WICHITA, Kansas, August 28, 2008 – It’s a history-making night in politics as Barack Obama gets ready to accept the Democrats’ nomination for president. And it’s an evening that would never have happened if two young Kansans didn’t meet in El Dorado and fall in love.

The story of Barack Obama begins on the streets of El Dorado. His grandfather, Stanley Dunham, grew up in the town. He graduated high school in 1935 and at one point, managed the old Farm and Home Store. It’s now being turned into a complex of trendy shops and offices.

“It's a surprise that Barack Obama has roots in El Dorado and it adds another dimension to the man,” said resident Keri Myers.

Clarence Kearns went to high school with Obama’s grandfather and has since been researching Obama’s Kansas roots. He’s created a scrap book detailing Dunham’s time in El Dorado. The similarities between him and Obama are striking.

“There he does look like Stanley doesn't he,” Kearns said.

Kearns had a chance to meet Obama when he spoke over the winter in El Dorado. He handed him a folder filled with pictures of his grandfather from his days in Kansas.

“He seemed tickled pink to get it,” Kearns said. “Of course he didn’t have time to read it then, so he handed it off to one of his helpers.” “I was just testing him to see if he had a sense of humor. I said, “blah blah blah when you’re in the White House you can put your feet up on the coffee table and read all that stuff,’ and he laughed.”

Stanley Dunham died in 1992. His grandmother is from Augusta. She’s still alive and living in Hawaii