Monthly Archives: November 2014

Little Rock Look Back: W. H. “Bill” Walters, LR’s 60th Mayor

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Mayor Walters' official portrait

Mayor Walters’ official portrait

On November 6, 1912, future Little Rock Mayor William H. Walters was born in Clearfield, Pennsylvania.

He ran for the City Board of Directors in 1970 and was unopposed.  Walters took office on January 1, 1971 and served one term on the City Board.  He chose not to run for a second term and left office on December 31, 1974.

In January 1973, he was selected by his colleagues to serve a two year term as Mayor of the City of Little Rock.

Throughout his life, Mayor Walters enjoyed traveling and visiting over 100 countries throughout the world. Mr. Walters had a keen interest in the circus and collected circus memorabilia from many countries.

He was employed by 3M Company. He was Superintendent and Acting Plant Manager beginning January 1, 1951 and 3M Plant Manager beginning February 1, 1972. He retired in 1977.

In addition to serving on the City Board, he had been active in the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce (he served as Chamber President in 1969), Kiwanis Club, Associated Industries of Arkansas and the YMCA among other activities.

Mayor Walters died on February 14, 2005 at the age of 94.

George Washington Gardened Here – Mount Vernon Horticulturalist speaks at Clinton School tonight

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mount vernon nortonTonight at 6pm at Sturgis Hall, Dean Norton, the director of horticulture at Mount Vernon, will give a presentation.

For more than 150 years, people have studied, researched, and dug the earth for clues helping to make the home of George Washington one of the most accurately restored 18th century estates in America. The beauty, the use, and the importance of Mount Vernon’s gardens and landscape will be discussed, as well as preservation over the years with a focus on the most recently restored pleasure garden. Norton’s presentation is an informative and entertaining look at the gardening world of George Washington.

A book signing will follow.

The director of horticulture at Mount Vernon since 1980, Norton calls upon a full-time paid staff of twenty-three and a few volunteers to manage both the fifty-acre parcel open to the public and 450 acres of field and forest. He also supervises the green house and the estate’s livestock operations.

Beethoven & Blue Jeans Week continues with 4th Annual Beer & Brats Street Party tonight

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Beethoven Blue JeansTonight from 5:30pm to 7pm, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will be hosting its 4th annual Beer & Brats Street Party.  This year it will be at 500 Main Street in front of the site which will soon be home to the ASO offices and rehearsal space.  Enjoy free brats, Diamond Bear beer, and the sounds of the Episcopal Collegiate School Steel Drum Band. The event is free to ticket holders of this weekend’s upcoming Beethoven & Blue Jeans concert. Tickets for the event can also be purchased for $19.

Support the Arkansas Food Bank! – Bring a turkey (or other bird!) to the Street Party or to the Beethoven & Blue Jeans concerts to support the Arkansas Foodbank. The ASO will give each bird donor a pair of free tickets to a future ASO concert!

This year marks the fourth year that Diamond Bear beer has supplied the local beer for the ASO Beer and Brats Street Party.

An addition this year is Beethoven Yoga on Thursday evening.  Barefoot Studio on Old Cantrell for Beethoven Yoga! Barefoot offers classes for all levels, and yogis attending Beethoven Yoga may win Beethoven & Blue Jeans t-shirts or free tickets to an upcoming ASO performance!

Noon today, the Clinton School and Butler Center’s Legacies & Lunch present Justice Troy Poteete, executive director of the National Trail of Tears Association

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PoteeteToday at noon, the Clinton School Speaker Series and the Butler Center’s Legacies & Lunch jointly present a program.  Justice Troy Poteete, executive director of the National Trail of Tears Association will speak at the Ron Robinson Theater.

Troy Poteete was appointed to the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court by Chief Chad Smith in 2007 and is the executive director of the National Trail of Tears Association, an organization he helped found. Justice Poteete also founded the Historical Society in Webbers Falls, Okla., served as executive director of the Cherokee Nation Historical Society, and was a delegate to the Cherokee Nation Constitutional Convention. In 2000, Justice Poteete was appointed executive director of the Arkansas Riverbed Authority, a tribal entity jointly created by the Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Cherokee Nations to administer their interests in the 96-mile section of the Arkansas River between Muskogee, Okla. and Fort Smith, Ark.

The Trail of Tears was actually several trails.  Little Rock is one of the only cities (if not the only city) that members of all six relocated tribes passed through.  Little Rock’s emerging merchant class benefited from the relocation efforts as the Federal government paid for goods and services in Little Rock.

Justice Jim and the Red Scare focus of Old State House Brown Bag talk today

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Justice JimNovember’s Brown Bag Lunch Lecture is presented by Marie Williams.

Arkansas Senator and state Supreme Court Justice, James D. “Jim” Johnson has been portrayed as one of the most outspoken racist politicians of Arkansas’s history. His legacy includes an Amendment to the Arkansas Constitution that gave Arkansas the right to nullify federal law. He is also remembered for being a constant thorn in the side of Governor Orval Faubus.

A look at the evidence surrounding Johnson’s political career suggests that Johnson was not purely motivated by race. Johnson started the White Citizens’ Council of Arkansas in 1955 in response to the integration of the Hoxie School District. Hoxie became Johnson’s soapbox and the Citizens’ Council became his campaign vehicle. The tactics he used to fight integration in Hoxie were unlike those of other Arkansas segregationists. Instead of citing race as the reason for his campaign in Hoxie, Johnson brought the Second Red Scare to Arkansas. He appealed to a wider audience by accusing integrationists of being communists.

Using primary source information, this presentation outlines the methods used by Johnson in 1955 as he started his campaign for governor. Marie Williams is currently finishing her Master’s Degree in History from Arkansas Tech University. She is an Arkansas native who lives in Dover with her husband and their two children.

Help the Rep pick 2015-2016 Season – Take Part in Fan Favorite Survey

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ark repHow often do you say, “I wish the Arkansas Rep would do XYZ show again?”

Now, in honor of the upcoming 40th anniversary season, the Arkansas Rep wants to know what you think.

Take their Fan Favorite Survey here.

You can also review their past productions list.
So take a trip down memory lane.  Help the Rep look Fabulous at 40 with a Fan Favorite production.

Tonight Tales from the South returns to Arkansas Arts Center

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talesfromsouthEach Tuesday, Tales from the South features stories about life in the South told by the people who experienced them.  After a sell-out engagement in July, tonight it returns to the Arkansas Arts Center.

The storytellers for this edition are Gary Pittman, Michael Hylden, and Randi Romo

Music is by Amy and Brad Williams and blues guitarist Mark Simpson.

“Tales From the South” is a radio show created and produced by Paula Martin Morell, who is also the show’s host. The show is taped live on Tuesday. The night is a cross between a house concert and a reading/show, with incredible food and great company. Tickets must be purchased before the show, as shows are usually standing-room only.

“Tales from the South” is a showcase of writers reading their own true stories. While the show itself is unrehearsed, the literary memoirs have been worked on for weeks leading up to the readings. Stories range from funny to touching, from everyday occurrences to life-altering tragedies.

Dinner is served from 5pm to 6:30pm, the show starts at 7pm.  Admission is $10.  Dinner can be purchased separately.

You MUST purchase your ticket before the show.

Previous episodes of “Tales from the South” air on KUAR Public Radio on Thursdays at 7pm.  This program will air on November 20.