Stories from Wednesday, September 19, 2001

Piggott never looked so good to Adam Staples when he arrived home last Thursday after the experience of a lifetime. "When I got here yesterday afternoon, Piggott was the coolest place on earth," he said during a press conference Friday afternoon at the home of his parents, Frank and Donna Staples. "To see my neighbors and friends and family...that was great."...

Piggott's peewee football team opened their season last Saturday morning with a 12-8 loss to Rector. The lone Piggott score came on a run by Michael Morgan. "It was a defensive battle all morning," said Piggott head coach Daniel Gossett. "Everyone on defense had an outstanding game. Our offense was there, but Rector's defense played us well."...

The Piggott Junior Mohawks lost their first game of the season last Thursday night as they fell to the Riverside Junior High Colts, 28-18. After Riverside scored in the first quarter, the Junior Mohawks came back and got on the board with a short touchdown run by Dillon Cate. The conversion attempt failed and the Colts led 8-6...

Last Tuesday night, the Piggott Lady Mohawks welcomed former Piggott coach Angie Donner back to Piggott with a 15-8, 16-14 victory over her Paragould Lady Rams. "In my opinion, it was probably the best game they've played all season," coach Tiffeny Sands said. "They really did a good job."...

After a decade of being a coach on the sidelines for the Piggott Mohawk football program, Paul Seegraves made the tough decision earlier this year to step down from the position. Now he is just a spectator from outside the fence. "I decided for several personal reasons to step aside," Seegraves said recently. ...

CHAFFEE Two superior rushing performances helped pace the Mohawks to a 34-13 win over Chaffee last Friday ending Piggott's non-conference schedule and keeping them undefeated on the year. Jonathan Bricker picked up 190 yards on the ground on 21 carries while Walter Rau tallied 171 yards on 25 totes in the win...

Essie Gaye Smart, 83, of Piggott died Monday, Sept. 17, 2001, at Arkansas Methodist Hospital in Paragould. She was born Aug. 8, 1918, in Leonard, the daughter of the late Dolph and Rose Clark Grooms. She was a member of the Westside Church of Christ in Piggott. She was a homemaker and worked at Home for the Golden Years in Piggott...

Valerie Gremmels, 48, of Piggott died Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2001, at Piggott Community Hospital. She was born March 10, 1953, in Chester, Ill., the daughter of William and Nadine Allen Knapp. She was preceded in death by her father, William Knapp, and one sister, Janice Knapp...

Irene Marie Jackson, 78, of San Bernardino, Calif., formerly of St. Francis, died Aug. 13, 2001, at CHF in San Bernadino. She was a resident of San Bernardino for 44 years, a homemaker for 58 years and a member of the Immanuel Baptist Church in Highland, Calif...

"As a community, we stand ready to help in anyway we can." Those were the words of Piggott Mayor Garland "Bud" Holcomb after last Tuesday morning's terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in rural eastern Pennsylvania. As of yesterday, more than 5,000 people were still listed as missing in New York in the largest terrorist attack on the United States in history...

Security in the nation's capitol has been heightened after terrorists made a strike against the Pentagon, using a loaded passenger jet as a bomb. Two former Piggott residents, who now live and work in Washington, D.C. talked to the Times in phone interviews about that day's events...

These are the unofficial election totals for the Piggott School District's proposed school millage increase that voters approved Tuesday, Sept. 18: Early/Absentee -- 20, for; 8, against. Piggott -- 178, for; 117, against. Nimmons -- 2, for; 17, against...

Memorial services to celebrate the life of Mildred L. Hatcher of Phoenix, Ariz., will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, at Mitchell Cemetery near Greenway. Mrs. Hatcher, 86, died Sept. 24, 2000. She joined her husband of 41 years, Homer L. Hatcher, whom she married on Sept. 25, 1931. He preceded her in death in 1972...

Rev. William E. Henson, 79, of New Madrid, Mo., formerly of Holcomb, died Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2001, at his residence. He was born Aug. 4, 1922, in Campbell, the son of Jesse Howard and Jettie Lucy Sanford Henson. He married Mary Naomi Bell on Dec. 4, 1950...

Marguerite DeGarmo, 80, of Piggott died Thursday, Sept. 13, 2001, at Piggott Community Hospital. She was born Dec. 9, 1920, in Pollard, the daughter of the late Lewis B. and McKimmie McDonald Allen. She married Clifton Hamilton DeGarmo on Dec. 9, 1942. To this union four sons were born...

Essie Gaye Smart, 83, of Piggott died Monday, Sept. 17, 2001, at Arkansas Methodist Hospital in Paragould. She was born Aug. 8, 1918, in Leonard, the daughter of the late Dolph and Rose Clark Grooms. She was a member of the Westside Church of Christ in Piggott. She was a homemaker and worked at Home for the Golden Years in Piggott...

Robert L. Ward, 78, of Cape Girardeau, Mo., died Sunday Sept. 16, 2001, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 11, 1923, in Rector to the late Robert Lee and Martha Jackson Ward. He was married July 16, 1949, in Piggott to Irma J. Greene...

Still searching for that first win. A tough Thayer defense denied the Rector Cougars their first win Friday night as the Bobcats defeated the Cougars 19-6. The game got off to a shaky start when the Bobcats' Jarad Gaines intercepted a Cougar pass and were left with extremely good field position. ...

Mixed emotions would be an understatement for my feelings Friday afternoon as I prepared to travel to Chaffee, MO. for Piggott High School's football game. While the entire nation and much of the world was mourning Tuesday morning's horrendous tragedies, I wasn't in the football mood as I'm sure most everyone else wasn't either. I had received comments from two different sides. Some said games should be cancelled, while others said games should go on...

The Cougar Jr. high team lost to Palestine-Wheatley by a final score of 30-14 last Thursday. Coach Jason Lance said his team had trouble keeping up with their opponents' speed and suffered from poor execution. Coach Lance also pointed to losing a starting tailback and linebacker the week before. The coach said he had to play several eight graders...

All of us grieve differently. Bet you none of us grieves exactly the same. That's why some seem to grieve for years over a lost loved one and others with the same loss go from the funeral to work. Sometimes, we realize, the one who went directly to work actually grieves more deeply than some grieving so publicly...

Dwight Jenkins, 69, formerly of Rector and Marmaduke, died Friday, Sept.7, 2001, at Southgate, Mich., after a long battle with cancer and other illnesses. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Nell (Whitaker) Jenkins; two sons and daughters-in-law, David and Sue Jenkins of Brighton, Mich., and Dennis and Alice Jenkins of Glennie, Mich., and siblings, Junior (George) Jenkins of Warren, Mich., and Faye Metz of Jackson, Miss...

Graveside services for 93-year-old Lora Stephens Utley of Big Rapids, Mich., formerly of the Rector area, were held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2001, at Harvey's Chapel Cemetery near Marmaduke with Rogers-Mohanke Funeral Home of Big Rapids, Mich., in charge of arrangements...

Ruby P. Carroll, 77, of Greene Acres Nursing Home, formerly of Marmaduke, died Friday Sept. 14, 2001, at Arkansas Methodist Hospital in Paragould. She was born October 25, 1923, in England, Arkansas to the late Homer and Mary Rose Campbell. She was a beautician and of the Baptist faith...

Elizabeth "Liz" (Stewart) Schutte died suddenly Jan. 1, 2001. She was born Aug. 15, 1954, to the late Charles and Velma Stewart, formerly of Rector. She also was preceded in death by a sister, Jeanette Stewart, and a granddaughter Kaitlyn Marie Lipscomb...

The Marmaduke Police Department is investigating the weekend abduction of a 13-year-old girl from the city's ball park. Chief Steve Franks said Danielle Shea Blair, daughter of John and Marian Nelson, was last seen around 1:30 p.m. Saturday Franks said witnesses saw her on the stage at the Marmaduke ball park that afternoon...

The unprecedented terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., last Tuesday have shocked and grieved our nation. When four airplanes with passengers were hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon, the centers of finance and security in America, and into rural Pennsylvania, the nation stopped, watching in disbelief as thousands were killed before their eyes...

Last week's terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., have brought Americans together in a manner unseen in many years. There has been an outpouring of sympathy for the victims of the events and their families. Rectorites have an opportunity to help directly with the relief effort through donations to special accounts set up through an arrangement between the City of Rector and the American Red Cross...

Piggott never looked so good to Adam Staples when he arrived home last Thursday after the experience of a lifetime. "When I got here yesterday afternoon, Piggott was the coolest place on earth," he said during a press conference Friday afternoon at the home of his parents, Frank and Donna Staples. "To see my neighbors and friends and family...that was great."...

Rector prays for victims of terrorists: Among missing is brother of man with local ties By ELIZABETH BAKER Democrat News Staff The day of September 11, 2001, will live forever in the historical record and in the American psyche. When four airplanes, hijacked by terrorists, were used as bombs to destroy the twin towers of the World Trade Center and part of the Pentagon, thousands of Americans were killed. ...

The Arkansas Mavericks 13 and under AAU girls basketball team is looking for players for next years team. Persons interested may call Steve Simmons at 1-800-365-0522 during the day or 870-269-4054 in the evenings.