Tag Archives: Willie L. Hinton

LR Women Making History – Ellen Turner Carpenter

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Ellen Turner Carpenter was born on July 30, 1916 on West Ninth Street.  At the time of her death at the age of 93, her life had come full circle.

As a young girl, she was an active participant in the thriving African American life along west Ninth Street in downtown Little Rock. She attended many events at the Mosaic Templars Hall which sat at Ninth and Broadway.

A longtime Little Rock educator, she became the moving force behind preserving the Mosaic Templars building in the 1980s.   In 1992, she became president of the Mosaic Templars Building Preservation Society, which worked to preserve the Mosaic Templars building in Little Rock to create a museum for black history in Arkansas. Mrs. Carpenter served as president of the society until her death.

In the 1990s, the City of Little Rock purchased the building to keep it stable while the Preservation Society sought to raise the funds.  Due to lobbying efforts led by Mrs. Carpenter, the State of Arkansas purchased the building from the City with the intention of turning it into a museum under the auspices of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.  At a ceremony in 2003, Vice Mayor Willie Hinton handed the keys of the building to Governor Mike Huckabee with Mrs. Carpenter nearby beaming.  Governor Huckabee appointed her to the state advisory committee for this new museum.  She would serve as chair of that committee.

On March 16, 2005, tragedy struck.  The building burned to the ground.  That afternoon at a press conference at the State Capitol, leaders expressed their resolve that the project would move forward with a new building following the original design.  One of the speakers that afternoon was Mrs. Carpenter. She started out in her usual quiet voice. But as she recalled her youth spent at the Mosaic Templar’s building, the years melted away. She demonstrated some of the step dancing she had done as a teenager.

On September 20, 2008, she presided over the grand opening of the new Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. It was the culmination of 15 years of official work and many more years of dreaming.  At the ceremonies, she declared “We made it!” “We made it! We made it!”

Mrs. Carpenter remained an active supporter of the MTCC until her death on July 27, 2010, just three days shy of her 94th birthday.

Throughout her life she wore many hats (including numerous ones to church on Sunday). She was an educator, neighborhood organizer, and public servant. Everyone who met her was positively impacted by her.  Due to her vision and endurance, thousands each year are still positively impacted by her when they visit the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center.  Fittingly, the conference room at MTCC is named in her memory.

Little Rock Look Back: City Director Willie L. Hinton

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HintonOn August 2, 1947, future Little Rock Vice Mayor Willie Lee Hinton was born in Wynne and educated in Cross County.  He then attended what is now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

For twenty-eight years, Hinton was a vocational education teacher at the Arkansas School for the Deaf.  He was also very active in neighborhood activities as well as in grassroots community-building efforts.

In 1993, Hinton made his first race for the City Board of Directors.  After narrowly losing the Ward 2 race in a special election, he returned to run again the following year.  Hinton won the race in November 1994 and was re-elected in 1998 and 2002.  In 2003, he was selected to serve as Little Rock Vice Mayor for a two year term.

Long an advocate for neighborhood empowerment, Hinton had championed the transformation of the old Lee Elementary School into a resource center.  Under his leadership the building was purchased from the Little Rock School District in 1997 and opened in 2000 as the Neighborhood Resource Center.  Five years later, the Little Rock City Board of Directors voted to name it in his honor.  The building, which stands at 12th and Pine Streets, is a living testament to his vision of inclusiveness and the worth of every individual.

After battling a brain tumor for nearly two years, Hinton chose not to seek a fourth term on the Little Rock City Board.  His public service to the citizens of Little Rock ended on December 31, 2006.  On February 13, 2007, Hinton died at his home in Little Rock at the age of 59.  He was survived by his wife Blondell, two children and two grandchildren.  He is buried in the Graham Cemetery in Cross County.

LR Cultural Touchstone: Ellen Turner Carpenter

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Mrs CarpenterEllen Turner Carpenter was born on July 30, 1916 on West Ninth Street.  At the time of her death at the age of 93, her life had come full circle.

As a young girl, she was an active participant in the thriving African American life along west Ninth Street in downtown Little Rock. She attended many events at the Mosaic Templars Hall which sat at Ninth and Broadway.

A longtime Little Rock educator, she became the moving force behind preserving the Mosaic Templars building in the 1980s.   In 1992, she became president of the Mosaic Templars Building Preservation Society, which worked to preserve the Mosaic Templars building in Little Rock to create a museum for black history in Arkansas. Mrs. Carpenter served as president of the society until her death.

In the 1990s, the City of Little Rock purchased the building to keep it stable while the Preservation Society sought to raise the funds.  Due to lobbying efforts led by Mrs. Carpenter, the State of Arkansas purchased the building from the City with the intention of turning it into a museum under the auspices of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.  At a ceremony in 2003, Vice Mayor Willie Hinton handed the keys of the building to Governor Mike Huckabee with Mrs. Carpenter nearby beaming.  Governor Huckabee appointed her to the state advisory committee for this new museum.  She would serve as chair of that committee.

On March 16, 2005, tragedy struck.  The building burned to the ground.  That afternoon at a press conference at the State Capitol, leaders expressed their resolve that the project would move forward with a new building following the original design.  One of the speakers that afternoon was Mrs. Carpenter. She started out in her usual quiet voice. But as she recalled her youth spent at the Mosaic Templar’s building, the years melted away. She demonstrated some of the step dancing she had done as a teenager.

On September 20, 2008, she presided over the grand opening of the new Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. It was the culmination of 15 years of official work and many more years of dreaming.  At the ceremonies, she declared “We made it!” “We made it! We made it!”

Mrs. Carpenter remained an active supporter of the MTCC until her death on July 27, 2010, just three days shy of her 94th birthday.

Throughout her life she wore many hats (including numerous ones to church on Sunday). She was an educator, neighborhood organizer, and public servant. Everyone who met her was positively impacted by her.  Due to her vision and endurance, thousands each year are still positively impacted by her when they visit the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center.  Fittingly, the conference room at MTCC is named in her memory.

 

Little Rock Look Back: Willie L. Hinton

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HintonOn August 2, 1947, future Little Rock Vice Mayor Willie Lee Hinton was born in Wynne and educated in Cross County.  He then attended what is now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

For twenty-eight years, Hinton was a vocational education teacher at the Arkansas School for the Deaf.  He was also very active in neighborhood activities as well as in grassroots community-building efforts.

In 1993, Hinton made his first race for the City Board of Directors.  After narrowly losing the Ward 2 race in a special election, he returned to run again the following year.  Hinton won the race in November 1994 and was re-elected in 1998 and 2002.  In 2003, he was selected to serve as Little Rock Vice Mayor for a two year term.

Long an advocate for neighborhood empowerment, Hinton had championed the transformation of the old Lee Elementary School into a resource center.  Under his leadership the building was purchased from the Little Rock School District in 1997 and opened in 2000 as the Neighborhood Resource Center.  Five years later, the Little Rock City Board of Directors voted to name it in his honor.  The building, which stands at 12th and Pine Streets, is a living testament to his vision of inclusiveness and the worth of every individual.

After battling a brain tumor for nearly two years, Hinton chose not to seek a fourth term on the Little Rock City Board.  His public service to the citizens of Little Rock ended on December 31, 2006.  On February 13, 2007, Hinton died at his home in Little Rock at the age of 59.  He was survived by his wife Blondell, two children and two grandchildren.  He is buried in the Graham Cemetery in Cross County.