Armed Forces Day in Little Rock – Birthday of the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History

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Today is Armed Forces Day.

The third Saturday of May is designated each year as a day to celebrate the men and women who serve in the various branches of the United States armed forces.

On Saturday, May 19, 2001 (which was Armed Services Day that year), the City of Little Rock opened the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History.  Today, the museum celebrates its 17th birthday.  However, it is temporarily closed to the public for renovations.

Though the museum is only 17 years old, the building in which it is located, is 170 years old.  It is undergoing a much-needed renovation and restoration in order to continue to serve for at least 170 more years.

Visitors to MacArthur Park today can still interact with the various outdoor memorials and monuments which pay tribute to various phases of Arkansas’ military history.

Little Rock Look Back: Dan T. Sprick

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Future Little Rock Mayor Dan T. Sprick was born on May 19, 1902.  He served three terms on the Little Rock City Council (from 1935 to 1941).  In 1945, he was elected Mayor of Little Rock and served one term. During his tenure on the City Council, he was the sole vote against locating Robinson Auditorium at Markham and Broadway.  He had favored another location.

He was not alone, however, in being held in contempt of court and spending part of the day in jail.  On Monday, December 4, a dozen of Little Rock’s aldermen (which included Sprick) reported to the county jail to serve sentences for contempt of court. The previous Monday, the twelve council members had voted against an ordinance which had been ordered by the judge in an improvement district matter. The other aldermen had either voted in the affirmative or had been absent. Because the twelve had refused to change their votes since that meeting, the judge ordered them jailed.  After the aldermen changed their votes later in the day, they were freed.

His tenure as Mayor was relatively quiet. He took office the same month that World War II ended. While in office, the Sprick administration was marked by growth in the city budget and in city positions. As a part of that growth, there were many more new purchases taking place which had prompted extra scrutiny of the City’s purchasing procedures. A thorough investigation toward the end of his tenure found no malfeasance or misfeasance, it did note that the city needed to do a better job of anticipating cash flow. Much of the City’s focus during the Sprick tenure was on growth and keeping up infrastructure needs.

Sprick later served for ten years in the Arkansas State Senate (from 1961 to 1970).  During his tenure in the Senate, Sprick was closely aligned with Gov. Orval Faubus.  When the Little Rock high schools had been closed a year to ensure segregation, Sprick had served on the board of a private school set up by some of the leaders of the segregation movement.

His time in the Senate was also marked by controversy.  He was one of three Senators to opposed Muhammad Ali’s speaking at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.  After an Arkansas Gazette editorial lambasted him, Sprick sued the paper for libel. The Gazette settled with him out of court because his health was poor.

One of the landmark pieces of legislation he guided through the Arkansas General Assembly allowed cities to collect advertising and promotion taxes.  The 1972 and 1973 upgrades to Robinson Center were funded by this tax (as have some subsequent upgrades). So the building he voted against while on the LR City Council benefited from legislation he championed while in the General Assembly.

Sprick died in January 1972.

Little Rock Look Back: Gov. Baxter returns after end of Brooks-Baxter War

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On the morning of May 19, 1874, Joseph Brooks cleaned out his belongings from the gubernatorial office in the 1842 Arkansas State Capitol (now the Old State House) and disappeared to points unknown.

The beginning of the end of his stint claiming to be Arkansas Governor came on May 15 when President US Grant accepted the recommendation of his Attorney General that found Elisha Baxter was the duly elected Governor of Arkansas.

Following Brooks’s departure, the grounds and building were in shambles.  A Gazette reporter noted that barricades had been built on the lawn of the building.  The front and back doors remained, but their facings had been removed to make it easier to roll big weapons and equipment in and out of the building.

Inside, furniture was in disarray and broken.  The bookcases in the state library had been turned on their sides to serve as tables.  The reporter described the smell as composed of “a mixed perfume of sour bacon and human beings.”

In preparation for the return of Gov. Baxter, crews were busy trying to restore order in the building. The Senate Chambers were nearly put back in order that day, but the House Chambers needed more attention.

As another illustration of the disarray in state government between April 15 and May 19, the state treasurer, Henry Page, told the newspaper that he had not cut a single check at the request of the Brooks administration.  He stated that he had not denied the request, he just delayed responding to it.

Finally that day, Governor Baxter arrived at the head of a ceremonial parade of carriages.  Among those who accompanied the governor was Arkansas Gazette founder William Woodruff.  In the next carriage, future US Senator and Attorney General Augustus Garland sat with reporters from the New York Times and Arkansas Gazette.

Upon arriving at the Capitol grounds, Baxter delivered a speech.  101 guns were fired in salute to him.  The cannon on the capitol grounds (nicknamed Old Lady Baxter) was shot off several times.  A retinue of Little Rock’s ladies pulled the lanyard to detonate the cannon.

As part of President Grant’s order to end the Brooks-Baxter War, the ground was laid for a new Arkansas Constitution, the end of Reconstruction, and the re-enfranchisement of Democratic voters.  In short order, the 1874 constitution, under which Arkansas still operates, was adopted.  Many of the Republicans and African American office holders soon found themselves out of power. And African Americans were completely disenfranchised.

It would be 92 years before Arkansas would again elect a Republican to be Governor.  The adoption of the new constitution took the term of governor and other constitutional officers from four years to two years.  In 1874, he retired to Batesville and lived there until his death in 1899.  Brooks remained in Little Rock until his death in 1877.

Remembering when Royal Wedding speaker Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry spoke in Little Rock

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Today, the sermon for the Royal Wedding was delivered by the Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry,  the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church.

In December 2016, he delivered remarks twice in Little Rock.

On Sunday, December 11, 2016, he delivered the homily at Christ Episcopal Church. The next day, he spoke in the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Center as part of  the Clinton School Speaker Series.  His remarks can be viewed here.

Presiding Bishop Curry has a national preaching and teaching ministry, having been featured on The Protestant Hour and as a frequent speaker at conferences around the country.  He has authored numerous publications including columns for the Huffington Post and the Baltimore Times. His most recent book, Songs My Grandma Sang, was published in June 2015; Crazy Christians: A Call to Follow Jesus was his first book, in August 2013.

Little Rock Look Back: Brooks Robinson

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On May 18, 1937, Brooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. was born in Little Rock.  His father worked for Colonial Bakery and later the Little Rock Fire Department.  His mother worked for Sears and later state government.

As a boy, Brooks was a paper boy for the ARKANSAS GAZETTE and sold concessions at Lamar Porter Field.  He also played baseball there in youth leagues.

After graduating from Little Rock Central High School in 1955, he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles.  He would spend his entire Major League Baseball career with the Orioles.   His primary position was Third Base for the team but also was a powerful batter.

When he retired at the end of the 1977 season, Robinson had amassed many honors including 2 World Series Championships, 1 World Series MVP, 1 American League MVP, 16 Golden Glove Awards, 18 times in the All-Star game.  At the end of his final season, his number 5 was retired by the Orioles.  In 1983, his first year of eligibility, he was selected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

He spent his career and since retirement engaged in a number of charitable endeavors. Robinson was beloved by teammates and fans, as well as respected by opponents and the media.  There is no telling how many babies in Baltimore were named Brooks or Robinson during and after his 23 season career.

Robinson has also leant his name and time to efforts to restore Lamar Porter Field here in Little Rock.

 

Little Rock Look Back: Arkansas Arts Center concludes opening festivities with Beaux Arts Ball

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Starting at 9:00 p.m. on May 18, 1963, the Beaux Arts Ball capped off the opening weekend festivities for the Arkansas Arts Center.

Chaired by Jeane Hamilton and Jean Gordon (both of whom are still going strong 55 years later!), the Beaux Arts Ball featured the music of Henry King and his Orchestra as well as a performance by jazz legend Dave Brubeck and his Quartet.  King played on the dance floor while Brubeck gave concerts in the theatre at 9:00 p.m., 10:15 p.m., and 11:30 p.m.

Special guests for this black tie event included  Oscar winner Joan Fontaine, cartoonist Charles Addams (creator of The Addams Family), and James Rorimer of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The event concluded at 1:00 a.m. as exhausted and exhilarated guests made their way home.

Scenes from Elizabeth Eckford bench groundbreaking

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On May 17, 2018, Elizabeth Eckford joined with representatives of the National Park Service, Little Rock School District, Bullock Temple CME, and many other organizations to break the ground for a commemorative bench.

This bench is a reproduction of the one on which Ms. Eckford sat so famously on the morning of September 4, 1957.

The bench will be built over the summer and installed in September 2018.

Here are some scenes from the ceremony.

Elizabeth Eckford visits with Central High School Principal Nancy Rousseau.

David Kilton of the National Park Service speaks at the ceremony.

Attendees spilled out of the tent and lined the street for the event.

Ms. Eckford speaks to the crowd.

Ms. Eckford is joined by Central High students in breaking ground.