On assignment with Cliff Tarpy for National Geographic, photographer Cotton Coulson traveled to Kansas for a summer long stay in 1983 to write about the state's past and future. He captured dozens of images including Herd's 160 acre portrait of Will Rogers baking under that summer's month long drought.

"As big as his wit, this giant portrait of Will Rogers, an Oklahoman, is the work of Lawrence muralist Stan Herd. Persuading a farmer friend near Dodge City to donate a 160-acre field, Herd first plowed the contours of the face, then has wheat and milo planted for shading."

"The finished picture is a favorite of airline pilots and passengers."
Cliff Tarpy, National Geographic magazine, September 1985