At a time in Arkansas history when blacks were regularly lynched and openly oppressed under the racist tenant farming system former slave Scott Bond became a successful black farmer and businessman in Madison, Arkansas.
The Character of an Educator (LeRoy M. Christophe-1)
Dr. LeRoy Christophe worked as an educator in Arkansas for 29 years, from 1930 to 1959. After serving as a teacher in Dunbar and the principal of two Little Rock elementary schools, Charlotte E. Stephens Elementary and John E. Bush Elementary, Dr. Christophe became principal of Dunbar High School in 1945.
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.
Central High Crisis (Elizabeth Huckaby-1)
Elizabeth Paisley Huckaby (1905-1999) served as vice principal of girls at Little Rock Central High School during the Little Rock crisis of 1957. As a dedicated teacher, Huckaby spent the year of the crisis working in support of desegregation, protecting the Little Rock Nine, maintaining order at Central High, and promoting the education of students.
Early Life (Max Howell-1)
Max Howell’s political career began in 1946, when he was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives from Little Rock. He served two terms.Elected to the Arkansas Senate in 1950 to represent part of Pulaski County, he would go on to hold the office for forty-two years.
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.
Florence Cotnam: The Power of an Educated Tongue (Cotnam-1)
Florence Lee (Brown) Cotnam was a suffrage leader and influential speaker from Little Rock, Arkansas. Her speeches persuaded thousands of Americans and aided in the passage of the 19th Constitutional Amendment.
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.
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.
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
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.
Jeannette Edris Rockefeller, From Seattle’s High Society to Arkansas’s First Lady (JR-1)
Jeannette Rockefeller was best known as Arkansas’s First Lady during her husband Winthrop Rockefeller’s time as governor. She successfully raised funds to build the Museum of Fine Arts (now Arkansas Arts Center) and worked with numerous mental health organizations over the years.
Harvey “Lee” Goodwin, Delineator of the Divine Feminine (Goodwin 1)
Harvey “Lee” Goodwin was a Little Rock native whose love of performance blossomed into a career as a professional female impersonator. Despite a lifelong battle with tuberculosis, he successfully performed in movies and on stages around the world.
Wes Hall & Minute Man
Little Rock native Wes Hall founded the iconic fast food chain Minute Man, which at its peak boasted 57 restaurants in Arkansas and seven surrounding states. Minute Man was a pioneer on the fast food landscape, and its legacy is plain to see in food franchises across the country.