"Drinking with a 101-year-old Lawyer, Admiral Nimitz and the Summer of '45"
Dear Bank of Prairie Village Community~
I recently had the chance to share a cocktail with 101-year-old legendary Kansas City lawyer, Edward T. Matheny. Our location was a place called the River Club, located on a bluff overlooking “The Rivers’ Bend” ~ where the Kansas and Missouri River join.
There is small park in front of the Club which includes a beautiful and detailed Lewis and Clark Expedition statue looking toward “The Bend.”
Fellow banker, Jonathan Kemper, spearheaded the project to install “The Lewis and Clark Statute.” The Statue is most appropriately placed, as “The Bluff” overlooking “The Rivers’ Bend” is specifically cited in the Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery Expedition 1805 Official Journal.
I mention the historical location of where Mr. Matheny and I were sharing our drink as it adds background to our conversation. I felt I was drinking in a historical location with a historical man.
I knew Mr. Matheny from the St. Lukes Hospital board on which we both served. I further knew, that in addition to his stellar legal career at the Blackwell Sanders firm, Ed Matheny had a remarkable World War II experience.
In light of Memorial Day and the current world’s challenges, I found my conversation with 101-year-old Ed Matheny both on point and very comforting.
Ed Matheny grew up in Kansas City and attended the University of Missouri where he played on the Tigers Basketball team. He was known for a wicked jump shot. As he said, “I was so short, I had to learn to jump over the defenders to shoot.” Because of the war, his graduation was accelerated ~ but Ed Matheny still graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
Although wanting a surface ship ~ the Navy instead, sent Ensign Matheny to Admiral Chester Nimitz’s staff. Most people do not remember Admiral Nimitz today, but in effect Admiral Nimitz was the Pacific War’s equivalent of General Dwight Eisenhower in Europe.
As we sat sharing a drink, I realized at 101, Ed Matheny was correcting my facts and had a much better grasp of history than I did. He recalled, in detail, a conversation we had 15 years ago ~ one I barely remembered.
What really captured my attention was his answer about the Japanese Surender in Tokyo Bay. I asked him if he had sailed in the for Formal Surrender on the USS Missouri.
He said, “Dan you must understand, we did not sail all our ships into the Bay for the Surrender. We did not want to expose our all our naval strength that close to the mainland. There was some thought it could be a trap.”
“Remember after defeating the Third Reich in Europe, we were planning on invading all of Japan itself. Most of the military planners expected this Japan invasion would be by far the most deadly and costly of the war. We fully expected it to be far, far worse than D-Day and perhaps the entire the European Campaign.”
“Dan based on our losses on Iwo Jima and Okinawa, our planners expected our casualties on the Japanese mainland to be in well over half a million US men. We believed the bloodiest and ugliest days of the war were in front of us. It was assumed like Iwo and Okinawa, no Japanese mainline soldier, or civilian would surrender.”
“Then after they dropped ‘The Bombs,’ and the Emperor announced accepting unconditional surrender ~ it was apparently and unexpectedly over.”
“It was hard to get our heads around the idea of instant peace. It was even harder to appreciate we would not have to go through with what we thought was the inevitable invasion slaughter.”
With that Ed Matheny looked at me. A slow smile formed on his lips, and I could see a sudden twinkle in his eye. It was as if he was recalling seeing miracle – "The Miricle of Peace.” We shared a toast to “peace.”
After the War, Ed Matheny attended Harvard Law School, graduated Cum Laude, and returned to Kansas City. He became the Blackwell Sanders firm’s managing partner. His community service is too numerous to mention.
Without question, having served on Admiral Nimitz’s staff and his Harvard Law degree, Ed Matheny could have enjoyed a most illustrious Wall Street or Washington legal career.
We are blessed Ed Matheny chose to return to his hometown to share his knowledge and wisdom in making our community even better.
To share a drink with a razor sharp 101-year-old of Mr. Matheny’s intellect and caliber was a great honor.
As move into this summer season, many political pundits are stating this could be a summer of strife and woe given the world’s confusion and underlying geopolitical challenges.
However, let’s gain comfort knowing all the angst and trepidation our nation faced during the dark months in Summer of 1945 while preparing to invade Japan ~ proved not to manifest.
God can inject miracles even when all the planners and the entire nation least expects it. With that comforting thought, let’s remember to appreciate the wonders of this Sumner Season.
Yours in enjoying the fine Summer ahead ~
Edward T. Matheny Jr.
Author of The Presence of Care - A History of St. Lukes as well as
The Prusit of the Ruptured Duck~The Kansas City Leaders who returned from the War
to rebuild Kansas City
Ed Matheny is now 101 Years Old~ and still razor sharp.
