Stories from Wednesday, September 3, 2003

The debate about which Rector senior high boy's basketball team was the best ever might not have a conclusive answer. Could the best team have been the 2001 Cougars? Maybe it was the Cougar team from the previous yearthe 2000 Cougars. Both of these teams were about as good a class AA high school basketball team as you are ever likely to see...

The annual Rector Labor Day Picnic generated $65,546.67, a $4,000 increase over last year, proving all roads do in indeed lead to Rector on Labor Day. Proceeds benefit the maintenance of the beautiful Woodland Heights Cemetery. The picnic capped a weekend full of activities that began Friday night and Saturday night with the ACA Rodeo, sponsored by the Rector Saddle Club and held at the Rector Arena...

Several formers Miss Rector beauty queens took to the stage Monday evening in a special presentation of the pageant's history during the annual Rector Labor Day Picnic. They were: 1946 Dortha Williams Webb. Married to Doyne Webb for 56 years, and they have a son, David Neil Webb, who is a golf pro in Cherokee Village...

Momentum is building in the grassroots movement to convince retired NATO General Wesley Clark to run for U.S. president. Members of the Arkansas "Draft Clark" group were in Rector at the Labor Day Picnic to speak to the crowd and distribute petitions for voters to sign...

Esther J. Perrin, 92, of Rector died Saturday Aug. 30, 2003, at Rector Healthcare. She was born March 27, 1911, in Rector, the daughter of the late William Finis Shannon and Ettie Gertrue (Shockley) Shannon. She was a retired clerk for Brown Shoe Company and was a member of Rector First United Methodist Church. She had lived most of her life in this community...

Bennie R. Burdin, 93, of Piggott, formerly of Rector, died Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2003, at the Piggott Community Hospital in Piggott. He was born Sept. 21, 1909, in Butler County, Ky., the son of the late John T. and Artilla Aldridge Burdin. He was united in marriage to Lena Lee Berry on Sept. 9, 1928. She preceded him in death on Aug. 23, 1989...

Steven Ray Taylor, 46, of Rector died Friday, Aug. 22, 2003, at St. Bernard's Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. He was born Sept. 1, 1956, in Kennett, the son of Edward and Ozella Bowman Taylor. He was united in marriage to Alice Darlene Johnson on Apr. 7, 1978, in Piggott...

Last Tuesday night at Cougar Field in Rector, the Piggott Mohawk and Rector Cougar senior and junior high teams scrimmaged in their annual preseason rivalry. Both schools played two quarters each of varsity and junior varsity action. Although the games did not count, there was no lack of intensity on the field as coaching staffs for both teams were still sorting out assignments and players were vying for starting roles...

Chris Gipson, who had never played football before, didn't know that he was going to play for the Cougars this year until the day before the final deadline was reached. Chris, who is a senior this year said, "I decided to play the morning of the day before the final deadline. ...

Chase Akins and Heather Mayberry both picked up Medalist Honors in Piggott's first golf match of the year. As teams, Piggott and Pocahontas both both finished with scores of 116 while host Corning ended the day with a 128 in the three-way match. Akins shot a 35 for the Piggott boys with Shane Eslahi firing a 39 and Jonathan Johnson carding a 42...

The annual Sugar Creek Country Club Three-Man Scramble will be held Sept. 6-7 in Piggott. Entry fee is $150 per team. Piggott State Bank is once again sponsoring a $10,000 hole-in-one prize. A few openings remain to be filled. For more information, interested persons may contact Daniel Gossett, Keith Crittenden, Brad Montgomery, or call Sugar Creek Country Club...

Last Tuesday night at Cougar Field in Rector, the Piggott Mohawk and Rector Cougar senior and junior high teams scrimmaged in their annual preseason rivalry. Both schools played two quarters each of varsity and junior varsity action. Although the games did not count, there was no lack of intensity on the field as coaching staffs for both teams were still sorting out assignments and players were vying for starting roles...

An old storage building has been given new life this year as the Piggott High School Parent Center. Act 603 of 2003 requires that every school creates a parental involvement plan and implements a parent center at each campus. All schools in the state of Arkansas were required to create a plan by Sept. 1, 2003...

The Piggott School District will hold a public meeting in conjunction with its regular school board meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8, in the high school cafeteria. The purpose of the meeting is to inform the district's patrons of the progress toward meeting the its goals and objectives as set in the Arkansas Consolidated School Improvement Plan...

Steven Ray Taylor, 46, of Rector died Friday, Aug. 22, 2003, at St. Bernard's Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. He was born Sept. 1, 1956, in Kennett, the son of Edward and Ozella Bowman Taylor. He was united in marriage to Alice Darlene Johnson on Apr. 7, 1978, in Piggott...

Bennie R. Burdin, 93, of Piggott, formerly of Rector, died Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2003, at the Piggott Community Hospital in Piggott. He was born Sept. 21, 1909, in Butler County, Ky., the son of the late John T. and Artilla Aldridge Burdin. He was united in marriage to Lena Lee Berry on Sept. 9, 1928. She preceded him in death on Aug. 23, 1989...

Argel Vyrdane Morrow of McDougal died Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2003, in the Regional Medical Center of Northeast Arkansas in Jonesboro. He was born Dec. 13, 1939, in McDougal, the son of the late Homer and Jewell Green Morrow. He was united in marriage to Patricia Ann Read on Sept. 17, 1960. To this union four children were born...

Arvel "Dick" Neely, 95, of Greenway died Sunday, Aug. 31, 2003, at Rector HealthCare. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, 2003, in the Hoggard and Sons Chapel with George Haygood officiating. Visitation will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday (today), Sept. 3...

Edgar Tisdal, 62, of Piggott died Saturday, Aug. 30, 2003, at his home in Piggott. He was born Apr. 10, 1941, in Hickoria, the son of Edgar Lee and Fannie Satterfield Dobbins Tisdal. He was united in marriage to Carolyn Sue Busby on Apr. 17, 1958. Mr. Tisdal was retired from L.A. Darling Company, where he worked as a forklift driver...

For Piggott fourth grader Alex Scheffler, the game of tennis is something to be taken seriously. This past summer, Scheffler spent a majority of her time on the tennis court taking lessons from Piggott head tennis coach Paul Seegraves. This year is Scheffler's third consecutive year of summer tennis lessons...

The Piggott tennis team kicked off their fall 2003 schedule last Tuesday splitting a match against Ridgefield Christian at Jonesboro. The girls team, behind singles wins by Krystal Bedwell, Dara Binkley, Ty Hahn, and Erica Redmon defeated Ridgefield Christian, 6-4...

The annual Piggott School District election will be held Tuesday, Sept. 16. Incumbent school board member Shawn Parker is being challenged by Phil Daffron, also of Piggott. Also, the district's voters will be asked to consider a tax levy of 35.44 mills, a 6.24 increase over the current millage. The proposed millage includes a state-mandated 25 mills for maintenance and operation and 10.44 mills for debt service...