In 1939, Fletcher faced the fact that publishers lacked interest in his works. However, in May of 1939, Fletcher learned from an Arkansas Gazette staff member that his work Selected Poems had won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. This…
Charlie May Simon and “The Story of Arkansas” (JGF-4)
On January 18, 1936, John Gould Fletcher married Charlie May Simon, a woman of literary talents in her own right. During the 1930s, she excelled in children’s literature. Many considered her children’s book Robin on the Mountain, published in 1934,…
Daisy Arbuthnot and the Agrarians (JGF-3)
In 1913, Fletcher met Florence “Daisy” Emily Goold Arbuthnot, the wife of photographer Malcolm Arbuthnot and mother of two children, Terence and Gwennie. Though Daisy was approximately ten-years older than Fletcher, she pursued him and he capitulated. This relationship was…
The Expatriate (JGF-2)
In 1906, Fletcher’s father died at the age of seventy-five, leaving Fletcher a sizable inheritance. In Fletcher’s autobiographical writings, he acknowledged that the death of his father was a major turning point in his life as it gave him financial…
John Gould Fletcher: Confederate Ghosts to Yankee Brahmins (JGF-1)
Many scholars consider John Gould Fletcher, Arkansas poet and essayist, to be among the more influential twentieth-century literary figures. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1938 and participated in the literary movements of Agrarianism, Imagism, Modernism, and Romanticism that shaped twentieth-century literature.
Office of Lieutenant Governor: Duties Mixed with Fun (WP Rockefeller-5)
Rockefeller accomplished much during his time as lieutenant governor of Arkansas from 1996 to the time of his death on 2006. Winthrop Paul Rockefeller came from a family that promoted philanthropy and duty. He upheld his famous grandmother’s (Abigail “Abby”…
Lieutenant Governor Campaigns, 1996, 1998, 2002 (WP Rockefeller-4)
Rockefeller’s first venture into elected politics came when he won a narrow victory over Charlie Cole Chaffin for lieutenant governor in the November 1996 special election, which was necessitated by the resignation of Governor Jim Guy Tucker, Jr., and the…
Billfish and Boy Scouts (WP Rockefeller-3)
Rockefeller had many interests and affiliations prior to and during his terms as lieutenant governor of Arkansas. He was appointed to the Youth Services Master Plan group in 1972 and chaired the Arkansas Juvenile Justice Advisory Group from 1976 to…
The Early Years (WP Rockefeller-2)
Winthrop Paul Rockefeller was born in New York City but spent his early years on a farm in Indiana that belonged to his mother’s parents, where he reportedly learned Lithuanian before English. Much of his early education occurred overseas in…
Win Paul Rockefeller: An Addition to a Famous Family (WP Rockefeller-1)
Winthrop Paul Rockefeller served as Arkansas’s seventeenth lieutenant governor from 1996-2006. Following in the footsteps of numerous Rockefellers before him, his philanthropy and political activities left a lasting impression on the state of Arkansas.
Awards and Honors (Crockett-5)
Woodrow “Woody” Crockett was one of the “Tuskegee Airmen,” an African-American pilot trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field, who was influential in integrating the military. Throughout his military and government service careers, he received many honors for his 30…
Retirement (Crockett-4)
In his retirement, Crockett continued to work as an Equal Opportunity Officer for the National Guard Bureau until 1977, and lectured on the Tuskegee Airmen in the D.C. area. In 1994, he escorted President Bill Clinton and the British Prime…
Korean War and Late Military Career (Crockett-3)
After World War II, Crockett remained in the military. His first post-war role was as a Radiological Safety Officer of atomic bomb tests, then he flew another 45 missions as a Korean War jet-fighter pilot. After Korea, he attended the…
The Tuskegee Airmen in World War II (Crockett-2)
When Crockett entered the military in 1940, he was assigned to the first black field artillery regiment, the 349th, in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. After being commended as a Model Soldier who exhibited “high technical skill” and “soldierly qualities of leadership,…
Woody Crockett: Mathematics to the Military (Crockett-1)
Arkansan Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Crockett had a long, successful career in the military. He was a Tuskegee Airman in WWII, flew in 45 flights in the Korean War, and worked with the Pentagon from 1960-1970 to integrate the Air National Guard.
Can You Identifiy These Images? (Porter-5)
African American Male in uniform, ca. 1942-1943 In addition to Art Porter’s personal papers (and those of his son’s, Art Porter, Jr.) the Porter Family Papers contain materials from additional family members, including the Minton and Yancey families (Thelma Pauline…
The Famous Son (Porter-4)
Art and Thelma welcomed their third child on August 3, 1961, in Little Rock. Arthur Lee “Art” Porter, Jr., became a gifted and talented musician in his own right, excelling at the alto and tenor saxophones. He won numerous musical…
Teacher and Performer (Porter-3)
Porter began his teaching career in 1954 at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, Mississippi. After two years in Mississippi, Porter was drafted in the U.S. Army, where he spent two years as a chaplain’s assistant in Fort Niagara,…
Family Man (Porter-2)
Porter married Thelma Pauline Minton on June 10, 1955. The couple spent their honeymoon at the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois, while Porter pursued graduate studies. (https://championshipmartialarts.com) During the course of the Porters’ marriage, they had four children: …
Arthur Lee “Art” Porter, Musician of Note (Porter-1)
Arthur Lee “Art” Porter was a gifted pianist of both classical and jazz music. He taught music at numerous schools in Little Rock and was best known as a member of the The Art Porter Trio. One of his sons, Art Jr., went on to have a successful music career.
A Museum for Arkansas (Babcock-5)
In the late 1920s, Babcock discovered an additional passion: a love of nature, which resulted in the creation of a museum of natural history for her city and state. This museum was in response to critics like H. L. Mencken,…
Federal Writers’ Project (Babcock-4)
Babcock starting breakfast on outing near Mulberry, The late 1920s and early 1930s saw great economic hardship for Arkansas and its people due to drought, floods, and the onset of the Great Depression. Babcock and her family were…
For the Love of Lincoln (Babcock-3)
In the late 1910s, Babcock became fascinated with the love story between Ann Rutledge and Abraham Lincoln. She first read about the story in the Ladies Home Journal and decided to pursue further research. Babcock went to California to interview…
Literary Talent (Babcock-2)
Babcock turned to writing as a way to support her family after the death of her husband, William Franklin Babcock, in 1897. She explored many controversial subjects, including race relations, temperance, politics, and evolution, in her books Mammy, The Daughter…
Julia Burnelle Smade Babcock, “Indomitable Arkansan” (Babcock-1)
Bernie Babcock was the author of many literary and historical works, including The Soul of Ann Rutledge, concerning the courtship between Abraham Lincoln and Ann Rutledge, and articles on Native Americans and African Americans for the 1930s Federal Writers’ Project. She was later known as the founder and curator of the Museum of Natural History and Antiquities in Little Rock
The Statesman (Garner-5)
In 1949, Garner was elected to the Arkansas State Senate, serving four terms. He also served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1957 to 1961. During Garner’s time in office, he corresponded with political figures such as Francis Cherry,…
The Matured Broadcaster (4)
After the demanding years of World War II, Garner devoted his broadcasting efforts to promoting his Fort Smith community. He was particularly interested in musical groups, such as the Musical Buddies, the Mountain Boys Trio, and the Arkansas Ridge Runners.…
War Returns (Garner-3)
Garner honed his broadcasting talents in the 1930s at the Arkansas-Oklahoma Rodeo and Fair. When World War II came in the early 1940s, he expanded his role by interviewing soldiers at Camp Chaffee on Fort Smith’s KFPW Radio Station. Garner,…
Adventuresome Youth (Garner-2)
Garner had his first taste of European adventure when he enlisted in the U.S. Army as an infantryman toward the end of the First World War, headed for France. In Garner’s war-time journal, he comments on encountering a U.S. Negro…
J. E. “Pat” Garner: Fort Smith’s Renaissance Cowboy (Garner-1)
John Edward “Pat” Garner was a radio broadcaster in the 1940s, speaking about the Arkansas war effort (World War II) and promoting his Fort Smith community. In 1949, Garner was elected to the Arkansas State Senate, serving four terms. He also served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1957 to 1961.