Dick and Dorothy Hanger
Community leaders Richard B. and Dorothy Hanger have made countless contributions to the Topeka and Shawnee County community. Known around town as Dick and Dotty, the pair have lived a lifetime of love for Lake Shawnee.
Dick served as Shawnee County Commissioner from the Third District from 1960 to 1968, a time that saw the creation of the Shawnee County Parks + Recreation, the construction of the Shawnee County Courthouse, and the development of Lake Shawnee as a public park. The Lake Shawnee Junior Pond and the Lake Shawnee Golf Course were also constructed during his tenure.
To honor their commitment and service to the community, the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Shawnee dedicated the area surrounding Lake Shawnee Junior Pond as the Dick and Dotty Hanger Family Preserve.
More about the Dick and Dotty Hanger Family Preserve
As Topeka and Shawnee County continue to develop and become more urbanized, outdoor experiences and opportunities for youth to learn and experience nature decreases.
The Dick and Dotty Hanger Family Preserve Fund provides resources for outdoor educational and recreational opportunities for children and adults. The fund helps provide access to natural streams, trails, preserved wooded areas and natural grasses, wildflowers and wildlife so visitors can escape the day-to-day stresses of life.
Preservation initiatives ensure every person, and children especially, have access to close-to-home natural areas and outdoors education. The fund also protects farms, ranches, prairies, lakes, waterways and places of natural beauty so generations to come can continue to experience rural ways of life.
