Stories from Wednesday, July 16, 2003

The Paragould Redbirds won the end-of-season Senior Babe Ruth Tournament that was held at Paragould this past week. Two young men from Marmaduke who played for the Redbirds this season contributed to the Redbird championship surge. Pitcher-outfielder Bruce Wallace and outfielder Justin Newsom, mainstay players at Marmaduke High School, both played well in their league's final baseball tournament of the year...

The Rector School Board welcomed Rob Louder to his first meeting as the Rector School District's new superintendent Monday night. Although Jim Speer and Gregg Sain were not present, the board established a quorum and took care of several items of business...

The Marmaduke School Board voted to accept the School Choice policy as presented during its monthly meeting Monday night. The board also approved eight School Choice applications from the Paragould School District. In other business, the board: Accepted a bid from Carpenter Distributing for milk and Interstate Brands Companies (Wonder) for bread as printed on the bid sheets...

A Piggott man died of injuries sustained in a two-vehicle accident Monday afternoon at the intersection of highways 90 and 280 near Peach Orchard in western Clay County. An Arkansas State Police spokesman said William Thrasher, 69, of 1628 Heritage Park Road, Piggott, was a passenger in a 1994 Ford Ranger driven by Robert Wagster, 63, also of Piggott, according to the police report...

The Marmaduke City Council approved two ordinances Monday night. City Ordinance 218, an update to Ordinance 90, was accepted. The ordinance stipulates that certain properties within the city deemed as unsightly or as a nuisance can be condemned. In some situations a lien could be held against the property of an uncooperative owner...

Leon Presson, 92, of Rector died Friday, July 11, 2003, at his residence. He was born Oct. 3, 1910, in Tennessee, the son of the late Jesse and Elsie Presson. He was preceded in death by his wife, Erma Geraldine Presson. He is survived by one daughter, Jo Ann Kirklin, and son-in-law, Don, of Rector; one brother, Wayne Presson of Rector; three sisters, Mary Smith of Horn Lake, Miss., Wanda Blaloch of Maryland Heights, Mo., and Oleda Ford of Mission, Texas; two grandchildren, Scott Kirklin and Leigh Ann Jones; and four great-grandchildren, Tiffany Kirklin, Tyler Kirklin, Kylee Beshears and Kirk Beshears.. ...

Mary Lucille Bearden, 72, of Rector died Wednesday, July 9, 2003, at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. She was born Jan. 4, 1931, in Clay County, the daughter of the late Rev. Burl Howell and Fannie Denning Howell. She was retired from Rector Sportswear, was a lifelong member of the community, and attended Rector First General Baptist Church...

Windol D. "Bud" Vaden, 83, of Glennie, Mich., died June 28, 2003. He was a retired supervisor from the GMC Truck and Coach Division in Pontiac Mich., where he had made his home for many years. He was a Navy Veteran of World War II and was an avid fisherman and hunter. He was very well loved and will be missed by all...

Ann Annette Duff, 54, of Corning died Monday, July 14, 2003, at her residence. She was born Dec. 19, 1948, in Whitehall, Ark., the daughter of the Ollie Owen and Flora Mae Cook Crosno. She was united in marriage to Jerry Wayne Duff on Sept. 8, 1973...

Mildred Phillips, 74, of Corning died Sunday, July 13, 2003, at her residence. She was born Nov. 23, 1928, at Hickoria, the daughter of the late Bob and Anna Woods. She was retired from Basler Electric and was a member of Smith Chapel Baptist Church in Boydsville...

Despite a never-say-die attitude that helped steer them to three tournaments victories, the Rector-Greene County 11-12 year-old Little League All-Star team, coached by Mike Taylor, finished second to a very strong Corning team in the 2003 Arkansas North District Four 11-12 year-old Little League Tournament that was held at Rector's Holt Field from July 3rd to July 11th...

The Rector Senior Babe Ruth team ended its season with a tough loss in the end-of-season Senior Babe Ruth Tournament at Paragould Saturday. Having played one of their better games of the year, Rector had a 5-3 lead over the formidable Paragould Blue Jays with two out in the bottom of the 7th inning. Only having to record one more out to secure the win. Alas, it wasn't to be as the Blue Jays tallied three runs to win the game 6-5...

The Piggott State Bank softball team won the tournament championship Saturday at the annual Pollard picnic. The team defeated First Community Bank of Campbell in 12 innings. Team members are Tim Blascoe, Billy Joe Seal, Michael Brown, James Fry, Billy Ledford, Jonathan Bricker, John Cavaness, Joe Blascoe, Scottie Dunlap, and Keith Pool. The team is sponsored by Piggott State Bank...

In one Piggott Mohawk senior's opinion; playing football in Arkansas is quite a bit different than getting out on the gridiron in gator country -- southern Louisiana. Wesley Gautreaux, one of several returning seniors for the 2003 Mohawk varsity football team, came to Piggott in his ninth grade year after growing up and playing his early years of football in Baton Rouge, La...

Sandra Lynn Davis, 49, of Piggott died Saturday, July 12, 2003, at her home in Piggott. She was born Nov. 19, 1953, in Poplar Bluff, the daughter of Earl H. "Scott" and Geraldine McLeskey Davis. Miss Davis graduated from Piggott High School in 1972. She was a lifelong resident of the Piggott and Pollard areas and a member of the First United Methodist Church in Piggott...

The Piggott school board approved the hiring of Ken Shumate as head football coach in the regular monthly meeting Monday night in the district administrative office. Shumate takes over the Mohawks after former head coach Scott Morgan resigned to take an assistant position at Osceola High School...

The annual St. Francis Picnic will be held Saturday, July 19, at the picnic grounds in St. Francis. The welcome address will be conducted at 9:45 a.m. by Randy Dalton, associate pastor of the First General Baptist Church in Rector. At 10 a.m. will be the baby contest for zero to 12 months, followed by the toddler contest for ages 2-4 at 11 a.m...

Amber Harrell, a sixth grade teacher at Piggott Elementary School, was named Arkansas DARE Association's Educator of the Year during its annual conference on June 18 in Hot Springs. Patrolman Sam Williams Jr. of the Piggott Police Department, who is DARE instructor for the Piggott Schools, said the award recognizes educators throughout the state and over 70 were nominated...

A well-known television journalist was in Piggott last week to conduct research and scout locations for a documentary on author Ernest Hemingway. Jack Hill of Rogers, remembered by many from his days at KAIT Channel 8 in Jonesboro, is busy filming "Arkansas' Hemingway," a half-hour documentary tentatively scheduled to air statewide in November from television stations at Little Rock, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Texarkana, AETN (Conway), and El Dorado-Monroe...

Stephan Charles Eubanks, 15, died in a tragic accident June 14, 2003, in Littleton, Colorado. In 1991, while living near Chicago, at the age of four he was saved when he prayed with his mother at bedtime. In 1998 he made another significant step in his spiritual journey by being baptized by his Dad along with one of his best friends...

Thelma Crouch, 88, of Piggott died July 10, 2003, in the Piggott Community Hospital in Piggott. She was born May 8, 1915, in Holcomb, the daughter of the late William Edgar and Sarah Bean McKenzie. She was united in marriage to Louie Crouch on Oct. 6, 1933. To this union two daughters were born...

Virginia Lorene Raines, 73, died June 28, 2003, in Scottsdale, Az. She was born Sept. 26, 1929, in Piggott to the late John and Clara Gettings. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Ted Raines; and three sisters, Betty Gettings, Martha Gettings and Kathern Young...

Ann Annette Duff, 54, of Corning died Monday, July 14, 2003, at her residence. She was born Dec. 19, 1948, in Whitehall, Ark., to Ollie Owen and Flora Mae Cook Crosno. She was united in marriage to Jerry Wayne Duff on Sept. 8, 1973. Mrs. Duff was retired from Basler Electric Company where she was an assembler. She attended New Hope Baptist Church in Pollard...

Mabel Stewart, 90, of Manila died July 12, 2003, at St. Bernard's Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. She was born July 24, 1912, in Pollard, the daughter of Joe and Donna Settlemoir Brady. She was preceded in death by her husband, Marion Stewart; one daughter, Lois Hillis; one son-in-law, Asa Hillis; two brothers and two sisters...

Mildred Phillips, 74, of Corning died Sunday, July 13, 2003, at her residence. She was born Nov. 23, 1928, in Hickoria, Ark., to Bob and Anna Taylor Woods. She was united in marriage to Donald Rex Phillips on Nov. 10, 1951. To this union two sons were born...

Madison Blake, 87, of St. Peters, Mo., formerly of Piggott, died Thursday, July 10, 2003, in the Brookview Nursing Center in St. Louis. She was born July 4, 1916, in Piggott, the daughter of the late Jessie Brown and Hattie Bailey. She was united in marriage to Clyde Blake in October of 1935. To this union two daughters and two sons were born...

A Piggott man died of injuries sustained in a two-vehicle accident Monday afternoon at the intersection of highways 90 and 280 near Peach Orchard in western Clay County. An Arkansas State Police spokesman said William Thrasher, 69, of 1628 Heritage Park Road, Piggott, was a passenger in a 1994 Ford Ranger driven by Robert Wagster, 63, also of Piggott, according to the police report...