County native to receive KHRC award

Lay

The Kansas Human Rights Commission has announced that Fort Scott area native Robert G. Lay has been recognized by the International Association of Human Rights Agencies and the National Association of Human Rights Workers at their conferences in New Orleans.

Lay was honored for his distinguished career, support and service to the Kansas Human Rights Commission, contributing to the cause of civil rights and enforcement of laws prohibiting discrimination. In particular, Lay was recognized as the only person to have served the Kansas Human Rights Commission in the capacities of Investigator, supervisor, assistant director, acting executive director, executive director and commissioner.

He played a key role in the Kansas Human Rights Commission's successful resolution of a backlog in the mid-1990s. Lay was instrumental in establishing the Kansas Human Rights Commission as one of the most successful Civil and Human Rights offices in the nation, a news release said. Lay's foresight, hard work and dedication contributed to the Kansas Human Rights Commission recovering $15.38 million and other benefits for victims of alleged discrimination in fiscal years 1995-2012. Lay retired from the Kansas Human Rights Commission in 1997.

A reception will be held at the Topeka office of the Human Rights Commission at 11 a.m. Sept. 21. Lay said he cannot be there, but will participate by speakerphone.

"It's a great honor for me to receive this award and be recognized by this ... agency," Lay said in a phone interview from his home in Hillsboro, Ore. "I never dreamed they do would anything like this for me since it's been 15 years since I retired. Anyway, I'll accept the award and feel very humbled by it."

Lay received a James E. Butler Civil Rights Award in 2008, a ceremony which he attended. The Butler award recognizes individuals whose support and service to the Kansas Human Rights Commission has contributed to the cause of civil rights and enforcement of Kansas laws prohibiting discrimination, the release said.

"Bob Lay was the architect of the commission's rebirth to allow the agency to take its place as a nationally recognized civil rights office. He created a mechanism to reduce the agency's backlog of cases awaiting investigation and streamlined the process to allow more timely investigation of complaints, quicker resolutions of complaints, and more satisfactory results to all parties," Kansas Human Rights Commission Executive Director William V. Minner said in the release.

The Kansas Human Rights Commission nominated Lay for the honors. The resolutions were approved by IAOHRA's and NAHRW's individual boards.

The mission of the Kansas Human Rights Commission is to prevent and eliminate discrimination and assure equal opportunities in all employment relations, to eliminate and prevent discrimination, segregation or separation and assure equal opportunities in all places of public accommodations and housing. The Kansas Human Rights Commission achieves its mission primarily through the receipt, investigation and resolution of discrimination complaints, the release said.

Lay was born and grew up on a farm west of Fulton. He attended high school at Fulton High for two years, and graduated from Prescott High School in 1953. Lay is the son of Glen and Nellie Lay, both now deceased. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served more than 22 years, retiring in 1975 as a first sergeant. After retiring from the Marines, Lay attended Pittsburg State University where he earned a bachelor's of science in education and master's. He started his career with the Kansas Human Rights Commission in July 1979 and retired in 1997.

Lay was a resident of Hoyt, from 1979-2000, when he moved to Oregon. Lay's wife, Delores, was very active in community affairs and worked part time at Royal Valley Schools. After his retirement from the Kansas Human Rights Commission, Lay taught evening classes on public speaking and English composition for Highland Community College.

Lay and his wife, Delores, now reside in Hillsboro, Ore. When they settled in Oregon, they purchased a home in the Orenco Station area. Three of their five children live nearby. Lay spends most of his time tinkering with old guitars and playing in a jam session from time to time.

The International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies is a professional association of more than 140 state, county and city governmental human rights commissions in the United States of America and several statutory human rights agencies in Canada. IAOHRA goals are "to foster human and intergroup relations, to enhance human rights practices under law, and to promote civil and human rights around the world."

The National Association of Human Rights Workers is committed to providing education, training, research, networking and professional development to its members to enable them to foster equability within a diverse society.