Thrive Allen County

John Robertson Cross Country Ski Trail Memorial

Lisse Regehr

Did you know the Lehigh Portland Trails are open for cross-country skiing? Of course there usually isn’t a single winter day with deep enough snow in southeast Kansas to partake in this activity, but that’s an interesting story. Our dear friend and colleague John Robertson (1956-2015) included cross-country skiing in Thrive’s 2014 proposal to the Kansas Health Foundation to build the Lehigh Portland Trails. We were surprised to find he had slipped that into the proposal, and wanted to know just what he was thinking; there’s no snow!

We found out that John’s first date with his wife, Karen, was cross-country skiing back in Michigan–where there is plenty of snow, but no mountains. With a bit of wishful thinking about Kansas weather, he wanted young couples in Allen County to experience what he and Karen had.

When John died unexpectedly in 2015, we knew we had to memorialize the enormous impact he had on our community and on Thrive, and the infamous Lehigh Cross-Country Ski Course. On Monday, March 26, 2018, we dedicated the John Robertson Memorial Cross Country Skiing Area at the vista overlook on the trails, in memory of our friend.  John’s wife Karen, son Tommie, and brother Dave were able to join us.  Karen addressed the group saying, “He always thought out of the box.  I’d imagine, after arguing with God for a couple of years, he’s probably looking down at us with that sardonic-looking grin he had, tickled pink about this.”