For almost 30 years E.J. Alexander drove his team of white horses from his 40-acre truck farm east of town to sell produce in Emporia. Children flocked to his wagon for rides and to eat the fruit and vegetables. E.J., a former slave, was born in North Carolina, never married, and lost track of his siblings. When he died in 1923, he bequeathed his 40 acres and all of his savings for the children of Emporia who needed protection and education. He set aside one acre for his own burial plot and for any children or families that could not afford a burial. A children's camp was later built on the site of his truck farm. You can see Alexander's gravestone, poignantly inscribed 'The Children's Friend,' at Camp Alexander.