The Rise And Fall Of Excellence

Southwest High School, Kansas City, Missouri, was once a high ranking academic school, feeder to the top colleges in the world, and home of winning teams in everything from sports to debate teams. Now the school is gone, fallen to low enrollment and funding cuts in the struggle of desegregation.

Edward T. Matheny, Jr., class of '40, has written an entertaining and detailed history of his alma mater, from its inception in 1925 to its demise in 1998. The Rise and Fall of Excellence - The Story of Southwest High School R.I.P. is divided into eras and separated by school years. Each chapter contains facts, tidbits, and anecdotes about the happenings, small and large, that occurred during that time.

Edward T. Matheny, Jr., class of '40, was a history major in college, a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, and a managing partner of Blackwell Sanders, Matheny, Weary & Lombardi. He served as president of Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City and chairman of its Foundation, chancellor of the episcopal Diocese of West Missouri, and first president of Kansas City's public television station, KCPT 19. He is currently of counsel with Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin and a director of H&R Block Foundation, Dunn Industries, Inc., Tnemec Company, Inc., Jacob and Ella Loose Trusts, and the Eye Foundation of Kansas City.