Tag Archives: War Memorial Park

Little Rock Look Back: Harry S. Truman

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HST in LR2

Truman speaking at War Memorial Park

On May 8, 1884, future US President Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri.

Truman spent most of his youth on the family farm.  Serving in World War I, he saw combat in France and rose to the rank of Captain.  After the war, he returned to Missouri and became involved in Democratic Party politics.  After serving as a county official, he was elected US Senator in 1935 backed by the powerful Kansas City Pendergast machine.

In 1941, he headed a Senate Committee which exposed corruption and fraud in wartime contracts.  He also worked to show he was not just a puppet of the Pendergast machine (which was crucial once Pendergast went to prison).  In 1944, Democratic leaders were trying to knock the incumbent Vice President, Henry Wallace, off the ticket as FDR’s running mate.  Wallace was viewed as too far to the left.  Truman was a compromise candidate and was chosen to serve as FDR’s running mate.

He took office as Vice President in March 1945.  When President Roosevelt died in April 1945, they had spent little time together.  He oversaw the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan in his hopes of ending World War II with fewer soldier casualties.

Following the war, he supported the creation of the United Nations, sought to contain communism through the Truman Doctrine, and worked to rebuild Europe.  In his quest to stem the spread of communism, he involved the US in the Korean War.

Domestically, he struggled with civil rights issues (including integrating the military) and labor issues (including the threat to draft striking railway workers into the military). His election in 1948 for a full four-year term is often seen as the biggest upset in US Presidential political history.

At the time he became President, Truman was still living in a small apartment with his wife and daughter.  Though they lived in the White House for a bit, they later vacated it for the Blair House so that the structure could be completely renovated.

By the approach of the 1952 presidential election, Truman’s popularity had waned again.  He half-heartedly ran in the New Hampshire primary because he did not like any of the candidates currently in the field.  After finishing second to Sen. Estes Keafauver, he announced he would not be a candidate.  He left office in 1953 and returned to Missouri.

From 1953 onward, he served as the senior statesman and father confessor of the Democratic Party.  Many political leaders made pilgrimages to visit him.  In 1965, President Johnson signed the bill establishing Medicare at the Truman Library with President and Mrs. Truman in attendance.

He died on December 26, 1972, after having been admitted to the hospital earlier in the month for pneumonia.

Truman made two visits to Little Rock while President.  In June 1949, he attended an Army division reunion and spoke at the dedication of War Memorial Park.  In 1952, he visited Little Rock while in the state to speak at the dedication of Bull Shoals Dam and Norfork Dam.

 

Little Rock Look Back: Ben D. Brickhouse, LR’s 43rd Mayor

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BrickhouseOn June 8, 1873, future Little Rock Mayor Ben D. Brickhouse was born in Virginia.  He moved to Texas as a child before his family settled in Arkansas.

His first job was with the Missouri Pacific Railroad.  He eventually attended law school at the University of Arkansas.  As an attorney, he remained interested in labor relations throughout the rest of his life.

In 1914, Brickhouse was elected to the Little Rock City Council.  He was reelected in 1916.  In 1918, he was appointed Labor Commissioner for the State of Arkansas by Governor Charles Brough.

Brickhouse was elected Mayor of Little Rock in 1919.  He was relected twice (1921 and 1923).  Prior to the change to the City Manager form of government in 1957, other Mayors would seek a third consecutive term, but none would be successful.

Mayor Brickhouse ran for a fourth term as Mayor but was defeated.  In 1923, he had openly opposed the Ku Klux Klan, which was then a major player in Democratic politics in Little Rock, in Arkansas and in the nation. The Klan had wanted to build a civic auditorium for Little Rock. The Mayor opposed it on the grounds that not all Little Rock residents would feel welcome there.  In the next Democratic primary for Mayor, Brickhouse did not secure the nomination.

During Mayor Brickhouse’s tenure the City purchased the land to make Fair Park (now War Memorial Park).  He also served as chair of the State Fairgrounds. Brickhouse remained active in civic affairs, often speaking out in favor or opposition to local issues.

Brickhouse retired from public life in 1925 but returned in 1938 when he was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives.  He was reelected in 1940.  On June 1, 1941, not long after the conclusion of the legislative session, Brickhouse died.

Sculpture Vulture: Kathleen Caricof’s Stars and Stripes

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June 25 Architeaser: War Memorial Stadium

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IMG_6008Today’s architeaser is the main entrance on the eastern side of War Memorial Stadium.  It is one of the few parts of the stadium that closely resembles what was built and dedicated in 1948.

The stadium was designed by architect Bruce R. Anderson and was constructed for a cost of $1.2 million.  The original seating capacity of 31,075 was expanded in 1967 and 2010. It is now more than 54,000.

The three panels depict football players. The one on the left depicts a player (ostensibly a quarterback) throwing a football. The middle panel shows two defensive players running into a rusher. The third panel shows a kicker after having punted a ball.

War Memorial Stadium is owned by the State of Arkansas and administered by the War Memorial Stadium Commission.

 

LR Look Back: Mayor Ben D. Brickhouse

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BrickhouseOn June 8, 1873, future Little Rock Mayor Ben D. Brickhouse was born in Virginia.  He moved to Texas as a child before his family settled in Arkansas.

His first job was with the Missouri Pacific Railroad.  He eventually attended law school at the University of Arkansas.  As an attorney, he remained interested in labor relations throughout the rest of his life.

In 1914, Brickhouse was elected to the Little Rock City Council.  He was reelected in 1916.  In 1918, he was appointed Labor Commissioner for the State of Arkansas by Governor Charles Brough.

Brickhouse was elected Mayor of Little Rock in 1919.  He was relected twice (1921 and 1923).  Prior to the change to the City Manager form of government in 1957, other Mayors would seek a third consecutive term, but none would be successful.

During Mayor Brickhouse’s tenure the City purchased the land to make Fair Park (now War Memorial Park).  He served as chair of the State Fairgrounds.

Brickhouse retired from public life in 1925 but returned in 1938 when he was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives.  He was reelected in 1940.  On June 1, 1941, not long after the conclusion of the legislative session, Brickhouse died.

LR Zoo Cheetah Chase on Saturday

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cheetah-chase-logoJoin all the big cats for the best race in town! The Cheetah Chase 5K starts at the Little Rock Zoo and takes runners through the Hillcrest neighborhood and ends back at the front entrance of the Zoo. The 1K Family Fun Run starts and ends inside the Zoo.

All participants gets FREE Zoo admission all day on the day of the race, a free Penguin Pointe bag, and get a free race t-shirt. Participants are also encouraged to wear fun, family-friendly attire that is animal themed. Prizes will be given for best “big cat” costume and best animal costume.

Click here to register now!

Registration Fees (sorry no refunds):

Late Registration

5/31/2013  –   Race Day
5K & 1K Registration:  $35 per person/$65 per family of four (includes up to two adults and two children under the age of 12 or one adult and three children under the age of 12). Children under the age of one in strollers are admitted free.

Late registration will begin at 10 am on Friday, May 31, 2013 and continue through race day. Please see section below for specific locations and times.

Registration Note:

Participants Receive:

  • One free Zoo admission on June 1, 2013 (race number required)
  • Official Cheetah Chase race shirt (pre shrunk cotton t shirt)
  • Discounted Zoo admission for non-participants on June 1, 2013 for $5 (must be accompanied by race participant with race number)
  • Penguin Pointe bag
  • Post Race refreshments

Packet Pick Up & Late Registration:

Friday, May 31st
Rock City Running
Colony West Shopping Plaza
10300 N Rodney Parham, Suite D3
Little Rock, Arkansas 72227
10:00 am to 6:00 pm

Saturday, June 1st
Little Rock Zoo Entrance
#1 Zoo Drive Little Rock, AR 72205
Race packets will not be mailed
7:00 a.m.

Race Day Schedule:  7:00  a.m.  Packet Pick-Up and Late Registration Begin; 8:30 am  Official 5K/1K Start; 9:00 am Awards given to the top 10 male and female finishers as they finish.

Awards:

  • Top Ten Fastest Men
  • Top Ten Fastest Women
  • Best Big Cat Costume
  • Best Animal Costume

Cheetahs in Little Rock!

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Zazi and her daughter Maggie moved into the new Laura P. Nichols Cheetah Outpost Monday night and became the first two cheetahs to reside at the new exhibit.

The exhibit is set for a grand opening on July 7, 2012 at 10:30 a.m.

Maggie and Zazi come to the Little Rock Zoo from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va. The institute facilitates and promotes conservation biology programs at the National Zoo in Washington,D.C. Zazi is 11-years-old, and her daughter, Maggie, is 18-months-old.

Maggie

The grand opening of the new exhibit on July 7 will include a special address by Anne Schmidt-Kuentzel, Research Geneticist and Assistant Director for Animal Health and Research at the Cheetah Conservation Fund, a worldwide non-profit dedicated to saving the wild cheetah and its habitat.  Schmidt-Kuentzel will give a special presentation on her work with CCF later that day.

The new exhibit is a long, linear exhibit that develops a large portion of the Zoo’s new African Savannah area.  It features two yards for the cheetahs and two new observatory decks for viewing the cheetahs in their habitat.  The African Outpost exhibit was also renovated as part of the new exhibit and features new habitats for the naked mole rats and some African reptiles.  This air-conditioned indoor space also features interactive educational displays about the plight of the wild cheetah and the work of CCF to save the cheetah.

Although the exhibit will open with two cheetahs, the exhibit is fit to hold up to five and is designed to allow for breeding.  The Zoo is currently working with the Species Survival Plan for the cheetah to develop a breeding program.

The grand opening of the new Laura P. Nichols Cheetah Outpost marks the second major exhibit opening for the Zoo in the past year.  The Laura P. Nichols Penguin Pointe exhibit opened in the spring of 2011.

Both the cheetah and penguin exhibits are sponsored by the Laura P. Nichols Foundation inArkansaswho provided funding for both exhibits.  The cheetah exhibit is also partially funded through private donations collected through the Arkansas Zoological Foundation and through the 2009 refinancing of park bonds by the City ofLittle Rock.

About the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute plays a key role in the Smithsonian’s global efforts to understand and conserve species and train future generations of conservationists.  Headquartered in Front Royal,Va., SCBI facilitates and promotes research programs based at Front Royal, the National Zoo in Washington D.C. and the at field research stations and training sites worldwide.

About the Little Rock Zoo and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums

The Little Rock Zoo provides engaging experiences that inspire people to value and conserve our natural world.  The Zoo was founded in 1926 with a timber wolf and a circus trained bear.  Today the Zoo boasts more than 700 animals representing 200 species, many of which are endangered.   Located in the heart of Little Rock at War Memorial Park, the Zoo consists of 33 acres of manicured land and animal exhibits.  The Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.  Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things.  With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats.  For more information, visit http://www.aza.org.