Grandson of famous author helps mark 10th anniversary of HPMEC

ASU Chancellor John Potts (left) welcomes those in attendance at the 10th anniversary of the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Education Center in Piggott. The keynote speaker for the occasion was John Hemingway (right) grandson of the famous author.
(Times photo/Tim Blair)

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The exhibit, the first permanent display at the local museum, is a four by 16 foot panel showing the timeline of the Hemingway visits to Piggott. Following the unveiling, John Hemingway, son of Ernest Hemingway's son, Gregory, who spoke at the grand opening of the museum, talked about his new book on the relationship between his father and grandfather. John Hemingway also signed books for those in attendance.

With a standing-room-only crowd in the renovated barn studio, ASU Chancellor Robert L. Potts gave a welcome. Dr. Ruth Hawkins, director of Delta Heritage Initiatives, then gave the background on the new exhibit prior to the unveiling. The panel outlines all the years that Ernest and Pauline were married and breaks each year down into months. By using the color-coded graph, visitors will be able to see the times when Ernest and Pauline, or just Pauline and the boys, were in residence at Piggott.

Hawkins noted that many people have the misconception that Ernest Hemingway didn't spend much time in Piggott during the marriage to Pauline, but the new exhibit illustrates how much he did. The panel also contains new photos and comments from letters that were never released.

"We're very proud of the effort. It's a different approach and our first permanent exhibit," she said.

Potts and Hawkins also took time to offer thanks to local lawmakers for their efforts in securing funding for the museum for the coming two years. State Representative Mike Patterson of Piggott and State Senator Robert Thompson of Paragould, who were both in attendance, were applauded for their efforts in the legislature this past term. Both were instrumental in gaining the approval of funding for the local museum and other heritage sites operated by ASU.

Hawkins introduced John Hemingway, grandson of Ernest and Pauline, and author of the new book Strange Tribe. Although he came to Piggott to talk about the book and his famous grandfather, Hemingway found himself engrossed in stories of his great-grandfather Paul Pfeiffer.

"I found out a lot about the man who is basically responsible for helping develop this region. It's been a voyage of discovery for me. It's still hard for me to believe that I come from people that have a history like this."

On making his first trip to the state and the local museum, Hemingway noted he was impressed with what he found.

"It was really a delightful experience to see the quality of the museum," he said. "I was very pleasantly surprised.

Speaking of his book, Hemingway said, "It's really a biography of the relationship between my father and grandfather, using mostly unpublished letters written between them in the 1950's. It outlines a love-hate relationship between two men who were really very similar in nature. My dad was very much his father's son."

The book outlines the life of Gregory Hemingway, John's father, who experimented with cross dressing throughout his life and later became a transsexual. Gregory died in the Women's Correctional Facility of the Miami-Dade County Jail in 2001. The volume seeks to explain the relationship between the two men and shed some light on the way the lives of the father and son reflected each other.

When asked if his writing style could be considered "Hemingwayesque," he observed, "I've learned that you can't write any other way than what is your own style. I have had people tell me that there are similarities, but to say that you have tendencies from your grandfather or father would only be natural."

Hemingway, who currently lives in the Montreal area, noted he will be returning to Piggott in the future and plans to bring his family.

"This is a part of their heritage, too, and we will be coming back," he added of his children.

Hemingway also attended a book signing at ASU Wednesday, July 29. Following his appearance in Piggott, he attended another event at That Bookstore in Blytheville. Copies of his book currently are available in the gift shop at the local museum for those who were unable to attend the event.