Stories from Tuesday, August 3, 2010

The late Ethridge "Bokum" McKeel is one of three 2010 Rector High School Sports Hall of Fame inductees who will be honored during the annual Hall of Fame Luncheon on Saturday, Sept. 4. McKeel, known to his teammates and many friends as "Bokum", was a standout athlete during his time at Rector High School. He stood out not only for his talent, but also for his size, standing 6'5" when he graduated high school in 1932...

Rector High School's beautiful new gymnasium was cool and quiet Tuesday morning, but the facility exploded with activity today as workers began unloading sound and light equipment, putting chairs in place and tackling hundreds of other final details for Rector's 2010 concert Thursday night, Aug. 5, to benefit the RHS Helping Hands Foundation...

Daniel Van Aalsburg is taking over the duties as band director at Rector High School. "I'm really excited about the upcoming school year," Van Aalsburg said. "I've had the opportunity to see the Rector band in a few performances and competitions, and I think there's a lot of potential there."...

Local residents are invited to take part Saturday, Aug. 14, in the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program's "Walks Through History" free tour of the Rector Commercial Historic District. The event is set to begin at 11 a.m. at the Rector Downtown Park, at the corner of South Main and Front Streets. The 1 ½ to 2-hour tour, which also will end at the Rector Downtown Park, is co-sponsored by Rector Downtown Central, a part of Main Street Arkansas's Downtown Network program...

James Harold Tracer, 82, of Rector passed away Sunday, Aug. 1, 2010, at the Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. He was born July 14, 1929, to the late R.C. and Bessie (Lester) Tracer in Red Onion, Mo. He enjoyed life to the fullest and served as a jack-of-all-trades. He was a farmer, a stock car driver, drove for Glen Sain Motor Sales for 20 years, loved working with horses and being with his family...

Goldie Irene Parmenter, age 95, died peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010, in St. Louis, Mo. She was born Aug. 15, 1914, near Boydsville, Ark., to the late William (Bill) and Rhonda (Chilcutt) Reed. She was the third of seven children. She was married to T. Bennie Parmenter on Oct. 18, 1931. They were married 68 years, until his death in 2000...

The late, great David Brinkley once reported that his son had published a paper entitled "You Are Entitled to My Opinion" --- he didn't say what grade he got for that work. Each columnist we know, including this scribe, however, sets forth his offering of poetry and/or prose each week with the same attitude...

We all realize that the downtown areas of communities, both large and small, have experienced stress (to say the least) as a result of economic changes over the years. Most of us remember the vibrant atmosphere that existed in downtown areas in years past as the businesses located there were the focus of commercial life...

It's hot enough to fry an egg on a sidewalk. For sure, it's hot out there. Several summers ago, at high noon, I did try frying an egg outside. I found a piece of discarded metal, laid it on a concrete walkway, and proceeded to fry an egg. I cracked the egg and it slid out onto the metal "skillet."...