Stories from Wednesday, August 10, 2005

A change in ownership has occurred at two major manufacturing plants in Piggott and Rector. Jim Freudenberg, president and CEO of The Wise Company, announced in a press release this week the acquisition of The Wise Company by D. Canale & Co., which is headquartered in Memphis...

Peewee football sign-ups will be held at Parker Field on Saturday, Aug. 13 from 10 a.m. until noon. Players entering grades 4-6 are encouraged to sign up. The team will hold practice immediately following the sign-up. Anyone with old equipment or clothing that would like to donate the items may drop them off at this time, also...

The seventh grade Mohawks will soon be hitting the fields to prepare for the 2005 football season. The team will be traveling to Walnut Ridge to face the Bobcats for the opening game of the season on Sept. 1. The seventh grade team will begin practice Aug. 15 and will continue through Aug. 18 from 5:15 until 6:30 p.m. The team and coaching staff will check out equipment on the same dates, beginning at 4:15 p.m. until 5...

The Piggott summer tennis league was held throughout the month of July to help get those eligible ready for the fall season. "I feel like the summer league was beneficial to the girls who participated," coach Paul Seegraves said. On July 7, Elise Watson defeated Kiley Mode, 6-2. Mercedes Arnold outscored Haley Lambert, 6-4. Victoria McDaniel defeated Danielle Tompkins, 6-0. Amanda Howell defeated Amanda Johnson, 6-0, while Hillary French defeated Sierra Owen, 6-4...

The Tri-County All-Stars 13-14 team made up of players from Rector, Piggott, Marmaduke, Corning and Walnut Ridge made the long journey to Grand Junction, Colo., this past weekend to take part in the Little League Junior League Regional Tournament. First up, the local boys faced the Colorado team on Friday. Tri-County won the game, 12-4. Marmaduke's Jacob Mason went 1-4 with 2 RBIs in the game. Logan Buck of Rector finished 1-4 with an RBI. Piggott's Daniel Baldwin was 2-2 in the contest...

More than $5,000 was raised this year for sight conservation and other charitable projects in the annual Piggott-Rector Lions Club benefit golf tournament. The event was held Wednesday, Aug. 3, at Sugar Creek Country Club in Piggott. The winning team, shooting a 12-under-par 60, was C.W. Knauts, Brian Gregory, Kevin Murray and Tanner Murray...

Rev. Jerry Murray, 63, of Poplar Bluff died on Aug. 2, 2005, at St. Louis University Hospital in St. Louis. He was born Sept. 24, 1941, in Knobel, the son of the late Loyd Franklin Murray and Lena Nettie (Whitaker) Murray. He was united in marriage to Linda (Perkins) Murray on Nov. 10, 1961, in Corning...

Leslie Dewayne Garner, 43, known lovingly as "Dutch" by family and close friends died on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2005, in a motorcycle accident. He was born on May 3, 1962, in St. Louis, the son of Howard Dewayne and Patsy (Blocker) Garner. A Piggott graduate, he married Christine Jones after high school and joined the military. ...

Manuel N. Brady, 84, of Rector, died Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2005, in the St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. He was born on June 11, 1921, in Pollard, the son of the late Richard Lawton and Tennie May Nicholas Brady. He was united in marriage to Dortha Sue Renard on Jan. 20, 1940. They had seven children. She preceded him in death on March 9, 2000...

Concerned citizens met with members of the Piggott Planning and Zoning Board, Board of Adjustments, the Piggott City Council and the Piggott School Board at 6 p.m. Monday evening at the Piggott Community Center to discuss the proposed construction of a new gymnasium and cafeteria at Piggott High School...

Soon, the sounds of bells will once again be heard echoing through the halls in the Piggott Public Schools buildings. Once more, school age children will fill the halls and classrooms as school begins on Friday, Aug. 19. Teachers have been back at the elementary and high school campuses since Monday, Aug. 8...

Kevin Reddick has joined the faculty at Piggott Elementary. Reddick was hired as the new elementary principal. The position was formerly held by Joan Gossett, who now serves as district academic advisor. Reddick has 20 years of experience working in the education field. ...

Louise Loyd, 71, of Piggott died Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2005, in the St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. She was born May 21, 1934, in Athens, Ala., the daughter of the late John and Bessie Gatlin Andrew. She was united in marriage to Arthur Loyd on Sept. 20, 1952. They had four children...

Winona Marcella Shelton Kegley, 84, of Piggott died Friday, Aug. 5, 2005, in the Piggott Community Hospital in Piggott. She was born on June 20, 1921, in Holcomb, the daughter of the late W.R. and Willard Bailey Shelton. She was united in marriage to Rev. Lloyd Kegley on May 28, 1938. They had four children. He preceded her in death on Aug. 11, 1994...

Youngsters at Marmaduke may have the opportunity to improve their basketball skills in a team environment this year, as plans are underway for the school's basketball program to include a team made up of third grade players in both boys and girls peewee basketball. The addition is being considered to allow more activities for the area's youth, as well as help secure the programs of the future...

More than $5,000 was raised this year for sight conservation and other charitable projects in the annual Piggott-Rector Lions Club benefit golf tournament. The event was held Wednesday, Aug. 3, at Sugar Creek Country Club in Piggott. The winning team, shooting a 12-under-par 60, was C.W. Knauts, Brian Gregory, Kevin Murray and Tanner Murray...

Winona Marcella Shelton Kegley, 84, of Piggott died Friday, Aug. 5, 2005, in the Piggott Community Hospital in Piggott. She was born on June 20, 1921, in Holcomb, the daughter of the late W.R. and Willard Bailey Shelton. She was united in marriage to Rev. Lloyd Kegley on May 28, 1938. They had four children. He preceded her in death on Aug. 11, 1994...

Ray Goodman, 66, of Mannford, Okla., formerly of Rector, died Monday, July 25, 2005. He was born March 21, 1939, in Rector to Pearl (Walker) and Harry Goodman. He worked in Michigan before moving in 1982 to Oklahoma, where he founded Ray Goodman Custom Built Homes in 1984. Goodman became known for custom-built homes throughout the Mannford, Sand Springs and Cleveland, Okla., areas...

Manuel N. Brady, 84, of Rector, died Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2005, in the St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. He was born on June 11, 1921, in Pollard, the son of the late Richard Lawton and Tennie May Nicholas Brady. He was united in marriage to Dortha Sue Renard on Jan. 20, 1940. They had seven children. She preceded him in death on March 9, 2000...

He was born Jan. 6, 1915, in Rector to the late Jesse and Mabel Bell Long and was married July 6, 1941, in Kennett, Mo., to Vivian Tuck Long, who died in 1996. He also was preceded in death by four siblings, Eldo, Marie, Joe and Jesse Oguin. Mr. Long worked on the family farm raising cotton until May 1941. ...

The dogday cicada has started to sing, signaling the waning of summer and evoking, for most Rectorites, excitement about another upcoming Labor Day Picnic. This year's picnic is set for Monday, Sept. 5, but, as always, the entire weekend will be filled with fun for the whole family...

A change in ownership has occurred at two major manufacturing plants in Piggott and Rector. Jim Freudenberg, president and CEO of The Wise Company, announced in a press release this week the acquisition of The Wise Company by D. Canale & Co., which is headquartered in Memphis...

Harps Food Stores has donated $5,000 to the Rector Parks and Recreation Commission through monies raised in the annual Harps Charity Golf Classic at Springdale. The money will be used by the city's Sports Complex Committee to purchase protective netting for the fields at the Jeremy McDaniel Memorial Sports Complex...

Another hot Rector summer is coming to an end, just as the start of another school year is approaching for Rector School District students, staff and faculty. Students will return to school Friday, Aug. 19, and teachers are to return Monday, Aug. 15...

Cities, counties and other agencies have been notified this past week of the upcoming funding of numerous projects across the state through the General Improvement Fund appropriations enacted by the Arkansas General Assembly. A total of $52 million was appropriated in the recent legislative session for projects across the state...

The Tri-County All-Stars 13-14 team made up of players from Rector, Piggott, Marmaduke, Corning and Walnut Ridge made the long journey to Grand Junction, Colo., this past weekend to take part in the Little League Junior League Regional Tournament. First up, the local boys faced the Colorado team on Friday. Tri-County won the game, 12-4. Marmaduke's Jacob Mason went 1-4 with 2 RBIs in the game. Logan Buck of Rector finished 1-4 with an RBI. Piggott's Daniel Baldwin was 2-2 in the contest...