Stories from Wednesday, May 22, 2002

Sharon Williams was victorious in the Democratic Primary for county clerk and incumbent Paul Hoggard won the county coroner position in Tuesday balloting in Clay County. Williams polled 1,709 votes to 561 for Debbie Foster Corbin. Hoggard had 1,605 votes to 630 for David Clayton...

Six senior Piggott Mohawk basketball players were recently honored with awards for their play on the court. Those players are; Brian Stahl, James Fry, Tyler Crittenden, Tyler Scott, Brian Gregory and Jake Sullinger. Scott was named to the All-State team. Stahl and Crittenden both received All-State honorable mentions...

Coach Paul Seegraves, tennis coach for Piggott High School, recently honored tem members with season awards. On the girls team, Meagan Swann was named All-State, All-District, State Qualifier, District Singles Champion and received a Four-Year Achievement Award...

Cloye Ella King, 98, of Marmaduke died Monday, May 20, 2002, at the home of her niece, Beth and Jim Barnes, in Vandalia County, W.Va. A homemaker, she was born March 23, 1904, in Piggott. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Marmaduke...

Shirley Vanwinters, 48, of Piggott died Thursday, May 16, 2002, at Piggott Community Hospital. She was born Sept. 28, 1953, in Kankakee, Ill. She married Jerry Vanwinters on Dec. 4, 1970. To this union three children were born. She was preceded in death by one daughter, Rose Lee Vanwinters...

Ollie Kunkleman, 84, of Rector died Wednesday, May 15, 2002, at Piggott Community Hospital. She was born Aug. 29, 1917, in Knob, the daughter of the late William and Minnie Cunningham Burks. She was preceded in death by four daughters, Goldie Lee Swyres, Annie Rae Swyres, Sylvia Steel and Helen Beck; one granddaughter, Lisa Thornton; one grandson, Aaron Owens; and one sister, Ellen Cuccinelli...

Brenda Kay McLeod, 51, of Scant City, Ala., died Saturday, May 11, 2002, at her home. She had been a cosmetologist in Albertville for 25 years. She worked at a number of shops in Albertville, most recently at The Hair Shop, which is owned by her best friend, Charlotte Burke...

Vhiere Forrest Payne, 91, of Piggott died Sunday, May 19, 2002, at Piggott Community Hospital. She was born March 13, 1911, in Pollard, the daughter of the late Sam W. and Mattie Pollard Forrest. She married Thomas "Otto" Payne on Feb. 15, 1930. He preceded her in death in 1975...

Royal (Roy) L. Wheeler, 84, died March 19, 2002, in Mesa, Ariz. He was born in Izard County, Ark., the son of Thomas and Lucy Bell Wheeler. He later moved to Muncie, Ind., and was employed at Warner Gear, now Borg-Warner Corp., retiring in 1976. He was an Army veteran and a member of the True Light Baptist Church...

Albert L. Hess, 82, of Piggott died Thursday, May 9, 2002, at Twin Rivers Medical Center in Kennett. He was born March 13, 1920, in Carterville, Ill. He is survived by one daughter, Regina Wright of South Bend, Ind.; two sons, Albert Hess Jr. of Elkhart, Ind., and Jack Porter of Butler, Ind.; four grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and other relatives and friends...

Muriel M. Cox, 98, of Piggott died Wednesday, May 15, 2002, at the Piggott Nursing Center. She was born Feb. 26, 1904, in Clay County, the daughter of the late Luther and Ida Bell Polsgrove McLeskey. She married Robert "Bob" E. Cox in 1926. To this union three children were born...

Ruby Harris, 80, of Piggott died Wednesday, May 15, 2002, at Piggott Community Hospital. She was born Sept. 1, 1921, in Piggott, the daughter of the late William Joseph and Anna Parle McGlothlin Carroll. She was preceded in death by one son, James Harris; one brother, Clyde McGlothlin; and one sister, Delcie Clark...

Nina Marie Fisher, 92, of Piggott died Saturday, May 4, 2002, at the Piggott Nursing Center. She was born Dec. 3, 1909, the daughter of the late Poly Dow and Daisy Moore Simpson. She married Walter Fisher on Oct. 3, 1931. To this union four children were born...

Edith Cox, 86, of Poplar Bluff died Saturday, May 11, 2002, at Three Rivers Healthcare-South Campus. She had been in declining health for several months. She was born March 4, 1916, in Damascus, Ark., the daughter of the late James B. and Sarah E. Pike Wood...

A unique item of Piggott's history is on display at the tourist information center, which was officially opened Saturday afternoon. Amanda Robinson Lane of Cherokee Village, formerly of Piggott, has loaned the majorette uniform she wore during filming of "A Face in the Crowd" in 1956...

The Clay County Quorum court members accepted the resignation of a fellow justice of the peace during Monday night's meeting in Piggott. Marsha Thompson of Corning, who will be moving out of District 7, submitted her resignation in writing and presented it to the quorum court...

Despite heavy rains on Friday and the threat of storms over the weekend, Piggott's Fourth Annual Rod Run and Super Cruise was by all means a huge success. "Even though some 100 cars from northern areas could not make it, we still ended with a record high of over 300 cars from several states," Rod Run chairman Jeff Peace said...

"This is a wonderful day for this celebration, this dedication of the tourist information center," Mayor Bud Holcomb said during the special grand opening reception held Saturday in conjunction with the annual Rod Run and SuperCruise. Two of Piggott's longtime residents, Mrs. Mildred Smith, 104, and her sister, Josephine King, 99, had the honor of cutting the red ribbon to open the facility...

Sharon Williams was victorious in the Democratic Primary for county clerk and incumbent Paul Hoggard won the county coroner position in Tuesday balloting in Clay County. Williams polled 1,709 votes to 561 for Debbie Foster Corbin. Hoggard had 1,605 votes to 630 for David Clayton...

Congressman Marion Berry will be the featured speaker at Rector's annual Memorial Day service set for 2 p.m. Sunday, May 26, at Woodland Heights Cemetery. The event is sponsored each year by Rector Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 10480 and Auxiliary to honor all veterans. There also will be other speakers, and a report will be given by the Woodland Heights Cemetery Commission...

For the third year in a row there will be a Lady Greyhound in the Arkansas High School Basketball East-West All-Star game. Lindsay Bell will represent Marmaduke High School in the 2002 All-Star game which will be played June 20 at Walton Arena in Fayetteville. ...

Brenda Kay McLeod, 51, of Scant City, Ala., died Saturday, May 11, 2002, at her home. She had been a cosmetologist in Albertville for 25 years. She worked at a number of shops in Albertville, most recently at The Hair Shop, which is owned by her best friend, Charlotte Burke...

Dallas Gene Wilcoxson, 70, of Rector died Tuesday, May 14, 2002, at the V.A. Hospital in Memphis. He was born Jan. 11, 1932, in Cardwell, Mo., to the late William Jessie and Viola (Michael) Wilcoxson and was married April 27, 1996, at Greenbrier to Frances (Mitchell) Wilcoxson...

Cloye Ella King, 98, of Marmaduke died Monday, May 20, 2002, at the home of her niece, Beth and Jim Barnes, in Vandalia County, W.Va. A homemaker, she was born March 23, 1904, in Piggott. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Marmaduke...

Karen Cagle has been a part of many kids' lives in the 25 years she has been a teacher and counselor in the Rector school district. This year, however, is particularly special because Cagle was chosen to receive the KAIT Golden Ruler Award, a great honor to anyone in the area involved in education...

Parishioners of St. Henry's Catholic Church in Rector had their last service Sunday, May 12, and that left many with a tough decision to make. "It really was a bolt out of the blue when we heard that the church was closing," said Don Roeder, longtime member of St. Henry's. "I don't know for sure where I will go to mass now, but it will be either Paragould and Kennett."...

The Rector Cougar junior high football team and some members of the senior team are planning on attending the ASU Indian Football Camp June 23-26 in Jonesboro. The camp is open to players in grades 5-12. Participants will learn individual fundamentals as well as specific team schemes...

Marmaduke baseball was rolling again last after a rain delay the previous week. On Monday night Smoots beat Jordan Racing 14-11. On Thursday night Smoots overcame Erosion Control 20-10. Morgan Hawley, Cody Taylor, Colin Carr and Seth Farmer all tripled for Smoots...

After the rain delay of two weeks ago, Rector baseball teams were back in action last week. On Tuesday night inLittle League action, Underwood Furniture beat Rector Downtown Drug Store 7-6 when Gary Evers drew a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the fourth and final inning. Clinton Haley had given Downtown Drug a temporary lead when he broke a 3-3 tie with a clutch 2-run single in the top of the third inning...