This is a newspaper article in the "Hugoton Hermes" describing the Stevens County, Kansas, schoolhouse fire that destroyed the school and severely burned brothers Floyd and Glenn Cunningham. Thirteen year old Floyd, 1903-1917, died from his injuries two weeks later. The physician treating seven year old Glenn, 1909-1988, told him that he would never walk again; but with rehabilitation and personal determination, he recovered to become one of the nation's greatest milers. Between 1932 and 1936, Glenn won Big Six indoor mile titles and participated in the 1932 and 1936 Olympics. In 1938, Cunningham became the world's fastest miler as he set a new indoor mile record at Dartmouth College. In 1978, he was named the outstanding track performer in the 100-year history of Madison Square Garden and, in 1979, he was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
Floyd and Glenn Cunningham burned in schoolhouse fire, Stevens County
