During his first month in Garden City, Steve Cottrell spent his evenings driving around town. It was 1975 and the 23-year-old, going on 24, had just graduated from the University of Nebraska to take his first job as assistant city manager for the City of Garden City. The city, with a population near 15,000, wasn't too different from his western Nebraska hometown of Scottsbluff, he said. It was flatter, but still had ample feedlots, with wheat crops instead of sugar beat. Steering through main roads and neighborhoods, Cottrell memorized the town...
