American Hero, Kansas Heritage: Frederick Funston's Early Years, 1865-1890

American Hero, Kansas Heritage: Frederick Funston's Early Years, 1865-1890

By Clyde Toland

“An engrossing, engaging, and superbly written account of ‘Fearless Fred’ Funston’s formative years in rural Kansas, which molded the individual who would go on to command forces in the Philippines, earn a Medal of Honor, and ultimately command in 1917 the largest US Army since the Civil War. Clyde Toland’s narrative clearly reflects Toland’s life-long interest in Frederick Funston and Allen County, his impressive capabilities as a researcher, and his incisive analytical skills as a lawyer. The product of his work is a truly delightful read!”
—General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan and former Director of the CIA

"Many are familiar with the Funston name due to Frederick Funston’s famed military career, but his early life and adventures were just as noteworthy. Indeed, this part of his life was sometimes more exciting, if that is possible, and it was critical to his later success. No one is more eminently qualified to write about the young Frederick Funston than Clyde Toland. Clyde is, hands down, the leading Funston scholar, with decades of research and curation experience with the subject. It is wonderful to see Clyde’s work come together in a new book series on Funston. In this volume, Clyde does not merely rely on the same repeated stories, but on a wide array of extensive research, which he critically examined for accuracy. His meticulous research and polished writing style create an indispensable book. I savored reading this book, including reading the detailed notes. Clyde’s work on Funston is certain to become the seminal study on the subject.”
—Jarrett Robinson, BA History, MS International Relations, student of Frederick Funston’s life for thirty years

About the Author

Clyde W. Toland as a grade school student in the 1950s became fascinated by his local Allen County, Kansas, history and by Major General Frederick Funston's early adventurous life in Death Valley, Alaska, the British Northwest Territory, and Cuba. For more than thirty-five years, he has been a student of Funston's life. He has a BA, MA, and most of a doctorate in history, and also a JD. He is a semi-retired lawyer.

As president of the Allen County Historical Society, Inc., in Iola, Kansas, he was the driving force in the successful move in 1994 of Funston's rural childhood home to the Iola town square and in its subsequent restoration and opening as a museum in 1995. He did the research and writing for most of the eleven exhibits in the Funston Museum and Visitors' Center, which opened in 1997 next door to the Funston Home Museum.