, architectural, cultural, and theatrical heritage.”