Stories from Wednesday, September 22, 2004

An issue of convenience versus an issue of public safety was how many members of the Piggott City Council assessed the situation of closing the Lincoln Street railroad crossing during the Council's meeting at city hall Monday evening. The ordinance to close the crossing was placed on its second reading during the meeting. ...

Walter "Clet" Thompson, 85, of Venice, Fla., formerly of Piggott, died Saturday, Sept. 11, 2004. He served his country in World War II in the U.S. Army Air Force. He was a member of the Venice Church of Christ. He is survived by his loving wife, Jeanette; three sisters, Hazel Thompson, Opal Coburn and Pauline Looney; three nieces, Virginia Harris and husband, Charles, Margie Culpepper and Elaine Nixon and husband, James; and one nephew, Jerry Rogers and wife, Rosie...

The Senior Mohawks will be battling for their second conference win on Friday, Sept 24 at Parker Field against the Cross County Thunderbirds. According to head coach Ken Shumate the break the Mohawks had from an open date has helped the Mohawks. "We've had some nagging injuries that it has given time to heal," said Shumate. ...

"We were another 30 seconds away from being undefeated," said assistant coach Michael Harrell, of the Junior Mohawks loss to the Cross County Junior Thunderbirds. The Junior Mohawks traveled to Cherry Valley to take on the Thunderbirds on Thursday, Sept. 16. The Junior Mohawks fell to 1-2 on the season as they dropped a hard fought contest 14-7...

The seventh grade Mohawks continue to roll through their opponents. On Monday, Sept. 13, the Mohawks defeated the seventh grade Greene County Tech Eagles with a final score of 8-0. The Mohawks scored the only points of the night in the first half of the game...

The PHS tennis teams traveled to Paragould on Monday, Sept. 13, to take on the Paragould High School and the East Poinsett County tennis teams. According to head tennis coach Paul Seegraves, the EPC boys' team has a 36 match winning streak going. The Mohawk team came close to ending that streak. ...

Piggott High School's head tennis coach, Paul Seegraves, was recently named Arkansas Coach of the Year for boys' tennis for the 2003-2004 school year. The award was a culmination of his 13 year coaching career at Piggott. Coach Seegraves will be nominated for Sectional Coach of the Year, which covers the states between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. Sectional winners will be nominated for National Coach of the Year...

The PHS golf teams were busy this week competing in the Manila Tournament, which is only for the boys' division, and the District Tournament. The boys' division was involved in play at the Manila Tournament which was held on Sept. 13 at the Big Creek Country Club in Manila. ...

The PHS tennis teams thoroughly defeated the Corning tennis teams on Tuesday, Sept. 14, at Corning. Coach Paul Seegraves said, "I'm very pleased for the boys' team to be 5-2 at this point." He continued, "I'm also pleased with the girls' team being 4-3 as it is better than we all expected."...

Leamon Ervin Edgar, 68, of Piggott died Saturday, Sept. 18, 2004, at Piggott Community Hospital. He was born at Maynard and had lived in Piggott for seven years. Mr. Edgar was formerly of Brookland and was a retired farmer. Survivors include one sister, Mrs. Ollie Robinson of Paragould...

Jaunita Mead Mooneyhan, 82, of Inkster, Mich., died Aug. 23, 2004, in Michigan. She was born March 2, 1922, the daughter of the late Ben and Lillie Mead. She was united in marriage to Herman Mooneyhan on Oct. 11, 1937. They had two daughters. She was preceded in death by one daughter, Lotta Fulner; one great-granddaughter; three sisters, Freda Fletcher, Flossie Dulock and Julia Cogley; and one brother, Daniel Mead...

Elton Branson Davis, 65, of Rossville, Tenn., died Monday, Aug. 30, 2004, at the Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital. He retired from ABF Freight Systems after 42 years. He was preceded in death by his father, Branson "Speck" Davis. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Diana Davis; a daughter, Dana Davis of Arlington, Tenn.; a son, Keith Davis of Rossville, Tenn.; his mother, Virginia Carman of Piggott; two sisters, Carolyn Featherston and husband, James, and Erma Dean Campbell and late husband, Bill, all of Piggott; two brothers, Larry Davis and wife, Sandra, and Edmund Davis and wife, Marie, all of Piggott; four grandchildren and a great-grandchild.. ...

A letter from the Arkansas Department of Education was presented to the Quorum Court Monday evening. The letter explained that county schools have been awarded over $15,000 from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The funds were generated from fines, fees and costs from fines of persons violating state laws protecting game, fish and wildlife. ...

Robert Jackson was the apparent winner of the School Board Election on Tuesday, Sept. 21, according to unofficial results issued to the Piggott Times at press time Tuesday evening. The results were as follows: Robert Jackson -- 322. Roger McDaniel -- 265...

The Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center, located at 1021 West Cherry Street in Piggott, an institution of Arkansas State University, will hold the fifth annual quilt exhibition entitled A Celebration of Quilting from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25...

Former Piggott High School student Will Mobley recently went on the trip of a lifetime. He was one of eight students from Rector High School Theatre Troupe 4089 who participated in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. The students also toured the sights of London, England, during the 13-day whirlwind journey...

The Piggott Community Hospital held a kick-off on Friday, Sept. 10 for the "Excellence in Progress" program and to promote patient and employee satisfaction. Kelly Jordan, chairman of the project said,"We've got ten different teams that are working on target areas. Each team is explaining the things that are taking place to employees. The hospital wants to encourage patients and their families to look for the changes throughout the facility,"...

Esther Evelyn Fry, 79, of Farmington, Mo., died Sept. 15, 2004, at MARMC in Farmington. She was born Feb. 1, 1925, in Williamsville, Mo., to Clarence and Nora Armstrong Bristow. She was a member of Farmington First Baptist Church and married George Franklin Fry 58 years ago on Sept. 7, 1946...

Otho Campbell, 89, of Amory, Miss., formerly of Piggott, died Saturday, Sept. 18, 2004, in Amory. He was born Oct. 29, 1914, in Piggott, the son of the late Arthur Glen and Hattie Jane Fields Campbell. He was united in marriage to Oline M. Miller on June 29, 1940. She preceded him in death on July 30, 2000. He married Jewerldean Jacobs Pavlick on Sept. 22, 2001...

Stanley "Dusty" Gunnels, 49, of Piggott died Saturday, Sept. 18, 2004, at the Piggott Community Hospital. He was born April 19, 1955, in Gideon, Mo., the son of Norman and Stella Sharp Gunnels. He was united in marriage to Tamie Murray on Oct. 27, 1989...

Eight students from Rector High School experienced the journey of a lifetime this summer when members of Theatre Troupe 4089 participated in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. The students also toured the sights of London, England, during the 13-day whirlwind journey...

Long-time Rector resident and business owner Bonnie Marie Clayton, 75, died Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2004, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. Clayton moved to Rector in 1967 when she married Freddie Earl "Jack" Clayton. He preceded her in death in December of 1980...

A letter from the Arkansas Department of Education was presented to the Quorum Court Monday evening. The letter explained that county schools have been awarded over $15,000 from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The funds were generated from fines, fees and costs from fines of persons violating state laws protecting game, fish and wildlife. ...

"We're excited about going and we're excited about seeing what God is going to do in the lives of the Filipino people, but we've discovered that it is very difficult to leave," Kenny Burns said about the mission trip that is ahead for him and his wife, Genny Burns...

James Wallace Hopper, 80, of Bartlett, Tenn., formerly of this area, died Wednesday Sept. 15, 2004, at his residence. He was born Feb. 21, 1924, in Lowell, Ark., the son of the late Ruby Hopper. He was area manager for General Electric, a member of Rock Springs Methodist Church and a World War II Navy veteran...

Clifford Ray Strong, 68, of Dearborn Heights, Mich., died Monday, Sept. 13, 2004. He was preceded in death by his father, Floyd Strong. He is survived by his wife, Karen Strong, of the home; his mother, Moria Strong of St. Francis; two daughters, Lisa Carpen and Rita Stockman and husband, Michael, all of Michigan; a brother, Ronald Strong and wife, Carla, all of Michigan; a sister, Stella Bledsoe of Rector; six grandchildren, Morgan, Chelsea, Courtney, Tyler, Mitchell and Melissa, all of Michigan.. ...

After two games as the visiting team, the Junior Cougars played their home opener against EPC on Thursday. An omen hung overhead in the form of a gray sky as action got underway. The Warriors from East Poinsett County started the game off at their own 35 after the kickoff went out-of-bounds. ...

After a promising preseason, the Rector peewee teams have since met with stiff opposition. The young Cougars suffered disappointing losses to the peewee Mohawks on Tuesday, Sept. 14, losing both the sixth grade and the fourth and fifth grade games. The sixth grade team was downed by the Mohawks, 40-0. Rector scrambled to find an answer to the larger Mohawk team, but could find no response...