Dr. Christy Drale named 10th leader of UA Little Rock

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Scott

Image result for christy drale ualr The Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas today unanimously accepted UA System President Dr. Donald R. Bobbitt’s recommendation to name Christina Drale, Ph.D., chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Bobbitt previously named Drale acting chancellor following the resignation of former Chancellor Dr. Andrew Rogerson that went into effect on Sept. 1. The Board voted to approve Bobbitt’s recommendation to hire Drale as permanent chancellor at its regularly scheduled meeting today at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

“I’m very pleased to have been given the confidence and support from Dr. Bobbitt and the Trustees to help guide UA Little Rock into a new era of improvement in many areas on campus,” Drale said. “This is a tremendous opportunity to bring the campus and the community together and work with our students, faculty, staff and alumni to move UA Little Rock forward in the most efficient and effective ways possible. I appreciate the supportive reception I’ve gotten so far on campus and in the community, and I look forward to helping make this institution all it can be.”

Drale has served as interim executive vice chancellor and provost at UA Little Rock since October 2018. She previously served as associate vice chancellor for faculty relations and administration. She earned a doctorate degree in sociology, a Master of Arts in sociology, and a Bachelor of Arts in communications, all from the University of California, San Diego.

“Dr. Drale is widely respected on campus and is equipped with the necessary skillset to guide UA Little Rock through the challenges it currently faces and help solidify its unique standing as a comprehensive metropolitan university serving our Capital City and the entire state,” Bobbitt said. “I appreciate her stepping in recently to accept the challenge as acting chancellor and look forward to working with her and supporting her efforts to improve the institution.”

The campus started out as Little Rock Junior College in 1927 and was housed inside the new Little Rock High School (now Little Rock Central High School). After transitioning to Little Rock University, in September 1969, it joined the University of Arkansas System and became the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Dr. Drale is the tenth permanent leader of the campus. Previous presidents and chancellors have been:

R.C. Hall (1927-1930)
John A. Larson (1930-1949)
Granville Davis (1950‐1954)
Carey V. Stabler (1956‐1972)
G. Robert Ross (1973‐1982)
James H. Young (1982‐1992)
Charles E. Hathaway (1993‐2002)
Joel E. Anderson (2003‐2016)
Andrew Rogerson (2016-2019)

History of UAMS is topic of tonight’s QQA Preservation Conversation

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Scott

Image may contain: 11 people, people smiling, indoor Join the QQA for a free lecture and discussion this evening about the history of UAMS by Tim Nutt.

The success of the institution now-known as UAMS seemed uncertain after its rocky establishment in 1879. During the last 140 years, events, interesting personalities, and politics have shaped the state’s only academic health center.

Tim Nutt is currently employed as the Director of the Historical Research Center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Previously, he was employed as the Head of Special Collections at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and as founding Deputy Curator of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System. He also served as the founding Managing Editor and Staff Historian of the award-winning online Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture.

A native of Bigelow, Nutt received a B.A. in History from the University of Central Arkansas and a masters in Library Science, with an emphasis on archives, from the University of Oklahoma. He is a past president of the Arkansas Historical Association and a Certified Archivist.

Event Info:

When: September 12, 2019

Where: Mixing Room at the Old Paint Factory in the East Village,1306 East 6th Street, 72202

What Time: 5:30 pm (reception); 6:00 pm (lecture)

RSVP: The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Please RSVP .

Parking: There is parking directly in front of the doors that are marked “live”, “print”, “meet.” If those spots are taken. park in the parking lot to the right. There is also street parking in front of the building.

Entrance: Enter the event space through the door facing 6th Street marked “Meet.”

Questions? Call 501-371-0075 ext. 3 or email qqa@quapaw.com

CALS Ron Robinson Theater BingoFlix presents ROBOT MONSTER

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Scott

Robot Monster (1953, NR)

Join the Central Arkansas Library System for BingoFlix!

Play bingo to some of the most hilarious movie cliches during a SPECIAL 3D SCREENING of Robot Monster! Win prizes including free movie and event tickets to upcoming shows at the CALS Ron Robinson Theater!

Robot Monster, also known as Monster from Mars, is a 1953 independently made American black-and-white 3D science fiction film, remembered in later decades as one of the worst movies ever made. The film tells the story of moon robot Ro-Man’s mission to Earth to destroy humanity. He manages to kill all but eight survivors, who have become immune to his death ray.

Ro-Man runs afoul of the Great Guidance, his leader, when he becomes attracted to the human Alice. She is the eldest daughter of a surviving scientist, and he refuses to harm her. The Great Guidance must now come to Earth and finish what the Moon robot started.

The Ron Robinson Theater doors open at 6:00 p.m. Film starts at 7:00 p.m. Beer, wine, and concessions will be available!

Sept. 12, 1958 – A Day of Uncertainty in Little Rock schools

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Scott

Thurgood Marshall, of the NAACP, sits on the steps of the Supreme Court Building after he filed an appeal in the integration case of Little Rock’s Central High School. The students are, from left: Melba Pattillo, Jefferson Thomas, Gloria Ray, escort Daisy Bates, Marshall, Carlotta Walls, Minnijean Brown, and Elizabeth Eckford. (AP Photo, file)

On September 12, 1958, in an extraordinary session, the U. S. Supreme Court found that “the federal judiciary is supreme in the exposition of the law of the Constitution” and all state officials must adhere to the Court’s decisions and follow the rules laid down in those decisions in similar future cases.

The genesis of this decision (Cooper v. Aaron) was at the heart of the matter as to whether the Little Rock schools would remained integrated (albeit severely limited) or return to a segregated state. With the SCOTUS ruling, the road that was set before the LRSD was integration.

Following the decision, the Little Rock School Board issued a statement that the schools would open as planned on Monday, September 15, 1958. One of the School Board members, Henry V. Rath, resigned his position on the board that day. He was frustrated that the School Board was caught between federal law and state law.

Later that afternoon, Governor Faubus signed several bills into law which had been passed in a special session. These bills were designed to make it more difficult to integrate public schools. One of them gave the Governor the authority to temporarily close schools to keep them segregated. The Governor would then call a special election for the voters in that district to decide whether to remain closed or be opened and integrated. (One of the other laws, which would come in to play later during the school year, laid out the plans for a recall of school board members.)

Shortly after signing the law which gave him the authority to close the schools, Governor Faubus did just that. He announced that Little Rock’s four public high schools would not open on Monday, September 15. He set October 7 as the date for the special election about keeping the schools closed.

No one seemed to know what the next steps were.

That night, high school football took place, as previously scheduled. Central came from behind to defeat West Monroe, Louisiana, by a score of 20 to 14.

Over the weekend, there were many meetings and phone conversations as people were trying to figure out what to do.

One meeting that took place on September 12 was at the home of Mrs. Adolphine Fletcher Terry. She invited a few friends over to discuss what role the women of the city could play in solving this crisis. The group decided to meet on the following Tuesday, September 16, at Terry’s house. It would eventually grow to over 1,300 members and have the name of Women’s Emergency Committee to Open Our Public Schools.

Arkansas and Mexico: The Early Years is focus of Old State House Museum Brown Bag lecture today

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Scott

Arkansas and Mexico each became political entities in the first decades of the 19th century. Both before and after Mexican Independence, Arkansans looked for commercial and political opportunities in Mexico.

Join the Old State House Museum on Thursday, Sept. 12, from 12 to 1 p.m., as Dr. Kristin Dutcher Mann explores the first 100 years of relationships between Arkansas and Mexico.

Dr. Kristin Dutcher Mann is professor of history and social studies education coordinator at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

She is a specialist in the history of colonial Latin America and the U.S./Mexico Borderlands. In addition, she frequently works with teachers and students on public and local history projects and grants.

Birth of Little Rock’s 70th Mayor – Sharon Priest

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Scott

Little Rock’s 70th mayor, Sharon Priest, celebrates her birthday on September 12.

She began her public service at the grassroots level when she led the effort to bring flood relief to Southwest Little Rock and Pulaski County following the devastating flood of 1978 that killed 13 people in central Arkansas.

Sharon was appointed to the Little Rock City Beautiful Commission. Following that, she challenged an incumbent City Director and won her first elective office in 1986. In January 1989, she was named Vice Mayor of Little Rock by her colleagues on the City Board. Two years later, she was selected Mayor becoming only the second female to serve as Mayor of Little Rock. During her service to the City of Little Rock, she spearheaded the effort to create a Little Rock flag. At the conclusion of her second four year term on the City Board, she decided to run for Secretary of State.

In November 1994, she elected Secretary of State, becoming the first woman to be elected to that position in Arkansas. She was reelected in 1998. In the summer of 2000, she became President of the National Association of Secretaries of State. After the 2000 presidential election, she was thrust into the forefront of the movement toward election reform. Priest testified before U.S. House and Senate Committees on election reform. As Secretary of State, restoring the Governor’s Reception Room and the Old Supreme Court Chamber of the State Capitol to their original splendor and restoring the rotunda marble are a few of her proudest achievements.

In January 2003, Priest was selected to serve as Executive Director of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership. She served in that capacity until early 2015. She has also been a leading champion for the redevelopment of MacArthur Park, the City’s oldest park

LR Arts Community Responds to September 11, 2001

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Scott

As all sectors did, the Little Rock arts and culture community responded to September 11.

Two of the groups in particular come to mind. When airspace was closed on September 11, several flights were grounded in Little Rock. The passengers on those planes became unexpected visitors to Little Rock. Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey and Assistant City Manager Bruce Moore led efforts to make sure that everyone had a place to stay that evening.

The Arkansas Rep had opened its production of You Can’t Take It with You on Friday, September 7. The show was already scheduled to be dark on September 11, but on Wednesday, September 12, 2001, the performances resumed. That night the Rep offered these unexpected Little Rock guests free tickets to the performance.

Seeing a play which was both heartwarming, comic and full of Americana was the perfect balm for audiences who were weary, confused and nervous in the wake of the terrorist attacks. Most of the cast of that production was from New York City. Luckily, all of their friends and family back in New York were all safe.

Also on September 12, 2001, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra presented a previously scheduled concert with Michael Bolton. He had been traveling by bus so was able to get to Little Rock. His concert was cathartic for the 2000 plus attendees at Robinson Center Music Hall. It offered not only a communal experience but also a welcome break from 24 hour coverage.

Three days later, on September 15, the ASO kicked off its MasterWorks series. As has been tradition since the days of Francis McBeth as conductor, that first concert of the season began with the National Anthem. The audience and musicians gathered and sang and played with unprecedented gusto that night.

Little Rock Culture Vulture

Cultural events, places and people in the Little Rock area

Monthly Archives: September 2019

Dr. Christy Drale named 10th leader of UA Little Rock

History of UAMS is topic of tonight’s QQA Preservation Conversation

CALS Ron Robinson Theater BingoFlix presents ROBOT MONSTER

Sept. 12, 1958 – A Day of Uncertainty in Little Rock schools

Arkansas and Mexico: The Early Years is focus of Old State House Museum Brown Bag lecture today

Birth of Little Rock’s 70th Mayor – Sharon Priest

LR Arts Community Responds to September 11, 2001

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