Albin K. Longren Aviator, airplane manufacturer: Born: January
18, 1882, near Leonardville, Kansas. Married: Dolly Trent, 1914.
Died: November 19, 1950, California. Born January 18, 1882, on a
farm near Leonardville, Albin Kasper (A. K.) Longren was one of
eight children of Charles and Emma Longren. As a young child he
watched turkey vultures soar effortlessly through the sky and
dreamed that someday he would also fly. He would spend most of
his life working in the field of aviation. In the early 1900s,
Longren ran a hardware store in Walsburg. Known locally as a
genius, he made his own car and motorcycle. As a member of the
Kansas National Guard, Longren was called to assist with an
airplane demonstration in 1910 in Clay Center. The pilot crashed
the plane, and Longren was inspired to design his own aircraft.
A. K., his brother, Ereanius (E. J.), and his friend William
Janicke, secretly began to craft a pusher-type biplane near his
brother's house. After a few trials, the Topeka I made history
with a brief f