{"id":2603,"date":"2019-04-12T20:56:19","date_gmt":"2019-04-13T01:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ualrexhibits.org\/characters\/?page_id=2603"},"modified":"2026-04-08T16:46:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T21:46:18","slug":"2603-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ualrexhibits.org\/characters\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\t\t\tNOTABLE ARKANSANS\t<\/h1>\n\t

A collection of mini biographical exhibits featuring some of the notable Arkansans found in the archival collections at the UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture.<\/p>\n\t

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Becky Rogers Witsell<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Becky Rogers Witsell is a talented artist and professional historic restorationist. Throughout her career, she preserved a variety of significant structures, including historic homes, churches, and government buildings, showcasing her deep respect for cultural heritage.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Hugh Patterson Jr.<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Hugh Patterson Jr., publisher of the Arkansas Gazette<\/em>, stood at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement in Arkansas. His unwavering commitment to journalistic integrity during the 1957 Little Rock desegregation crisis cemented the Gazette<\/em>\u2018s place in history and changed the course of Arkansas\u2019s future.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Dr. William Townsend<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Dr. William Henry Townsend was the first licensed Black optometrist, one of the first Black state legislators in the Arkansas General Assembly since the 1890s, and the first Black chair of the Aging and Legislative Affairs Committee.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Pauline Hoeltzel<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Pauline Hoeltzel was a lifelong educator and civil servant. She was a faculty member at Little Rock Junior College and UA Little Rock, president of the American Association of University Women, and the first woman on the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Garnet Thomas Eisele<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Judge Garnet Thomas Eisele was a lawyer, veteran, and federal district judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas for 41 years. From 1966 to 1969, he worked as Winthrop Rockefeller’s legal advisor. He played a significant role in reforming Arkansas prisons.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Edward Fry<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ed Fry served as chief of staff for Arkansas Representatives Tommy Robinson, Ray Thornton, and Vic Snyder. He was an active member of the Young Democrats of America (YDA) and the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL).<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Graham Hawks<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Graham Hawks was a soldier in World War II when he met fellow soldier Winthrop Rockefeller. Surviving the war, the two men would maintain a lifelong friendship.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Sonny Walker<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Sonny Walker, native of Arkansas and graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, was a civil rights activist and an accomplished public servant.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Conard Hays, Jr.<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Conard Hays, Jr., was a chaplain in the United States Army during World War II. He settled in Arkansas with his family and taught Bible and Religion at Harding University in Searcy for 34 years.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Robert Brown<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Bishop Robert Raymond Brown led a “ministry of reconciliation” as a key figure in Little Rock Central High School’s desegregation crisis in 1957.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Scott Bond<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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During the late 19th century, former slave Scott Bond became a successful black farmer and businessman in Madison, Arkansas.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Dr. LeRoy Christophe<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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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, Dr. Christophe became principal of Dunbar High School in 1945.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n