Monthly Archives: March 2015

Little Rock Look Back: MacArthur Returns….to Little Rock

Posted on by
General MacArthur and Mayor Remmel

General MacArthur and Mayor Remmel

On Sunday, March 23, 1952, General Douglas MacArthur made his only post-infancy visit to Little Rock. He had previously been scheduled to visit Mississippi, and Little Rock Mayor Pratt Remmel had persuaded him to add a visit to Little Rock to the agenda. The fact that Little Rock now had a Republican mayor had apparently piqued the General’s interest.

General MacArthur, accompanied by his wife and son as well as several journalists and members of his military retinue, arrived at Little Rock Airport at 10:40 am. He was met by a delegation of civic leaders including Mayor Remmel. Alderman James Griffey made welcoming remarks on behalf of the city. Then the General and Mayor boarded an open car and led a motorcade from the airport to downtown.

The motorcade’s destination was Christ Episcopal Church at Capitol and Scott streets. It was at this church that MacArthur had been baptized as an infant. The delegation was greeted by the Episcopal Bishop R. Bland Mitchell, Rector J. Hodge Alves, and Rector Emeritus W. P. Witsell. (While he had been Rector, Dr. Witsell had garnered national attention by issuing an Easter blessing to Gen. MacArthur as he had been evacuating the Philippines at the height of World War II.) In order to gain admittance to the church that morning, church members and guests had to have tickets.

Following the worship service, the General and his party went to three events in the park named in his honor. The first was a tour of the Museum of Natural History (now the Museum of Discovery and located in the River Market; the current tenant of the building is the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History), which was located in the building in which the General had been born. After the tour, he spoke at a dedication of a small rose garden adjacent to the museum. It was sponsored by the Little Rock City Beautiful Commission and the Garden Clubs of Greater Little Rock.

Though every stop of the General’s visit had featured crowds, the largest was at the third location in MacArthur Park. A crowd of several thousand greeted the General as he spoke from the Foster Bandshell in the park’s southwest corner. Chamber of Commerce president Richard C. Butler (brother-in-law of Mayor Remmel) was the master of ceremonies. Following an invocation by Methodist Bishop Paul Martin, the only other speaker was the General. In his remarks he spoke of his Southern heritage and of his appreciation for the support of the citizens of Little Rock over the years.

Several gifts were bestowed upon the MacArthurs at the ceremony. The City of Little Rock presented Mrs. MacArthur with an engraved silver serving tray.

Following the events in MacArthur Park, the family retired for a brief respite to the Hotel Marion. They then attended a luncheon buffet in their honor at the home of Howard and Elsie Stebbins on Edgehill Road. The General and Mrs. MacArthur circulated through the house greeting guests and then eschewed a special table in favor of balancing their plates on their laps and sitting in wingback chairs. Meanwhile Arthur MacArthur stayed upstairs and discussed stamp collecting and other hobbies with the Stebbins’ two teenage sons.

Following the luncheon, the MacArthur party went back to the airport and by 4:00pm, the plane was in the air.

Though this visit was coming at the end of a whirlwind of activities, by all accounts, the General and Mrs. MacArthur were very gracious and accommodating. The General was being mentioned as a potential GOP candidate for President, but purposefully steered clear of any political comments in his remarks. He and Mrs. MacArthur dutifully posed for photos not only for the media but also for amateur photographers. At lunch, the General even asked a Gazettephotographer to take a photo of him with his Little Rock Police motorcycle escorts so that they could have a souvenir of the visit.

Little Rock Look Back: Robert Catterson–Doctor, Soldier, LR Mayor

Posted on by

R_F_Catterson_BGen_ACWOn this date in 1835, future Little Rock Mayor Robert Francis Catterson was born in Indiana, the son of Irish immigrants.  He studied medicine in Ohio and established a medical practice in Indiana upon completion of his studies.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted as a private in the Union Army.  Throughout the war, he was promoted and was eventually mustered out as a brigadier general in 1866.  During his service, he participated in the siege of Vicksburg, the Battle of Chattanooga, the Atlanta Campaign and Sherman’s March to the Sea.

Following his departure from the military, Catterson decided not to return to medical practice.  He moved to Arkansas and worked for a brief time in the cotton commodities field.  He later returned to military service commanding a militia fighting the Ku Klux Klan.  Catterson was appointed US Marshal and would also command the Brooks troops during the Brooks-Baxter War in Little Rock.

In November 1871, he was elected Mayor of Little Rock. His election ended a tumultuous two-year period where the Little Rock City Council tried unsuccessfully to remove Mayor A. K. Hartman.  Mayor Catterson served a relatively quiet two year term in office until November 1873.

Following the completion of his term, Mayor Catterson moved to Minnesota. He later moved to Texas where he died on March 30, 1914 at the age of 79.  He is buried in the San Antonio National Cemetery.

Spring Break activities at the Museum of Discovery

Posted on by

The Museum of Discovery has special events planned during Sprint Break.

Monday, March 23 – Tuesday, March 24
Celebrate spring break at the Museum of Discovery with special guests from AETN – Arkansas Educational Television Network!

Meet and have photos taken with PBS KIDS characters Curious George and The Man in the Yellow Hat Monday, March 23, and Peg + Cat, Tuesday, March 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.

There will be science demos and special programming throughout the week.

Tinkering Studio
Open all Day

Meet the Museum Animals
9:30 to 10 a.m.
10:15 to 10:45 a.m.
11 to 11:30 a.m.
12 to 12:30 p.m.
1:30 to 2 p.m.
2:15 to 2:45 p.m.
3 to 3:30 p.m.
3:45 to 4:15 p.m.

Science Demos in Front of Discovery Hall Sign
11:15 to 11:45 a.m.
12:15 to 12:30 p.m.
2:15 to 2:45 p.m.

Kevin Delaney’s Awesome Science Shows in the Theater
1 to 1:45 p.m.
3 to 3:45 p.m.

Story Time in Room to Grow
10 a.m.
12 p.m.
2 p.m.
3:30 p.m.

Craft Stations
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wiggle Worms : The Science of Magic Sand; 10am on Tuesday

 

Science demos, shows and animal programs will continue throughout the week.

 

Release Party for John Willis and the Late Romantics new EP “Bad Boyfriend”

Posted on by

John Willis is a throwback to the era of singer-songwriters who did not focus on genre, but instead letting the mood and theme of quality songs lead them to the appropriate style.

After the success of his solo EP “King of the Cocktail Party” he and Late Romantics, his relatively new band have a new EP, “Bad Boyfriend.”

It comes out on March 21.  To commemorate the occasion, he and the band are having a performance party at Whitewater Tavern tonight at 9:30 pm.  Also peforming that night are Listen, Sister and DJ Baldego.  All in attendance will get the EP for free.  After that, it will be available on iTunes.

Recorded at Jason Weinheimer’s studio, Fellowship Hall Sound, “Bad Boyfriend” features Willis with Late Romantics.  The band was formed last year for the Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase.  It includes Jack Lloyd (bass), Mike Motley (drums) with Sarah Stricklin and Sydney Hunsicker (backup vocals, additional percussion).  As Willis told Mitchell Crisp in a recent interview, “we’ve transitioned into a band where everyone is collaborative, rather than one where everyone just plays my songs. So all of the songs were written by me, but it’s the effort of everyone involved.”

Vietnam Documentary Premieres at CALS Ron Robinson Theater

Posted on by

The emergency evacuation of U.S. forces in the final days of the Vietnam War is examined in Last Days in Vietnam, a PBS American Experience film which has been nominated for numerous awards including an Academy Award for Best Documentary.

The film’s theatrical premiere in Arkansas is at the Central Arkansas Library System’s (CALS) Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Ave., on Saturday, March 21, at 2 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. Seating is first come, first served, and the doors will open at 1:30 p.m.

The film’s television broadcast premiere is Tuesday, April 28, at 8 p.m. on AETN.

Last Days in Vietnam documents the chaotic final days of the Vietnam War, when the North Vietnamese Army closed in on Saigon as South Vietnamese resistance crumbled. The United States had only a skeleton crew of diplomats and military operatives still in the country.

As Communist victory became inevitable and the U.S. readied to withdraw, some Americans began to consider the certain imprisonment and possible death of their South Vietnamese allies, co-workers, and friends. Meanwhile, the prospect of an official evacuation of South Vietnam became terminally delayed by Congressional gridlock and the inexplicably optimistic U.S. Ambassador.

With the clock ticking and the city under fire, a number of heroic Americans took matters into their own hands, engaging in unsanctioned and often makeshift operations in a desperate effort to save as many South Vietnamese lives as possible.

Last Days in Vietnam was produced and directed by Rory Kennedy, an Emmy Award-winning independent documentary filmmaker and co-founder and president of Moxie Firecracker Films. Her work has been shown on PBS, HBO, A&E, MTV, and Lifetime.

The screening is presented by the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, a department of CALS. For more information, call 501-918-3033.

Celebrate National Quilting Day at Historic Arkansas Museum 

Posted on by

Join the Arkansas Quilters Guild at Historic Arkansas Museum to celebrate National Quilting Day!

Arkansas Quilters guild will celebrate National Quilting Day by presenting demonstrations of several quilting techniques. Learn about English paper piecing, how to create a 2-color binding and modern cutting techniques. There will be a demo of the official National Quilting Day Quilt Pattern with instructions for its construction. See also how to create a “Disappearing Hourglass”. Learn more about the art of quilting and the rich heritage it offers us as you visit with guild members.

While you’re at HAM, check out the award-winning quilts on display in the Great Arkansas Quilt Show III exhibit.  Historic Arkansas Museum is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Film 14 WOMEN screened today

Posted on by

14womenLittle Rock Central High School National Historic Site, in partnership with the Little Rock Central High School Feminist Alliance, will host a series of film screenings on women’s rights and feminist issues.  The series will run on selected Saturdays in March and April at 2:30 p.m. and will be screened at the National Historic site visitor center. Each screening will be followed by a post-film dialogue moderated by local advocates/activists.  Admission is free.

14 Women will be screened on Saturday, March 21st at 2:30pm at the Central High National Historic Site, 2120 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive.

Between 1789 and 2006, only 35 of the 1,875 people who were chosen to serve in the United States Senate were women, so 2006 became a banner year when 14 women held seats in the Senate (and two more were elected in the mid-term elections held that year).  14 Women offers an inside portrait of women in politics and allows its subjects a chance to talk about the “glass ceiling” in American politics, the hard work that goes into serving in Congress, and how gender can sometimes trump party allegiances in dealing with their colleagues on Capitol Hill. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi (New York Times)

The screening will have a post-film dialogue moderated by Stephanie Harris, Arkansas Supreme Court’s Communications Counsel and founder of Women Lead Arkansas, a non-partisan non-profit organization whose mission is to empower women and girls to engage in politics, policy and leadership.

For more information, contact Brian Schwieger at brian_schwieger@nps.gov or Sally Goldman (LRCHS Feminist Alliance) at sjgoldman1996@gmail.com