Stories from Thursday, June 14, 2007

The sounds of summer erupted from the Jeremy McDaniel Memorial Sports Complex over the last weekend. The Rector facility was the site of the 10th annual Dr Pepper/Pepsi Bash softball tournament. Twenty-five teams competed in four brackets determined by age groups...

Thomas "Tom" Walker Pratt, 86, of Lake City, formerly of Rector, died Saturday, June 9, 2007, at Lakeside Nursing Center. Born Jan. 25, 1921, in Brigton, Ark., to the late W.W. Pratt and Katie Bell Shatley Pratt, he was a carpenter and painter. He also was preceded in death by his wife, Jean Gilkerson Pratt, in April 2005, and one sister, Ollie Edgin...

Paul Nordmeyer, 28, of Marmaduke died Monday, June 11, 2007, at his home. He was born Aug. 22, 1978, to Donald and Carol Nordmeyer. He was preceded in death by his father. Survivors include his mother, Carol Nordmeyer; one son, Michael Nordmeyer; one brother and sister-in-law, Patrick and Kim Nordmeyer of Rector, and two sisters, Pamela Jenkins of Marmaduke and Penny Boozer of Rector...

Mamie Seen Glover, 92, of Murphy Health and Rehabilitation in Piggott, died Friday, June 8, 2007, at Piggott Community Hospital. She was born Sept. 30, 1914, in Piggott, to the late Oscar Olen and Nola Green "Davis" Gordon. She was married to Ural Lester Glover, who also preceded her in death, as did three brothers, Marshall Gordon, Delbert Gordon and Eldridge Gordon, and two sisters, Myrl Gordon and Lee Gordon Newman...

Nearly 1,000 members and guests attended the 68th annual membership meeting of Clay County Electric Cooperative June 8 at Wynn Park in Corning, according to official registration numbers furnished by the cooperative. All in attendance were entertained by the Rhodes Family, who performed on the stage, while several organizations operated food stands, cooperative employees operated bingo and muffin pan games...

The Marmaduke School Board showed their appreciation for outgoing superintendent Debbie Smith by approving a five percent raise for Smith's efforts over the last year. Smith announced her retirement in April, stating her desire to seek "further opportunities in education."...

Rector residents and visitors to the town soon will have another dining option. Work is underway on the future Highway 49 site of Bowden's Family Restaurant. The ground has been raised and leveled for the foundation, but recent rains have slowed concrete work required for the next step...

While students enjoy their summer vacation, work is continuing at Rector High School. A crew from Ramson's Construction is making modifications to the district's science building, which also houses the superintendent's office. The facility, originally constructed in 1964, is being "modernized" to match the look of the other buildings on campus...

As the guiding force behind the Rector School District's cafeteria, Mary Curtis has helped generations of hungry students and faculty members receive the food they needed to return to the classroom refreshed and focused. Curtis, 69, is retiring after 33 years of overseeing the school's cafeteria...

Plans continue for the second annual Alumni-Oldtimers baseball game, set for July 4, at Independence Park in Piggott. The fun kicks-off with a homerun derby at 4:00, with the game to follow. The game will feature two teams, made up of PHS alumni and other oldtimers, grouped according to the year they graduated. Under the format members of the even number graduating years would play the odd number year grads...

The search continues for nominations to our mythical PHS Gym Dream Team among the athletes who performed in the old building. We'll continue to accept nominations until the end of June and will feature the full list in our special Fourth of July edition...

The Sugar Creek Country Club in Piggott hosted a 2-Lady scramble last Tuesday, June 15, with 24 teams hitting the fairways. At day's end trophies were handed-out in four divisions. Taking first place in the championship flight, with a 67, were Barbara Dalton of Bloomfield, Mo., and Suzie Ruppert of Poplar Bluff. Linda Mason and Bonnie Boatner of Pocahontas took second with a 70, while Ellen Rogers of Paragould and Mary Alice Dement of Blytheville took third with a 72...

Kenneth E. Spicer, 62, of Lauderdale, Miss., died Tuesday, June 5, 2007, in Meridian, Miss. He was born on Jan. 23, 1945 in Detroit, Mich., and was the son of the late J. W. "Pete" and Mildred Martin Spicer. He is survived by his wife Peggy; one son, Kenneth W. ...

Johnny "Bill" Mulherin, 79, of Flint Mich., died Friday, May 25, 2007 at the Genesys Hospice Care Center in Goodrich, Mich. Funeral services were held Tuesday, May 29, at the Swartz Funeral Home with the Rev. Gerald St. Cin officiating. Burial was in the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly. Masonic services were conducted Monday, May 28 at the funeral home chapel...

Kathryn Wilcox, 81, died Sunday, June 3, 2007, after a battle with Parkinson's Disease. Mary Kathryn Wilcox was born Aug. 5, 1925, to Ed and Bessie Curtis Wright in Rector. She was preceded in death by her parents, her spouses and her sister. Wilcox lived and worked in Paragould the majority of her life. ...

1967 Plans continued for the annual 4th of July Picnic and Homecoming. The parade directors were Gary Dehls, C.W. Knauts and Ron Moss. Greenway planned to hold a street dance on Saturday, June 17. Money from the event would be used for the purchase of a fire truck, and fire equipment, for the community...

The Piggott Area Chamber of Commerce announced the new board for the 2007- 2008 fiscal year. Officers are: Rhonda Harlan, president; Lottie Gookin, vice-president; Lisa Mikel, treasurer. Board members for the year are: past-president Glenda Spicer, Deanna Dismukes, Janet Luff, Wanda Morris, Rusty Ort, Ed Winberry, Roland Mann, Betty Redmon, and Shirley Schoettlin. ...

At a regular meeting on June 11, the Hall-Gravel Hill Cemetery Association named these workers for the 68th annual St. Francis Picnic, which will be held Saturday, July 21: Master of ceremonies- Johnny McKenney. Hamburger stand- Mr. and Mrs. Junior Haywood, Steve Hooten, Mr. and Mrs. Tony Mann, Tony Neeley, Gerald Oxley and Justin Hooten...

Nada "Maxine" Emberton, 81, of Piggott, died Sunday, June 10, 2007, at the North East Arkansas Medical Center in Jonesboro. She worked as a switchboard operator for many years and was of the First Christian faith. She was preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Edith Sale Douglas; one sister, Jeanette Douglas; and half brother Jackie Douglas...

Mamie Seen Glover, 92, of the Murphy Health and Rehabilitation in Piggott, died Friday, June 8, 2007, at the Piggott Community Hospital. She was born Sept. 30, 1914, in Piggott, the daughter of the late Oscar Olen and Nola Green "Davis" Gordon. She was married to Ural Lester Glover. She was a homemaker and was a member of the Wright's Chapel Methodist church in Piggott...

Eulalia Haywood, 84, of Greenway, died Friday, June 8, 2007 in Murphy Healthcare and Rehabilitation in Piggott. She was born on April 2, 1923, in Rector, and was the daughter of the late Charles and Ida Bain Sinko. She was married to Glen Dale Haywood on Oct. 12, 1941 and they had two children. He preceded her in death on March 30, 2000...

Linda Hendon, 59, of Poplar Bluff, formerly of Piggott, Arkansas, died Friday, June 8, 2007 in the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. Linda was born Dec. 12, 1947 in Kennett, the daughter of James W. and Wanda V. Henson Hendon. She was preceded in death by her father James and one brother, Tony...

Vacation Bible Schools are in full swing already and will go on through the next several weeks. Even so, I wonder if we aren't missing the mark on VBS. Before I go on, let me say I'm a big fan of VBS. I think VBS is a fantastic event on multiple levels. ...

Nearly 1,000 members and guests attended the 68th annual membership meeting of Clay County Electric Cooperative June 8 at Wynn Park in Corning, according to official registration numbers furnished by the cooperative. All in attendance were entertained by the Rhodes Family, who performed on the stage, while several organizations operated food stands, cooperative employees operated bingo and muffin pan games...

Gordon Slaten is content to be a private. He's already had real command in the real army. As a Civil War reenactor, Slaten just wants to be a private and have fun playing. Slaten is a Civil War reenactor, someone who dresses up in a Civil War period uniform and spends a day or weekend living as someone did from 1860-1865. Civil War reenacting as a hobby has grown over the last twenty-plus years. The roots can actually be traced back to Civil War veterans' reunions in the early 1900s...

The ongoing gym-classroom construction project, at PHS, dominated much of the discussion at Monday night's regular school board meeting. Board members also found the time to handle several personnel matters and take care of a number of issues. On hand for the meeting were all members of the board, along with interim superintendent Barry DeHart, incoming superintendent Ed Winberry, and administrative staff members Joan Gossett and Sheila Mayberry...

It was really just a natural progression for Ed Winberry to step into the position of superintendent for the Piggott school district, a position he will officially begin on July 1, but has already begun as "administrative consultant." A Piggott native, Winberry graduated from PHS in 1969 and went on to college for two years before being drafted into the U.S. Army...

Thomas W. (T.W.) Leggett Jr., former president of Piggott State Bank and founder of the Piggott Times, died Monday in Memphis. He was 84. Leggett was a long-time local leader, and helped weave the very fabric that is the city of Piggott. Leggett was born Oct. ...