Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future: Leawood’s 75th Anniversary Book

History lays the path to the future, or so it’s said, and the City of Leawood in Eastern Kansas has embraced this idea. To celebrate its 75th anniversary, Leawood published the commemorative book, Leawood: The Journey Continues, by local resident and author Katherine Bontrager.

This is a follow-up volume to the book published to mark the city’s 50th anniversary, Leawood: A Portrait in Time by another Leawood author, Ann Morris.

This project doesn’t just relive the city’s past glories—it also captures Leawood’s spirit and growth over the years and into the future. The book celebrates the city’s vibrancy and unique charm and is a collectible piece for locals and visitors alike.

Leawood’s Vision: Showcasing Growth and Community Spirit

While there were undoubtedly many reasons for creating Leawood: The Journey Continues, at the forefront of these is to shine a light on the changes that have occurred and how far the city has come since the first book, Leawood: A Portrait in Time, was published in 1997.

The new edition boasts vibrant photos and paintings by local artists, charming and compelling stories from residents, insights from community leaders, and more, all of which give readers an in-depth look into how Leawood has developed over the years—architecturally and culturally.

The multiple chapters of Leawood: The Journey Continues highlight different aspects of the city’s growth. Words and photographs serve as testaments to the city leaders’ dedication and the community’s resilience. 

Whether it’s through infrastructure improvements, community programs, or cultural initiatives, the book shows just how far Leawood has come—and hints at the strides it has made moving into the future.

Our Role: A Complete Publishing Partnership

Jenkins Group was proud to partner with Leawood in creating their commemorative book, providing our full suite of publishing services to help bring their vision to life. 

With the trust of the City of Leawood, we handled the following stages of the publishing process:

• Editing and Proofreading: Our team used their expert skills to edit and proofread the manuscript to make the resulting narrative clear, engaging, and polished.
• Interior and Cover Design: We created an appealing layout that captured the essence of Leawood, balancing the text with stunning art and photos.
• Printing and Distribution: We managed the printing of 1,000 high-quality copies and ensured the books were shipped right on schedule.

“It’s been amazing to work with the City of Leawood and witness how much love, pride, and dedication their citizens have for their home,” says Jerry Jenkins, founder and CEO of Jenkins Group. “It inspired our own team to learn more about it and want to see it for themselves, even though many of them had never been to the area or in some cases never heard of the city before starting on this project.”

A Lasting Impact: Promoting Leawood’s Charm and Growth

The city started selling copies of Leawood: The Journey Continues in the fall of 2023. The book continues to serve as both a historical record and a promotional tool, attracting potential visitors and highlighting why Leawood is such a great place to live and work. Each page helps tell the story of the city’s development over the 25 years since the first book was published. 

In addition to photos from the city’s archive and residents’ contributions, the book contains watercolor paintings of Leawood landmarks by the late Kansas City artist J.R. Hamil. 

The project showcases what’s possible when a client is fully committed to their vision. Leawood’s passion and dedication resulted in a book that not only celebrates its 75th anniversary but also paves the way for future growth and community pride.