Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History/Kate Adele Aplington

Aplington, Kate Adele, for whom the above collection is named, was born in Sugar Grove, Lee Co., Ill., March 1, 1859, a daughter of Henry H. and Elizabeth Melinda (Deming) Smith, both natives of New York. Her father was an educator and from 1854 to 1879 was engaged continuously in school work, being city superintendent of schools in Savannah, Mt. Carroll, Galena, Macomb, Alton, Polo and Ottawa, Ill., and for 12 years was county superintendent of Whiteside county. Ill. As a girl Mrs. Aplington was quite a student, and was of great help to her father in his laboratory work. She was graduated in 1876, and immediately took some post-graduate work, to fit herself for a university course, but failing eyesight prevented. She taught two terms in the Ottawa (Ill.) high school, and while there helped establish a reading room and library. On June 19, 1879, she was married to John Aplington, a graduate of the Union College of Law of Chicago, and in 1880 they moved to Council Grove, Kan., where they have since resided. In 1901 Mrs. Aplington was appointed a member of the Charities Conference committee and with other members visited the Girls' Industrial School at Beloit, making recommendations that domestic science be installed in the school. In 1902 she was made chairman of the manual training committee of the Kansas State Social Science Federation, and wrote hundreds of letters to educators in the larger towns, from whom she received voluminous reports and recommendations from which the present state law was passed in 1903. In that year she was elected vice president of the Kansas Federation of Women's Clubs, at its meeting in Wichita, and was the author of the proposition to publish a “Book of Quotations,” the profits from the sales to be devoted to the purchase of a collection of carbon reproductions of famous paintings. These copies were purchased and for three years were exhibited in various parts of the state, Mrs. Aplington having the superintendency of the same. In 1907, the collection was offered and accepted by the state, and was given the name of “Aplington Art Gallery.” Mrs. Aplington is still connected with the traveling art galleries and at the present time (July, 1911) is preparing notes, etc., for an American collection of paintings which will be placed in the hands of the traveling libraries commission to be used in connection with the other exhibits.