Life Enrichment
Learning for a Lifetime
Enjoy programs and be involved in the life of your community college as part of Life Enrichment, an educational, entertaining, and cultural program tailored to today's busy lifestyles.
Life Enrichment is for area adults and meets the first Tuesday of every month in conjunction with the school year (Sept.- Dec. and Feb.- May). Meetings take place in the Clifford/Stone Community Room at the Hubbard Welcome Center on the El Dorado campus. Meetings are open to everyone and there is no charge to attend. Those who attend regularly are encouraged to register to receive monthly newsletters announcing the programs.
Speakers present on a broad range of topics - from history to modern technology and art to science - and past performers have included singers, storytellers, dancers, and actors.
A Morning of History: Exploring Butler County’s Oil Legacy and the Kansas Osage Role in the Civil War
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
9 a.m.
Bailey Martin-Rutliff, executive director of the Kansas Oil Museum, will present “Deeper Than Oil: Building Legacy in Butler County.” Her presentation blends personal stories with local history to explore how perseverance, innovation, and community shaped Butler County’s identity. Drawing on true accounts from Kansas’s oil boom, reflections on legacy, and the ongoing work of the Kansas Oil Museum, she invites participants to consider their own histories and the legacies they continue to build.
10 a.m.
Dr. Isaias McCaffrey, history professor at Independence Community College, will present “Last Stand at Rebel Creek: The Osage as Union Allies in Civil War Kansas.”
As tensions rose during the Civil War, both the Union and the Confederacy sought to sway the Osage Nation to advance their own interests. Though initially divided, the Osage ultimately became key Union allies, helping thwart an 1863 Confederate expedition aimed at reigniting Southern resistance in the Colorado and New Mexico territories. This presentation examines the Osage Nation’s critical contributions to the Union cause in Kansas.
This presentation is part of Humanities Kansas’s Speakers Bureau and 21st Century Civics, a resource collection encouraging Kansans to engage in community conversations about the history of American democracy and the shared responsibilities of citizenship. 21st Century Civics is supported by “A More Perfect Union: America at 250,” an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Contact Us
Trisha Walls - Community Advancement Coordinator
Office: Butler of Andover 5324
Email: lifeenrichment@butlercc.edu
Phone: 316.323.6355