Thanks Add Your Comments Go To Bottom of Page   Make Music Selections The Genius of Bobby Smithey Garys List (eMail) A Life Named Gary Shinall by Bobby Smithey          I just wanted to see if wither of you would like to join in the round robin of e-mails commencing this month. Initially they were begun by Bobby Smithey and Ralph Rouse in attempt to cheer the ailing Gary Shinall up with Growing Up Years Reminiscences. Because their spillover effect has been to cheer ALL OF US UP and provide an excellent opportunity to recall and recap our various Elementary School memories as a starter, I'm hopeful you two will join in as well, and invite any and all other participants.                                                    Your friend always, Hames     Subject: OUR GROWING UP YEARS IN PB Dear Bobby and Ralph,      I just wanna say to you both, that these wonderful reminiscences of our respective growing up years in PB, have to be uplifting to Gary Shinall, as he struggles with Lou Gehrig's, but they are also having a spillover effect on all of us fortunate enough to be also receiving them !      In fact, via your First Ward memories, I think you may have provided the impetus to prompt all of us to consider adding our collective memories of those great growing up years, capturing moments to include all our old Elementary School & adjoining neighborhood memories. It seems to me a great place to begin would be to just off the top of our heads, type into e-mails, the names of as many of our classmates from each of our respective schools as we can recall. No doubt seeing all those names will prompt a multitude of memories for all of us.      Since, when I returned to PB I was asked to co-write a History of PB Schools with Miss Martin , the English teacher who taught my dad and me and a bunch of others, and was given an office that housed EVERY SINGLE ROLL BOOK FOR EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL from the late 1800's on thru the 1950's, I got the great opportunity to look at all our history for several generations ( For instance, my great aunt Elulalie had kept her birth year a secret, but in the old ledgers I found it...1883....This was significant, because when she finally passed away, it was 1993.      A Christian Scientist, she managed to live 110 years. When I told my doctor that she'd lived to be 110 and never saw a doctor, he smiled and said " Maybe that's why she lived so long ! " ) Anyway since the return to PB was pre copy machines I was unable to photocopy anything, but I did painstakingly try to write down all the names from the roll books for 4th-6th grades at Lakeside, since those were the years I attended. So if any or all think this might be good fun, plus a hedge on developing early memory loss, I propose that we begin brainstorming off the top of our heads and recalling as many names of classmates and teachers, coaches and custodians, and just see how many we can cumulatively recall.      As I recall, here are the chronological listings of our elementary schools: Sixth Avenue First Ward Sam Taylor Gabe Meyer Lakeside and of course there's the Annunciation Academy too I think between TBarton, TStone, et al, we can start the Lakeside ball rolling. I will also forward this to Fred Ursery ( who I hope will pass along to Milton Hughes et al ) and Bobby Kientz to hopefully help recall some classmates at Sam Taylor. As for Sixth Avenue, that's a tougher one. I know that Overton Anderson attended, as did Cappy Ware and the West Twins, and Freddy might be able to get this to Overton and Cappy. I'll close for now and await your response, but just so I'm doing my part, I will next forward a reminiscence I wrote recently that, tho not directly related to our grade schools, is a story from the same era. It involved our scout troop that met at Lakeside Methodist and the highlight of which was all our campouts. Our scoutmasters included an elderly alcoholic and a shell shocked WWII veteran, who, bless his heart, peddled a bicycle in to our meetings, all the way from the Pine Bluff Arsenal.      The members of our scout troop as far as I can  recall included George Lemen, Dick Dewoody, Tommy Barton, Johnny Williams, myself, Bill Stephenson, Bun Deweese, Wally Pefferkorn, Buddy Reid, Wayne Matthews, and a number of others, but that's enough names for the time being.      The reason for my trying my best to recreate the Scout Story was that recently I put " Will O the Wisp" into Wikipedia, just to see how thorough this web site is. Well, it didn't let me down, and tons of info turned up. That was the good news. The dismaying news was that, Science, because it can't authenticate that which it can't trap in a bottle and study, has apparently relegated the Will O the Wisp to the same category as UFO's !!!!      That was enough to prompt me to not only try to recall our camp out encounter, but also to get corroboration from at least two other eyewitnesses. Thank God, I was able to. Even with so many of our compatriots gone, fortunately Dick Dewoody and Bill Stephenson, were able to recall, just as vividly as I had and thus I was able to submit 3 eyewitnesses to be able to say the Will O The Wisp DID exist, at least back in the early 1950's south of PB, before all the swamps and other remote locations for it began to be filled in or disappeared.      So anyway, I hope the soon to be forwarded recounting of our old scouting story will be good fun reading and my initially sparse, but soon to be expanded ( God willin' ) list of names from those same years, will prompt one and all to begin listing as many of their Elementary School Classmates, Teachers et al, and before we know it we may have a cumulative grand all star cast list of all the major and minor players from those thrilling days of yesteryear.      And I will close with a piece of trivia: What was the name of the movie theater that sat beside the side of the Strand ?? And so until the Will o the Wisp follows, I would only ask that, Ralph, you and Bobby, forward this to any others of the regulars you think might enjoy this all.      I will, as stated, forward on my own to the aforementioned above, and count on ya'll to forward on to any and all you like. Thanks Old Friends !  Hames OK, here goes ! Please keep in mind, I am out of my depth on anything pre 4th grade, but will recap the names I have heard over the years when they come to me.      Principal: Mrs. Discher, then Mrs. Jones Coach: Rodney Ryan, then Newt McCullough ( " Don't Call Me Newt ! " )          Custodian: Wesley ( A great ole fella )      Teachers: Page, Cherry, Thornton and Tarver, Roupe and Bryant      Nurse: Mrs. Ferguson Supv. Mrs Dalby Head of Maintenence: Mr. Grauman ( Butch & Sissy's dad )      Police Chief : My Great Uncle, Met Galligher...oops...just kiddin' that one doesn't belong !!! BUT George Lemen's grandad WAS Fire Chief !!      Rita Rowell, Bun Deweese, Dick Dewoody,Wayne Matthews, Mike Crane, Clifford Crain, Mercer Mayer ( Now a famous childrens'book illustrator. I learned to draw watching him and Mike Crane, tho I sure never was as good as they were, even back then ! ), Johnny Williams, Tommy Barton, Tommy Stone, Tommy Clayton, Auvergne Weatherall, Nell Phillips,Penny Perdue,Catherine Young, Margaret Coster, Buddy reid, Bo Reid ( I believe he went back a grade at some point...which brings me to The Perry Twins...Penny said she doesn't recall them at Lakeside, yet I, like every other red blooded Lakeside boy vividly recall Becky being there. My memory is tho that she and Reggie had spent part of their elementary school years at First Ward. Maybe some of you can confirm that. But at any rate, I know I recall hearing once that both sets of twins, The Roops at First Ward and The Perrys at Lakeside had voluntarily stayed back a year, when their twin came down with serious illness, and that's what allowed us to have both these twins in our own class of 1961 !      Well, I'm at work and breaktime is over. I will try to pick this back up at some point, but will also hope that some of you will bring forth your own additions and that you First Warders, Gabe Meyerers, Sam Taylorers, and Sixth Avenuers and AA'ers will start your own lists rollin' Your friend always, Hames PS Once again as you'll note, I am forwarding this to a limited number, uncertain of who else might enjoy all this memory exercizing ( exorcizing ??!! ) I will leave it to you others to get this along to any others you think might enjoy and add their own !! HW      First off, an apologia.. Why this computer at work insists on adding "?"'s every time I start a new paragraph is a bewilderment, and I apologize for the distraction. If I knew how to stop it I would, since I don't I just trust you all will know that strings of question marks are not my doing. Thanks ! Now to the Question at hand :       Ya'll, here's a real puzzler. Not sure we can arrive at a satisfactory answer, but any thoughts on it all will be greatly enjoyed.      The Boundaries That Defined Our Elementary School Districts.       I'll bet we all pretty much could say where the boundaries of our respective elementary schools stretched from or at least come close.( Lakeside for instance, I am certain of its Southernmost boundary as it was split right down the middle of 22nd street, meaning that Travis Mitchell, Kenny and Dick Calvert et al wound up attending Lakeside, while their pals directly across the street ( Bill and Jane Boyer, Cora Edna Randolph, Mike Bracken et al ) wound up attending Gabe Meyer ) Now why in the world the powers that be split neighborhood kids right down the middle of a city street is beyond me ( Why not just say " OK, All kids from 22nd street South go to Gabe Meyer, all kids North go to Lakeside. Yet they split 22nd street right down the middle baffling !!!      But believe it or not, that's not the baffler I'm posing, tho I'd love to hear anybody's explanation for it ! But since we had no one of us right now representing Sixth Avenue, here's the real puzzler ! Since one would assume that by the time we were growing up, the Sixth Avenue school's population was shrinking. My grandparents still lived on 4th, and I recall John Nash, Richard Knox, Mike and Sissy Riggs and a few others in their neighborhood, who, I know, went to Sixth Avenue.      I also know that the West Twins and Overtone Anderson were brought from the Grider Field area to Sixth Avenue. And I remember that Cappy Ware who lived near Annun. Academy, which was right across the street from Sixth Ave. went there.      But beyond those scant names, I am hard pressed to name others. Maybe some of you can help with some additions. Now, having said all that, here's the puzzler. The Pine Bluff Arsenal kids. To my knowledge, ALL were bused not to Sixth Avenue, a school they'd have to go right past, but to Lakeside, a school I have been reminded by Catherine was so filled to overflowing that the first three grades had to be split into morning and afternoon classes. Now maybe some of you will write back and say that Arsenal kids WERE bused to Sixth Avenue and to your schools as well. But then it still doesn't make sense that the PBArsenal bus would just randomly drop off dribs and drabs of arsenal kids, parceling them out to every school, when in fact there weren't that many of 'em in the first place, and further, and most baffling, since Sixth Avenue was HURTING for kids and Sixth Avenue would've been geographically closest by far, why in the world weren't the Arsenal kids delivered there ??      Don't get me wrong, I fondly recall a number of the arsenal kids enhancing Lakeside, including Gregory Hoffman, et al, but it remains a baffler to me anyway, and I'd love to hear back from any and all, not only on the Sixth Avenue mystery, but as to your own recollections of your school's boundaries.      To finish out with my own dim recall of Lakeside's, I know that Lakeside's Eastern Boundary had to have gone at least as far as Talbot, Rutherford and maybe all west of Ohio, as Dewoody, The Weavers and Weatherfords all attended Lakeside , so WHERE were First Ward's beginning boundaries??       My guess on Lakeside's western boundary would be Mulberry, but that may be wrong, as Sandra Mead attended Sam Taylor. I've already listed the definite Southern boundary, but will admit, I am out to sea on where the Northern boundary that did in fact decide who went to Sixth Ave and who went to Lakeside might've been.      I can hear Wayne groaning over all this and shrugging " Who Care's ? " And maybe not just Wayne, but doggone it, this is fun for me and even if it doesn't spark any response, I've enjoyed doing it.      Though I know our pal Marvin didn't join us til High School I will be forwarding along to him, in case he had any younger siblings or observations on how in the world the arsenal decided who went to which school ! Hames      Again apologies, Catherine DOES remember the Perrys at Lakeside. It was Penny & Wayne who said they couldn't recall them there. Brudda Wayne, however, deserves a heap of praise After all he is the one who cared enough to preserve that list of all our classmates.      Fred Ursery writes that there were indeed Arsenal kids at Sam Taylor, so there goes another faulty premise on my part. I think I may be able to add suggestions for a couple of those mystery names on the Lakeside roll lists Wayne preserved.      "George Lewis " I think may in actuality be Walker Lewis, who, as I recall started out in the same grade we did, but due to problems with dyslexia ( probably little understood at the time ) was held back a class, I think. ( Why on earth the powers that be kept advancing some who were hopelessly lost in school, while holding back others who were just fine but struggling in an area they couldn't succeed in without help is another mystery.)      As noted before, it was also my understanding that, due to illnesses with one of each sets of twins, The Perrys and The Roops, also stayed back a grade voluntarily, which must've been a real sacrifice, God bless 'em.      I am on shakey ground as I try to claim once again that at one time Lakeside had THREE sets of boy/girl twins, as though, we all recall Kenny & Gay Gardner, and most do recall Becky & Reggie, I can't seem to find any fellow classmate, who recalls Bill and Kay Price being there, so maybe I am hallucinating in triplicate.      There was another Bill Price in PB, but the one who was in our class was a twin and wrote a book about his war experiences and as I understand it works at....the Pine Bluff Arsenal !!!      As our school system was segregated at that time I am fairly confident that all Caucasians living east of Main Street and South of Harding attended First Ward. You recall our city boundary ended just south of Harding Avenue at that time. The main thing I remembered living in the East End was normally the further you went down a street, the tougher the kids got. I always tried to avoid the kids living at the very end of the street. Examples were Bobby Henderson, Louis and Carl Preston, Guy Hankins, Kenneth Taylor, etc. Bobby Henderson and his wife had twin boys. When they were grown, one worked for Browning's Liquor Store. ( Yes Robert Browning) Once it was robbed at gun point. Afterwards the Henderson kid took off after the robbers, caught the one with the money, beat the Hell out of him and brought the money back. I remember Joe Ratliff's younger brother Dickie, as a young man, leaving the old telephone building that was converted into a night club. It was late at night when he was approached and shot by a robber. Dickie took the pistol away from the robber and (forgive the repetition) beat the Hell out of him. Then he went to the hospital to get the bullet removed.      Hey! I see Bun Deweese listed above in this email. Larry Barton, his old college room mate says hello. Kinda reminds me of an old Andy Griffin T V story when someone said "Tell Gomer Goober says hey!" Bun, Larry is now Baptist Hospital Administrator in Paducah, Kentucky. Bob Smithey      NOPE! Lakesiders East of Main and South of Harding (and North of Harding) included, Tommy Clayton, Carol Bell, Dick, myself, Freddie Davis, LaFran Justice, Carl Wright,... and probably several others that I have left out.... But all lived south of 10th Street and East of Main..... Tommy Barton       I stand corrected...North of Harding. I never could shoot a back azimuth with a compass. I remember being trained one Sunday in a huge field at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina when Marines were working in groups with our compasses shooting back azimuths. We would stand around confused when little kids (who watched Jarheads trying to do this every Sunday) would walk up to a group and address the Marine with the compass saying " Want us to help you with that mister?" Bob Smithey      Thanks a million to all the wonderful responses to helping tie up some loose ends as well as unraveling some l Eddie McColgan helped me to clarify that Lakeside's Coach, Denzel Bailey's brother was Sam Taylor's coach, not their principal. Hope Fred Ursery will help me recall the name of the principal. Fred averred as how Sam Taylor also had Arsenal kids bused there, so I guess maybe the arsenal bus just careened all along PB's tree lined streets, dropping off their cargo kids in some preordained fashion. Which may also mean that Sxth Avenue got their share as well. Wayne reminded me that Denzel was an unpaid coach as opposed to the paid PE Instructors. As noted those latter at Lakeside included Rodney Ryan, Elgie Goss and Newt McCullough ( " Don't call me Newt ! " ) and I wanna say that Bill Groce may've spent a few months there, maybe practice teaching from HSTC or somewhere, but I can't swear to that. Nor do I know if these PE Instructors made the rounds to ALL of the Elementary schools??      Speaking of old busses careening, I once had the un-asked for " opportunity " to attend some undescribable summer " experience " called " Mr. Burley's day Camp " or as RFDewoody has reminded me, also referred to as " Camp Saracen ", which, regardless of what it was called, was still apparently the sole operation of old Mr. Burley, who would carreen down Elm street, bus exploding fumes and brakes screeching, laying on the horn of the bus, and you darn well had better be all ready for the Saturday out at Oakland Park, or off he'd go gathering up the other poor kids who'd been roped into this " opportunity " to " learn woodlore. All I ever learned was that somehow Mr. Burley was able to roll up his sleeve and stick it down into the muck and mire of part of the lake near the Dead Alligator display and pull up a handful of clam shells, or mussels or whatever in the world they were. That is ALL I recall.      Dewoody understandably recalls nearly being killed by a flying hatchet thrown by Johnny Williams or some other crazed prisoner of the camp, and he still has the scar to show for it !      The reason Mr. Burley came to mind is that incredibly he only passed away recently and in his obit it said he'd been a longtime principal at one of PB's Elementary Schools, but maddeingly omitted which one. Anybody know ? TCase has dashed any immediate hope of proving Bill & Kay Price were at Lakeside as he recalls them at Gabe Meyer. I think for a while they resided out past Byrd's Lake on the last numbered street in the phone book, whatever that was. What should make us all smile is how unusual it was to actually have students who didn't spend their entire school careers just at one school and neighborhood. We were mostly all anchored in time and place and community. What a place PB was back then too !      Bobby and Gary, when Miss Martin and I tried to put together that History of PB Schools, I vividly recall that, as we listed the years of service, one teacher at First Ward had a record that probably has never been topped. 58 continuous years of teaching at First Ward. I sure wish I could tell you her name, but I'll bet YA'LL can tell ME ! And now I'll close this one off by just saying how much we all seem to be enjoying all this and how gratifying it is to keep our minds and memories sailing the seas of good humor and uplift. I've loved lists all my life. When I was a kid I made lists of my favorite baseball players and each time I got a baseball card I'd put a check by their name. Later and still do, list all my favorite movies over the years et al. So these lists of the people and times and neighborhoods we all enjoyed.      So, feeling like we've done pretty good justice to Lakeside lists ( tho I still intend to pass it along to DFinley and others from different grades ) and seeing happily that Bobby and Gary may be willing to plum their memories for all their gang at First Ward, I thought it might be fun to choose a school that apparently NONE of us attended, but SURELY all of us will be able to help fill out what I admit is going to be a very sparse beginning. But here goes : SIXTH AVENUE KIDS I CAN RECALL: Cappy Ware Overton Anderson Ruth and Evelyn West John Nash Mike and Sissy Riggs and ya'll, there it stands. Miniscule. Those classrooms had kids in 'em, teachers teachin' 'em, and THIS is the best I can do ??!!      So, maybe this beginning list will be the inspiration for all to add their own remembered Sixth Avenuer ! And again thanks to all of you for just bein' out there ! Your friend always, Hames.      Hames I am not totally confident that Susie Gray who taught me in the first grade at First Ward is the 58 year veteran but I do recall my father telling me that Susie Gray taught him in the first grade in 1922. Bob Smithey      Again apologies, Catherine DOES remember the Perrys at Lakeside. It was Penny & Wayne who said they couldn't recall them there. Brudda Wayne, however, deserves a heap of praise After all he is the one who cared enough to preserve that list of all our classmates.      Fred Ursery writes that there were indeed Arsenal kids at Sam Taylor, so there goes another faulty premise on my part. I think I may be able to add suggestions for a couple of those mystery names on the Lakeside roll lists Wayne preserved.      " George Lewis " I think may in actuality be Walker Lewis, who, as I recall started out in the same grade we did, but due to problems with dyslexia ( probably little understood at the time ) was held back a class, I think. ( Why on earth the powers that be kept advancing some who were hopelessly lost in school, while holding back others who were just fine but struggling in an area they couldn't succeed in without help is another mystery.)      As noted before, it was also my understanding that, due to illnesses with one of each sets of twins, The Perrys and The Roops, also stayed back a grade voluntarily, which must've been a real sacrifice, God bless 'em. I am on shakey ground as I try to claim once again that at one time Lakeside had THREE sets of boy/girl twins, as though, we all recall Kenny & Gay Gardner, and most do recall Becky & Reggie, I can't seem to find any fellow classmate, who recalls Bill and Kay Price being there, so maybe I am hallucinating in triplicate.      There was another Bill Price in PB, but the one who was in our class was a twin and wrote a book about his war experiences and as I understand it works at....the Pine Bluff Arsenal !!! Hames      Hames 'ol buddy, I'm not completely certain but think I remember Bill & Kay Price at Gabe Meyer. Maybe Kientz or Cathcart recall??? Later, Tommy Case      Tommy, I feel like an idiot. I was thinking Bobby ( Kientz went to Sam Taylor ! ) Were you 2 and Jerry all at Gabe Meyer the whole time !!?? Hames      Kientz should have and may have gone some to Sam Taylor according to where his parents lived, but he lived with his Grandparents in Circle Dr. most of the time. Others at Gabe Meyer: Happy Caldwell, John & Clair Lee (twins), Rosemary West, Cookie Willis, Sue Love, Paul Wright, Barbara Anderson, Neil Underhill, "Kinky" Wilson, Vic Hiryak, Alva Appling, Sharon Green & Joe Sturdivant are all I can come up with off the top of my head. There was a kid named Stanley Schultz that I want to think was from the P.B. Arsenal, but not sure. Dr. Bruce is also a possibility? Maybe Kientz or Cathcart can think of some more. Tommy Case      Tommy ! Thank You So Much ! It's SO GREAT to see all those wonderful names from Gabe Meyer ! Who was ya'll's principal ? I know I should know, but I've forgotten. I know they were a class ahead, but Bill Lafitte and Milton Hughes for sure, and maybe Roby Mize? Roby may've gone to Sam Taylor tho ?      Anyway, now hopefully we can all begin adding to every school's roster, thanks to you and Bobby giving us a head start on Gabe Meyer and First Ward ! Your pal, Hames      Roby Dan Mize was a First Ward kid. One of the East End success stories. UAMS graduate. Orthopedic surgeon. Collaborated with a Swiss doctor to help write part of an orthopedic surgery manual. Now testifying as an expert in the medical field during trials. Homes in Dallas and San Francisco. Has enough money to burn a wet mule. Bob Smithey      Gary I just wanted you to see the positive correspondence between your old classmates that you and Ralph are responsible when you began sharing your family relationships and concern for one another. Something very good has come from the compassion you both share with one another.      We still have you and Barbara in our daily prayers. Ralph we pray your shoulder is receptive to the rehabilitation you are receiving. God Bless my friends. Bob Smithey      I know a number of you have already been keeping Dick Dewoody in your prayers.  As some of you know, Dick has been  courageously struggling with cancer for some time. It had reached the point that he decided he would make a " bucket list " of things he wanted to do before he " kicked the bucket " as he himself phrased it.      One of those things was to return to an alma mater of long ago, which coincidentally would also be near the MoonPie & RC Festival.      Stalwart longtime friend Wayne Matthews made all the arrangements and went by to pick Dick up for the trip. No answer. After getting no response either from inside or cell phone, Wayne, resourceful as always, found a ladder, propped it against the window ( 2nd floor ), and somehow, Wayne, all 6 ft. 6 of him, managed to get thru the window. RFD was lying on the kitchen floor, unconscious. Wayne, again just the kind of friend you want around when God forbid this kind of thing happens, made all the calls, including a much later one to yours truly, to let us all know that Dick was resting comfortably at the hospital, with no memory of any of it all...including the now obviously set aside Moon pie Festival.      I realize most of our e-mails have been unrelated to the more temporal, and yet this series was actually begun by Ralph Rouse and Bobby Smithey, recalling great old memories to cheer up ailing Gary Shinall, who himself is struggling with Lou Gehrig's, and whose gracious wife has been  reading all the e-mails aloud to Gary.      Dick has been very much on the mind of a number of us, as he played a central role for some of us in those wonderful growing up years we've been reminiscing about lately. As recently as last week, when I got to share a lunch visit with Eddie McColgan and Ted Luft, and looked at all the old Lakeside Bluejay football photos, there was Dewoody, in his civies, obviously designated by Coach Denzel as student captain for the younger kids.      Dick has always been a fighter, and he has fought this illness as bravely and stoically as any who know him would expect. But I know it would be a real boost to know that our collective gathering of e-mailers, has him and his daughter and new grandson collectively in our thoughts and prayers.      I will count on Wayne to read this aloud to Dick if he deems appropriate. In the meantime, I just wanna close by saying, that when we all began this trek back to our Days in PB, it quickly became a wonderful lift and smile inducer, much needed in this world today, but as I write this it's beginning to sink in that the origin of this all was selfless desire to boost the morale of an old friend by Bobby and Ralph and here it is again serving a similar purpose for yet another. God bless you all. Your friend always, Hames      Hames I forwarded your email to Gary as I know he will appreciate any news about his old friends. Compassion is a quality that clearly separates the good guys from the bad guys.       You all are a bunch of good guys.      Wayne if you will please tell Dick that Anne and I still value the memories of the great New Years Eve parties you both provided a host of hundreds for several years. Those parties mostly occurred during a time money was sparse and friends were plentiful for Anne and myself. Anne and I count ourselves fortunate to be on your and Dick's list of friends. It was a time to congregate, laugh and share the company of each other. As Charles Dickens once wrote "It was the best of times." We send our prayers and thanks to Dick.   Bob Smithey      Dick is still confused.. Sammye said he thought she was Maggie and Maggie was her..... but when I left the hospital tonight with Sammye, Maggie, and Gail (Cornish) Pruitt, Weldon Crews was going to stay with him and they were going to give Dick something for pain and start him on some anti-seizure medicine.  I will try to give you an update tomorrow. Tommy Barton      Gary we have covered football and basketball but have omitted some of our track experiences. If you could see me now you would understand why food comes to mind. After funding the football athletic program apparently the funds ran out at old PBHS. I remember on basketball trips if it hadn't been for Lester Silbernagel we would have starved since he paid for a lot of chicken fried steak dinners after the games. He even funded our post season banquet and gave us all a pair of red socks. I  remember Roy Murtishaw was so eager to eat the real steak placed in front of him at the Plantation Embers when he tried to stab it the steak slipped on his plate and fell on the floor. Since a real steak dinner was a rare experience back then, Roy picked it up, brushed it off, placed it on his plate and started slinging elbows. Watching ole' Roy eat that steak wasn't so bad but listening to him wore you out.   Bob Smithey       Now for the track trips. Absolutely no money was provided for athlete meals following a track trip. If your parents didn't have money to give you to run to a grocery store sometime during the track meet you went hungry. After the meet we had no time except to load onto the bus and head home. The entrepreneurial sprit infected Taylor Eubank and M. H. Levine. Taylor's Dad ran a grocery store so Taylor procured bread, ham, mustard and small cartons of milk and then enlisted the sandwich construction assistance of M. H. They then iced all down in an ice chest and smuggled it onto the bus and hid it under a blanket. After the track meet anyone with any money was faced with a monopoly McDonalds would have been proud. The price placed on those sandwiches made with a skinny piece of ham and smeared lightly with mustard would relate to the best steak dinner at Sonny William's restaurant in Little Rock today. Taylor has been retired from the FBI now for several years but I will always suspect that his retirement has been supplemented by his sandwich business investment income of years ago. A very true story. Until next time my friend, God Bless Bob Smithey      Dewoody update:  He must be feeling better this morning, he is requesting that Maggie "get me out of this place".  Maggie is working with the nurses to try to get all of Dick's medicines correct  and working on his menus.  What a precious child!!  We all would be proud.  Tommy Barton Who'da Thunk It !!??        Turns out TWO of our recent recipients attended Sixth Avenue!!! Bun Deweese wrote he'd been there in grades one and two, before moving away for 3 years and then came back to PB and Lakeside. Bill Stephenson/Bowker wrote to say he'd been also been at Sixth Avenue before coming to Lakeside in the 4th  when he and his wonderful family with all those remarkable siblings moved next door to my family on 20th & Elm.      Bun and Bill, will it be asking too much on your memories to recall where roughly you resided when attending Sixth Avenue, as it sure might help us sort out the hodge podge of old school boundaries of yore. Also, needless to say, ANY memories you have AT ALL about that wonderful old mystery school, I am sure would be a delight to read by us all.      Also thanks to Tommy Case coming thru for us with a great start on Gabe Meyer, and Bobby and Gary working away on their lists for First Ward, if we can just some Sam Taylor input, we're well on our way to covering all the old bases !    One quick note. Take a look at this:     Sixth Avenue      First Ward                            Gabe Meyer                 Lakesid The West Twins   The Roop Twins                        John and Ann Lee            Kenny & Gay Gardner                            Becky and Reggie                    Bill and Kay Price           Becky and Reggie also      It's like every elementary school ( no reports in from Sam Taylor yet ) had been gifted with sets of twins.!!   Are there any twins I've omitted?? If not, then Sam Taylor will be the sole school that's twinless !! )  Hames  Hames and crew:      I also wish Dewoody a speedy recovery and hope he is able to return to Little Rock again this summer and see the Traveler baseball team play again.       I will enter the fray on behalf of Sam Taylor and make these observations.      We did go to school for only a half day in the first and second grades. The principal at the school in 1948-1950 was Rodney Tillman. He now lives in Hot Springs. I corresponded with him recently. The next principal was G.W Buddy Turner whose wife was also the music teacher for the elementary schools.      My fourth grade teacher was Mrs. Rhyne (maybe Ryan- I am not sure) whose husband was the coach. I remember the following students there: Roby Mize- he went there some I know. I think he went to several Freddy Tisdale- now deceased James Vaughan Mary Ann Sweeney Shelby Jean Dye- I think she lived at the Arsenal but I would not swear to it. Linda Lee Bolding William Arthur Johnson James Bounds Jerry Buttram Bobby Davis- the son of Coach Davis Richard Fairchild Lawrence Gresham Clyde Caughman Brothers Bill and Bob Lapsley - not twins Janette Moran Diane Davis JoBeth Watts Gloria Mayfield Diane Schultz Tommy Fletcher Wally Peffercorn Annie King Chu Ko Judy Allen Glenn Huselton Wayne McGehee- i think John Nelson Kenneth Kesterson Paul and Johnny Green Robert Richey Sandra Mead Sandra and Sue Meado Eddie Weeks Don Cahill John Bennie Landers Tommy Jaggers Van Browning Janelle Wester- i think John Billy McAllister Otho Merritt Rickey Ritchie Jenny Marie Vinson Harold Ellis Sherry Grumbles Danny Laminack      I am 100% CERTAIN ON SOME OF THE NAMES BUT I AM WILLING TO STAND CORRECTED ON SOME. Thus endeth my trip down memory lane.                                                                                                                          Fred Ursery      This Round Robin of Wonderful Input has truly taken on a life of its own. And it's produced its share of revelations and serendipity, synchronicity, or whatever one prefers to call it.      As some of you have probably noted, several of us made reference to the man who was the longtime  coach  of The Lakeside Bluejays, Denzel Bailey. He used to pull up alongside the Lakeside playground and all the  kids would run up to his car. Lord only knows how many lives this tireless man boosted ( and apparently he had a brother who was doing similar volunteer work at Sam Taylor ).      Just as recently as last week when I had lunch with Eddie McColgan and Ted Luft, two years behind us at Lakeside, they brought some great old photos of the Bluejays, and there was not only Denzel and the whole team, but Dick Dewoody in his civies, no doubt having been chosen by ole Denzel as the exemplar older student to be team youth coach.      Well, as you know Dick Dewoody, soon after, has been on all our minds, and now, as fate would have it, when I  was putting up the newspapers at work, as I often do, I scanned the PB obits and incredibly, my eyes fell upon a  tiny dozen word obituary, Denzol ( sic ) Bailey, age 89       It's almost as if, after all the recent cumulative positive thoughts and memories about the old fella ( Ted had visited with him last year and made a point to tell him how much he'd meant to everyone ) he decided it was OK and timely to pass on to Heaven. ( Denzol always called everybody " Podnuh " )      The fact that the obit was so miniscule was saddening in a way. Other than a mention of a daughter named Hercher, nary a word about all the countless hours, days and years he had put in so selflessly for all those kids.       I recall some years back that Bill Rumker wrote a truly great reminiscence of his Little League coach and I am ashamed to say I've blanked out on his name ( I will try to forward this to Bill, who I also think may've gone to First Ward and can probably help Bobby and Gary by filling in some names from his age group ! ) We can only hope that SOMEBODY who's still in PB or elsewhere who recalls ole Denzol will do the same for him ( Maybe the PBCommercial folks DID )      Also there's been a lot of wonderful e-mails w/ good wishes and prayers for Dewoody and thanks to Tommy Barton for his updates. Wayne decided to go ahead on to the Moonpie Festival representing himself and Dewoody in proud fashion I am sure.      Bun Deweese called from La. to say how much he's been enjoying the e-mails and to ask about Dick,( Ted, he mentioned how much fun he and Leslie had at HSTC ), and also happily added the following to our Sixth Avenue first hand recall : Bun said he lived in a house on 5th and Cherry, now an insurance office he said. He recalls that in his neighborhood and attending Sixth Avenue were Jimmy and Jackie Harrod, Donald White, and a fella first name of Buddy, . Bun attended Sixth Avenue in First and Second, while Bill Stephenson attended First thru Fourth before joining us at Lakeside. When Bun moved back to PB he too was in the Lakeside district, living in a duplex just off Main street, near Dewoody, TBarton, Freddy Davis et al.       Bill meanwhile adds Bryan Eans and Walker Lewis to the ranks of Sixth Avenue ( so maybe I am wrong about the George Lewis at Lakeside being Walker...tho as we've noted kids DID change neighborhoods !! Catherine adds Diane Heflin ( Roy's first wife ) there also.      The GREAT news on the lists front is, as hopefully you all have received is Fred Ursery's championship list for our, til now,  biggest omission, Sam Taylor. YAY FREDDY !!!!      It is my hope to provide us with a Lists To Date for ALL our elementary schools so far and then we can let our memories roam more freely to other recollections of those halcyon days of endless summers in ole PB. Hames       PS I mangled Buddy Mc Fadin's e-mail address, which I've corrected above so please note. Also I noted one of ya'll had added Lawrence Fikes which is great, as when we tackle Annunciation Academy, Lawrence and Buddy can help immensely ( I think I have still have David Duffy's e-mail and did have Scott McGeorge's, so hopefully we'll be able to do that amazing school justice too ! ) Speaking of the Catholic friends and classmates I note that Tommy Case listed Vic Hiryak as possibly spending time at Gabe Meyer, which if so would put Vic as an anomaly as I know he was born in Slovak, a mostly Catholic community. But then Lawrence, myself, George Lemen, Ronnie Roller (?) and others spent time at AA tho we were all Protestants. What an amazing world we all had back then and the memories all of you keep providing just reinforces how blessed we were in so many ways. God bless all of you and keep them e-mails comin' !   Hames      Have been really enjoying looking over that great list that Fred Ursery provided us for Sam Taylor. I guess it does turn out that ST was the only elementary school sans Twins ( Anun. Acad also ? ), but it's sure noteworthy to see that Sam Taylor could boast the only Chinese American Pine Bluffian school kid, so far at least,      And that just serves to remind what a truly cosmopolitan, for its size PB was back in those days. There were as I recall it at least two Chinese American families in PB, each with grocery/produce stores, one on Main St. and another I believe on the East Side.      Greek American families...the Makris family ( OK Dairy ), the Zacks, the Priakos ( Rendezvous then Tommy's ) the Jiannis ( sp )  The Fakouris were Turkish, I believe. Loads of Italian families and hopefully we can recall aplenty especially when we start the Annunciation Academy lists !      And, just as a " warding off early Alzheimers " ploy, I;m going to now try to list as many Jewish Pine Bluff families as I can recall.  So here goes ! Gottliebs Sterns Fruhmans Blau Kahns Cohens Baers Silbernagels Altschul ( I think I will just use singular form from here on ) Banks Eisenkramer Mizell Levy Levine Morris Rosen Rutstein Rozensweig Kastor Fleischaker      and I'll leave it there with our old classmate to allow others to add their memories.  What's a puzzler to some degree is that with so many Jewish families in PB, nary a one of our elementary school lists seem to have any of these kids listed, unless Bobby was putting MHLevine at First Ward. I'm pretty sure the Morrises and Rosens attended Anunc Academy at least for a while ( someone please forward this to LFikes who will know for sure ! )      And yet, Gabe Meyer School itself was named after a prominent local Pine Bluff Jewish Civil War hero !      Another puzzler: Look at our lists of twins: The Perrys, the Roops, John and CLAIRE Lee ( Thanks to Tommy Case for reminding me it was Claire not Ann ! ), The Wests, Bill & Kay Price, Kenny and Gay Gardner, et al      ALL these sets were in OUR class ! Were we the unique class for twins ???      What an interesting story it would make to hear how Daisy King Chu Ko and her family came to settle in Pine Bluff and what it must've been like for them. And as for all our Jewish families, it was a moment for pause, when recently, Tommy Barton related to me that just last year or so, the Temple was shuttered, due to there only being a few families left and apparently not sufficient to secure a Rabbi,  and with that closing all the years and years of history.      I was fortunate to have been able to narrate a PBS special about the disappearance of rural churches and yet as we all know there are plenty of houses of worship that have been passed by in the cities as well.      Rather than feel melancholy about all these things, I choose to focus on the positive, and just recall, with all of you, that in those days, for all its faults and flaws, Pine Bluff enriched our young lives in so many ways.  Hames      Hames, your mind is a steel trap! It's amazing! One of our first Chinese immigrant families began with Harry Sy Joe. During the Great Depression, at age 12, Harry Sy Joe immigrated from China with an adult uncle by way of Boston Harbor. Harry's uncle found life too tough in America during the depression and returned to China leaving a 12 year old boy who spoke no English to find his way through America. (What courage!) Somehow, someway Harry learned of a Chinese family in Pine Bluff who ran a grocery store and offered him a job.      Harry lived in the back of the store working when not attending school.      He graduated from PBHS in 1945 and later traveled to Mississippi to meet other Chinese immigrants where he met his wife.      The rest is history. For years the Sy Joes ran a successful Chinese Restaurant named appropriately, Sy Joe's. The Sy Joe's oldest daughter graduated Summa Cum Laude from UAMS and now heads the emergency center in an Alaskan hospital. Is America a great country or what? Bob Smithey      Gary we have covered football and basketball but have omitted some of our track experiences. If you could see me now you would understand why food comes to mind. After funding the football athletic program apparently the funds ran out at old PBHS. I remember on basketball trips if it hadn't been for Lester Silbernagel we would have starved since he paid for a lot of chicken fried steak dinners after the games. He even funded our post season banquet and gave us all a pair of red socks.       I remember Roy Murtishaw was so eager to eat the real steak placed in front of him at the Plantation Embers when he tried to stab it the steak slipped on his plate and fell on the floor. Since a real steak dinner was a rare experience back then, Roy picked it up, brushed it off, placed it on his plate and started slinging elbows. Watching ole'      Roy eat that steak wasn't so bad but listening to him wore you out.         Now for the track trips. Absolutely no money was provided for athlete meals following a track trip. If your parents didn't have money to give you to run to a grocery store sometime during the track meet you went hungry. After the meet we had no time except to load onto the bus and head home. The entrepreneurial sprit infected Taylor Eubank and M. H. Levine. Taylor's Dad ran a grocery store so Taylor procured bread, ham, mustard and small cartons of milk and then enlisted the sandwich construction assistance of M. H. They then iced all down in an ice chest and smuggled it onto the bus and hid it under a blanket. After the track meet anyone with any money was faced with a monopoly McDonalds would have been proud. The price placed on those sandwiches made with a skinny piece of ham and smeared lightly with mustard would relate to the best steak dinner at Sonny William's restaurant in Little Rock today. Taylor has been retired from the FBI now for several years but I will always suspect that his retirement has been supplemented by his sandwich business investment income of years ago. A very true story. Until next time my friend, God Bless. Bob Smithey      Dewoody update:  He must be feeling better this morning, he is requesting that Maggie "get me out of this place".  Maggie is working with the nurses to try to get all of Dick's medicines correct  and working on his menus.  What a precious child!!  We all would be proud. Tommy Barton      Tommy what great news! Please give Dick a collective AT&T hug from all of us. Since Dick has always been a "Manly sort of a Guy", if he asks where the hugs came from tell him Penny sent most of them. Bob Smithey      Dick will be released from the hospital tomorrow after a radiation treatment.  He appeared to be in pretty good spirits this evening, especially after the doctor's visit and he learned that he would be released tomorrow.  The only negative, he told Dick that he cannot drive until his other doctor gives him the okay.       Dick was also aware that he had missed one of his "bucket list" trips.      Keep him in your prayers. Tommy Barton      Dewoody update:  Well, Dick is not going home.  His condition has not changed since yesterday and Dick is unhappy about the turn of events.      Maggie and the doctors are making decisions for his care and treatment.       Will try to send an additional update later tonight. Tommy Barton      Very sorry to hear this latest. It explains why I have not been able to reach him by phone for about 3 weeks now. If anyone talks to Dick, tell him he is in my prayers. Ralph Rouse      What a beautiful email from a beautiful person asking our prayers for Dick. I have been trying to reach Dick by phone since I learned about all this. Being in Texas and often out of touch, I knew Dick had health issues but never knew until about a month ago how seriously ill he is.      This all started when I heard about Gary and sent an email to several of you asking you to pray for Gary and Barbara, his wife. Bobby Smithey having grown up with Gary immediately joined me. At that time, I still did not know the details on Dick until Hames told me. Put me down as "praying for them both regularly ". Ralph Rouse      Dewoody update:  He was bathed and dressed to go home at 6:30 this evening and waiting for the doctor to come by and release him.  We are working on a project to move his computer down stairs so I left and do not know if, in fact, he made it home.  I will know in the morning and let you know. Tommy Barton      Dewoody update:  Dick made it home last night... I talked with Weldon this morning and he said that "Dick was his old self".. and was glad to be leaving the hospital.  Dick and Maggie were up when I delivered the PC desk but I did not get a chance to visit. Tommy Barton      Is Dick Dewoody tough...or what? He was a Marine back in the time of "Iron men and Wooden ships." The only thing more powerful is prayer and I think it worked. Thanks for sharing the good news Tommy. Bob Smithey      George Lemen wrote to say how much he's been enjoying our Round Robin. George says he attended Anun. Academy k-2 before going to Lakeside in the 3rd.(  He beat me there by one year. )  George says he lived at 1219 East 2nd when attending A. Acad. and that Cookie Willis across the street and one block west of Cookie Willis, which I am guessing means we should add Cookie to the Sixth Avenue lists. That makes perfect sense since she and the West twins and Cappy have remained such close friends from all the way back then. George also adds that another neighbor was D.J> King. George was that Mary Anne's folks ?? I know she went to AA where her mom was music teacher. At Lakeside, Mrs. Reasoner was the first music teacher, followed by Mrs. Baxter, whose son Jimmy was a student there too. Fred Ursery said Sam Taylor's music teacher ( and probably married to Lakeside's first PE instructor Rodney Ryan. )      This poses the question: Did each Elementary schol then have its own music teacher and were the PE instructors shared by ALL the elementary schools as it appears??      Thanks to Tommy Case for at my urging sharing his wonderful memories with the WHOLE group ( those of us who know that Tommy would later become the consumate professional barber in later life, thoroughly enjoyed his recapping his first " professional " rendering on the head of Gabe Meyer classmate Howard Glatstein !      A favor I'd like to ask is that if possible, all who share their wonderful memories, please don't confine them to just sending to me, PLEASE copy to all of the above and please also copy to any other of our PB growing up years friends as well, as everyone seems to be enjoying these immensely and there's just no way or time for me to re-copy to everyone, and these are just too good not to share with the largest number possible as they uplift us all, plus they keep us in touch in a great way !  Thanks !      Bobby, Catherine writes that she recalls a Chinese Grocery near the Worm Ranch, so maybe there were THREE, if my memory is correct, about the one on Main AND one near East End. The one there, somehow I recall being near what must surely have been the only non Italian Shoe Store ( Pine Bluff must've had the record for shoe stores back in our growing up years, The Lupo brothers at different locations, Barbarotto, Tony Sylvester's, and I think maybe Judy Rinchuso's dad, and I'll bet others of you could add 2 or 3 more ! ) The shoe store on East Side was a John Kaz or Kac was the way the last name began, but as a kid it was unpronounceable or spell-able, so the Kaz or Kac part is all I can recall.      Bobby, your relating of the Harry Sy Joe story was just great !      Fred Ursery wrote about the famous architect Fay Jones conversing about his own Gabe Meyer years and Fred said he was able to recall the name of every teacher, tho of course he was a generation before us. Also I got Annie King Chu Ko's name right finally.!      Tom Bellhouse wrote that before he was born his mom taught school in PB, back when his dad first came to work for Cottonbelt, and that Tom's mom actually taught Bill Lafitte's dad, the famous footballer, " Foots" Lafitte !      Speaking of the Cottonbelt, my great grandad, BGGalligher was the Cottonbelt doctor, and tho, it was long since shuttered, do ya'll recall the old Cottonbelt hospital near the shops ?? His son, my great uncle Met Galligher, was the police chief in PB for many years, as George Lemen's grandad was Fire Chief. Lots of fine members of both forces who somehow helped us kids and families feel more secure back in those days.       Well, keep those great e-mails and memories comin' in, and if at all possible copy to all, as every single one has been read and appreciated by all when they get to see them.    Hames      One of the major reasons I am so glad when folks e-mail to all is that it saves me having to re-type every e-mail address every time. Yes, I know, someone more proficient with the computer, and not operating off a deadline of break times at work, could make it all simpler, but, alas, for now, that is my plight. SO, consequently, when I asked all of you to copy to all listed, I, somehow, I omitted Bobby Smithey's e-mail address ( please see and add from above ), plus I omitted the last part of Dick Dewoody's e-mail address ( also please see above and likewise add to your corrected and amended listings ! )  Lemme know when you add a new name and I'll make sure that new name gets added to our motley band  !  And again, many, many thanks !  Hames      Gary one of my best friends is a guy named Robert Dill, Marketing Vice President of Simmons Bank. In fact he is Anne's immediate supervisor. However you know Anne. She probably supervises Robert more than he her.      Years ago, 1976 to be exact, Anne spied a brand new yellow Oldsmobile Toranodo with a tan vinyl roof on the show room floor of Welch Motor Company and fell in love with a car. I bought it for her and she kept it ten years until our daughter, Adrianne, began to refer to it as "Old Yeller." Well Robert had just bought a butt load of television advertising from Dale Nicholson at KATV for Simmons Bank. Dale then invites Robert and a friend (me) to come play golf at Little rock Country Club. Well we did.       Robert and I arrived about 10:00 A M at LRCC and began the round with a bloody mary. At lunch we have a burger and another adult beverage. After the eighteen hole round we adjourn to the men's grill for another adult beverage, or two. We were having such a good time Dale calls his television sales manager, T V anchors and sportscaster, Paul Eells to join us at a place called One Eyed Jacks. After several rounds of beverages, Dale closed the ticket. Robert immediately opened it back up. My memory is not real clear but I think this happened three or four times. Finally around midnight Robert and I began our trip home. After all the beverage consumption, my appetite was roaring so we stopped at the Kentucky Fried Chicken place on Broadway near Roosevelt Road. A pretty testy neighborhood at midnight.      Robert and I were the only two Caucasians ordering chicken at this time of night and I had an extremely strong urge to salvage two screaming kidneys. I hand Robert a ten dollar bill and head to the "head". Now ten dollars worth of chicken in 1976 was a bountiful amount of chicken. While I am in the restroom an extremely inebriated African American kept yelling at the waitress, over and over, "B_____H, where are my G D chicken wings?" Well as I am coming out of the rest room, the waitress is handing Robert ten dollars worth of chicken and Robert is saying "Listen if there are any chicken wings in here give them to this SOB!" That was cause for me to place a strong hand on Robert's shoulder and to instruct him "It's time for us to go."      While driving home (Robert is driving) we both are eating chicken and throwing the bones in the back seat of Anne's new car.      Since I had failed to advise Anne how late I would be, she has called the Arkansas State Police asking that they locate us. About two miles north of White hall a state trooper pulls us over. He was called Big Ben because he stood awfully tall and had a V shape from  huge shoulders down to a small waist. Big Ben walks up to Robert's window and asks to see his driver license. Robert's actual retort "Yes sir just let me get up off my knees and I will get them for you." When Big Ben sees Robert's license he asks "Are you Robert Dill with Simmons Bank?" Robert "yes sir." Big Ben " I've been meaning to contact you and sell you tickets to the Copper Bowl football game. Robert's answer " And I 've BEEN MEANING TO BUY SOME!" Well that saved our bacon and we creped on home.      P. S. Anne has never forgiven me or Robert. True story. Bob Smithey      Bob, that is absolutely priceless.  You have such a flair for the descriptive embellishment.  I hope you are doing a compilation of these unforgettable memoirs.  I think you ought to commit these to voice recording.  I would certainly be willing to underwrite a copy.      Seriously, I think someone should be collecting all these stories from you and Ralph and Hames, and the others.  I have been printing them out, but I am hardly a good archivist.  Even though I never experienced these tales, I can picture them through your vivid prose. J M Blackwell      Hames:  I am enjoying reading this round robin.  I also am glad to have these emails as a way to keep up with Dick’s condition. I will plan a trip soon for sure.        I, too, have fond memories of Denzel Bailey.  I played center and defensive end for the Bluejays.  Great guy.  I, too, am sorry to see that his obituary was so inadequate.  You and the others are helping keep his memory alive.  Re Arsenal kids, I seem to remember a large kid named Blankenship, Don I think.  You mention Ted Luft.  I think Leslie Luft was in our class or perhaps one ahead.  He also played in the backfield for the Bluejays.  At First Ward was a cute girl named Donna Lynn Bell.  Speaking of Dick and football, my older son, Daniel graduated Rhodes College in 1995.  Somewhere, perhaps while visiting Daniel at Rhodes, I learned that Dick played center for Southwestern at Memphis, which was the original name of Rhodes.  Teachers at Sixth Avenue:  Ms. Ouida Sanders (first grade), a Ms. Mathews (I think).  I think McArthur Wofford was at Sixth Avenue, also. As for school boundaries, I can’t help much.  When at Sixth Avenue, I lived at 713 W. 5th; I could see the school from my yard.  I do remember AA, probably one of last such schools taught by nuns in flowing black habits.  Boundaries were kind of strange sometimes.  I remember a nice (really big, shaving by the fourth grade) guy named Floyd Dodd.  He lived, I believe, way out but attended Sixth Avenue.  I recall that you, Dick, Tommy, and I came upon Floyd and a cousin of his while at the country property that Dick’s brother owned. (Where I shot the three birds one a time before the others flew away).  Has anybody mentioned Becky Howell, fifth grade at Lakeside?  She broke my heart by moving away that year.  Has anyone mentioned Becky Kavanaugh?  She lived on 28th, so I guess that she may have attended Gabe Meyer.  A grade behind us -  and cute.  Do you recall a guy named Roundtree in Cub Scouts?  Someone mentioned Jimmy Harrod at Sixth Avenue.  Harrod is a historical Kentucky name – Boone compatriot.  Which makes me think of a guy that I knew when I was in 4th grade, although I am not sure that he attended Sixth Avenue – Estill Allen.  In KY, he would be named for two East Kentucky counties, Estill and Allen. Well, it appears that I should stop drinking before 11 pm –my memories are getting pretty vague and pretty damned weird.  More later.  Best regards, Bill      Ya'll, here's a wonderful example of why I made my plea for all to forward to all their e-mail reminiscences !      Now, I know why Bill Stephenson chose not to copy to all, and that's because, because he moved away from Pine Bluff after the ninth grade and assumes few people would even remember him ( Bill was my next door neighbor for several years. His gorgeous older sister, Cissie Manning, was a cheerleader, I believe, and Bill had 4 other siblings besides Cissie. )  But, Bill may not realize it fully, but lots of us still recall that Bill came within just a few votes of beating Roy Murtishaw to become student council president and he was just a great all around guy, who, thru no wish of his or Cissie's, their family moved, like so many others, because their dad got transferred or had a better job offer in another town or state. In Bill's case, they moved to Shreveport and Bill went to Byrd High there, changing his last name to Bowker, to honor his stepfather, Dan Bowker, whose brother Bud was also a well known footballer at PB of yore, I believe, like Lafitte's dad, " Foots " Lafitte. Bill has always said that his years in Pine Bluff meant and continue to mean more than any others of his growing up memories.      And below is an example. Bill's been gone from PB longer than most of us, so some things may be more distant in his recall, but since he married a PB girl, I can imagine that they'll both be delighted to be a part.      So, knowing how great it will be for everyone to receive the benefit of others' memories like Bill's,, and knowing how garbled my last long e-mail got due to time constraints et al, , I have asked Tommy Case and Bob Smithey to co-ordinate a Master List of all our mailees so far, which will save me having to laboriously retype everyone's name every time I send out a forward that's only come to my e-mail, ( and yes I know there are simple ways of sending to all, but not when I am limited to only occasional 15 minute break time opportunities at work, where there's just no time to do the prep work)  Tommy and Bobby will make sure things get out to all, except for those e-mails which somehow may not be meant beyond the immediate reader, and in hope that our recalled memories will stay in that range that makes them acceptable to Marvin Blackwell's book on all of us, which we all know Marvin has been working on while in the Witness Protection Program !      Also this is a real good time to re-cap the amazing accomplishments of this Round Robin in its short time in cyberspace:      LAKESIDE Elementary School: complete list of students our age, taken directly from roll books by yours truly, and alphabetized in Wayne's e-mail ( If you didn't receive this and would like to please let Wayne know, ( see his email address above ) and I'm sure he'll gladly forward along       While on Lakeside, let me quickly add the teachers I recall: 4th grade, Mrs. Page and Mrs. Tarver, 5th Grade Mrs. Cherry and Mrs. Roupe, 6th Grade Mrs. Thornton and Mrs. Bryan. I leave it to Catherine, Auvergne, TBarton, TStone, Ralph, Wayne, Dick, Bun, Bill et al to add the earlier grade teachers. I forwarded the students list to David Finley and Travis Mitchell for their older kid additions, and Eddie McColgan and Ted Luft will hopefully fill in the younger kids.   SAM TAYLOR : See Fred Ursery's exhaustive list from memory and, additions still coming in. Fred, could you test your excellent recall on the teachers there ?!   GABE MEYER : Tommy Case has done wonders in almost singlehandedly piecing together his classmates.      Bobby Kientz is now helping Tommy and between them and others to whom we may forward later, like Bill Lafitte,, Milton Hughes et al  Also would be nice to get some teachers and principal.   FIRST WARD : Bobby Smithey and Gary Shinall have been making First Ward come alive in their memories, and if Bobby can find the time by going back over his e-mails, can probably give us a great list from First Ward  SIXTH AVENUE : Still our least known school, but we've been greatly helped by the fact that both Bill and Bun attended early years there, and maybe Catherine can forward our plea for help on to Cappy and the West twins, and Fred to Overton   ANNUNCIATION ACADEMY : This is one I, George Lemen, Lawrence, et al can probably do a pretty good job on a listing here, tho George left after 2nd and I after 3rd for Lakeside.    So lots to look foward to, and lots more to follow, God willin'  God bless you each and everyone !      Hames Hey Ya'll !        Please disregard any previous entreaties to start sending to all when you e-mail ( including the plea I tacked on below in the intro to Bill Bowker's great e-mail, enclosed for all to enjoy.        The problem had been that due to time constraints ( 15 minute break times at work,), I was concerned  that, with our amazingly growing numbers, I wasn't getting everything out to everyone, plus garbling my own  attempts as well.      My first thought had been to ask that everyone start copying to everybody, until it sunk in that even those folks who were already sending to all weren't sending to the same " to all " list that others were. Plus anything that complicates a simple joyful act has a tendency to kill incentive, which is the opposite of what we are all doing.      The only thing that made any sense then was to have a Master List that would include all of our correct and updated e-mail addresses, and a willing soul to make sure that that list would receive all the forwards.      Tommy Case, has graciously offered to, with Bobby Smithey's help, put together such a list, so that now, each time anything comes in, it can be shared with the whole group ( unless otherwise designated )      So please take a moment and check your address above and any others I may have mangled, ( I've been mis-spelling Alltel for who knows how long ! Now that won't be a problem anymore ), and let me know of any corrections or additions and I'll pass along to Tommy and Bobby. Also if you know of anyone who might like to also be receiving these, just let us know.               Since every single person who has responded has said how much they've been enjoying this renewed contact and opportunity to reminisce in positive ways about our growing up years in Pine Bluff.( And this is sure borne out when  you see how quickly our numbers have grown! ), And never losing sight of the original purpose that Ralph and Gary and Bobby started it all with, let it also be said, that these e-mails are providing an uplift to all and for some in particular, who appreciate the opportunity  to recall simpler times and a place and time when summers never seemed long enough and yet never seemed to end, at least in our obviously vivid memories and recollections.      So anyway, just go right back to your comfort level as far as e-mailing is concerned. Keep 'em comin' and, God willin' we'll keep 'em comin' along to you all.   Thanks !  Hames     And now, before we get to Bill Stephenson/Bowker's great e-mail, here is my opportunity to try to tie up some loose ends !    Fred Ursery reminds me that Sam Taylor's music teacher was Mrs. Turner, and that their PE Instructor, Rodney Ryan's wife, was one of their teachers there at ST. ( I believe that Rodney Ryan wound up teaching at U of A Fayetteville ) Again, it appears that each Elementary School had its own music teacher, but that the PE Instructors were shared by all ? Can any First Warders or Gabe Meyers add any thoughts on that ? Also this brings the question as to whether Sixth Avenue was able to muster enough Overton Andersons to have a football team ?      Since we know that Denzol Bailey at Lakeside and his brother at Sam Taylor , and as Tommy Case has told us, Cookie Willis's dad at Gabe Meyer were volunteers, maybe those elementary schools that weren't fortunate enough to have such men to volunteer their services had to forego after school team sports ?      Bill Rumker wrote that it was Ed Brown who was his Little League Coach, and hopefully, Bill might share the beautiful tribute he wrote some time.      In my haste to write an intro below, I mistakenly gave Bill more siblings than he had, and gave PB credit for Bill's wife ( She's from LR and even tho her maiden name was Whiteside, apparently there's no relation to Cappy Ware's LR husband, also named Whiteside ) and his uncle Bud Bowker may have played football in LR or Fayetteville instead of PB.      When I was asking for help with PB's Shoe places, I meant of course Shoe Repair shops, like the Lupo Bros. ( 2 different locations ), Barbarotto's, Tony Sylvester's et al. And I still am hoping someone can recall the non Italian shoe shop on east end, whose long last name began with Kac or Kaz.....      Some other Jewish families, Catherine adds the Goldbergs and I believe Anetta's family was Goldberger. I recall Larry Hall, I think it was who was going to marry Anetta.      Another name to add to the Lakeside rolls, along with Bill's Becky Howell, , is Jim Borne. Jim was there briefly, and then when he returned some years later, he was Jim Patterson. Jim's late wife, the wonderful Gail Ragland, explained how all that happened and I'll try to find her e-mail of some years back.      Bill's also absolutely right in recalling that Floyd Dodd ( and his brother Havis? ) was shaving in the 4th grade !      That was at Lakeside. If he was shaving at Sixth Avenue before then, he was older than even we at Lakeside thought      Bill mentions Jimmy Rountree. Where did Jimmy attend Elem. school ? Also could the Buddy that Bun recalls in his Sixth Avenue years be Buddy McGriff ?      And it might be fun to occasionally our e-mails with a trivia question so as to continue to ward off forgetfulness. Here's my starter. Name the only PB Movie Theater that NONE of us ever got to see a movie in.      Well, that's enough to keep us busy for a while.      Thanks again !        Hames Easy... The Vester, behind the Strand on 2nd.  I believe it was named for "Vester" the matriarch of the Brown? or Perry? Funeral Home in Pine Bluff! Tommy Barton  Hames:      You are a literal paragon of industry for squeezing all this into 15 minute breaks.  However, it is alright if you confess to borrowing a little work time.  I would never rat you out.  Well, unless there was some real money involved, and then my true character would be revealed. Keep up the great work.  I had no idea that P.B. was such a fascinatingly diverse community. J M Blackwell Dear All,      Well, that astute detective J M Blackwell is correct. Occasionally, I am granted more computer time than usual, and happily, today is one of those times !      First off, please note that the above mailing list is, I hope and pray, as complete and error free as any so far. So if you are of a mind to, and can, unlike me, copy and paste it so that in future you can mail your sharing to all, wonderful.( Wayne and Tommy, it would be especially great if you two could, since your updates of Dick Dewoody would then reach all )  If not, I'll keep trying to forward what you do send, to all, unless requested otherwise.      Some of the addresses may need clarifying: hhcjr is Catherine, PPBurdeno is Penny & Paul, alark is Auvergne, Altoid is TBellhouse, and I believe the others are self explanatory. Now, Hoorays are in order for Fred Ursery's exhaustive lists of Sam Taylor, and Bobby Smithey for his equally amazing lists of First Ward. Both these were from memory ( unlike the Lakeside lists, which I had the good fortune to copy directly from the old roll books long ago, and Wayne alphabetized).      The unbeatable memory of Tommy Barton cinched the Early PB Trivia Question. The only movie theater none of us never saw a movie in was...The Vester ! Tommy even adds that the name Vester came from the matriarch of the black funeral home operation that also owned the Vester, which most of you remember adjoined the Strand ( Had David Finley been on our list when that went out, he may've contradicted my lead in, as david's Dad ran the projectors at a number of theaters, so David may've gone with him if he ever was called upon to show the movies at the Vester ! )      I don't know about ya'll, but I printed out both lists and have been really enjoying reading back over all those familiar names ( aside to Gary and Barbara: Gary, your family must've had the record number of family at First Ward ! You, Brent, Lana, Lance, and cousin Kathy Shinall ! And Bobby mentioned your aunt was also a teacher there ! ) Do either of you know if First Ward is still being used as a school ? I think Lakeside was turned into a Montessori school ?      Fred Ursery also relayed that during a lunch he and his wife were having with another couple, the wife mentioned that she had been happily attending Sixth Avenue, when with no explanation, boundaries were altered and she was transferred to Sam Taylor.      When Fred told me this, I immediately began wondering again, why a school already hurting for pupils, would bypass the arsenal kids, and then start transferring students who were already there ?!? Most of you are prob'ly already ahead of my tortoise slow brain, but it FINALLY dawned on me, that the best explanation is that, instead of looking to increase its students, Sixth Avenue, even as far back as when we were in school, must've been trying to PHASE IT OUT !  Unless someone else tells us differently, that's the only explanation that seems to make any sense. Wish we knew when Sixth Avenue did actually close, and what became of it ?      Thanks again to Bobby Smithey for solving my own dim recall of the name of the only non Italian Shoe Repair store. Bobby says it was Albert Kraizig, and his place was at sixth & Ohio in a triplex bldg. that also housed Jimmy Smith's Grocery Store and Brewster's Barber Shop. Thanks Bobby, I can picture that corner lots more clearly now, and also rectify my faulty memory of there being a Chinese Grocery there instead. I guess Catherine was right, that the only other Chinese Grocery was near the Worm Ranch ( Speaking of the Worm Ranch, do ya'll recall the old White House Hotel nearby ?  Was always kinda mysterious, but that may've been for a reason )      George Lemen wrote to say how much he was enjoying reading the recollecting, and added a memory about his 3 years at Annunciation Academy. George recalls that the nuns would insist that our lunchtime apples be eaten down to the core, and even sometimes demand evidence. George recalls one girl handing the over seeing nun 3 seeds and a stem ! George lived those 3 years at 1219 E 2nd, near Cookie Willis and D.J. King, and with my eyesight, I thought I was seeing West 2nd and figured that would put Cookie at Sixth Avenue, but as Bobby's list of First Ward shows, Cookie was there, at least until TCase's list puts her at Gabe Meyer later on, when her dad coached their football team.      So obviously more of us kids moved around than we may've remembered ( Roby Mize may have the record. Roby was orphaned and lived with various siblings, and even for a spell with Travis Mitchell's family, and prob'ly the Smitheys too, right Bobby ? )      Roby always reminded me a bit of Dale Wyatt ( also orphaned I think, tho Dale once explained it all, I alas have forgotten. I think Dale may've also been related to Bobby Wyatt and Jimmy Wyatt ?? )      Which brings up WHERE did Dale attend, since he's missing so far from any of our Grade School Lists.      Likewise, somehow Larry Walker, Jimmy Quinn, Jerry Mayer, the 3 musketeers, are likewise so far not on any lists ( tho, with my eyesight I may've just overlooked ) I'm guessing they turn up on Tcase's & BKientz's still in progress Gabe Meyer lists. Other names still missing off the top of my head, Jimmy Roundtree, Wesley Hargis, Catherine Ward ( First Ward addition ? ) et al      Speaking earlier of school boundaries, I believe I have come up with the northern most Lakesider I can think of Buddy Gibbs. Buddy lived at either 8th & Walnut or 9th & Walnut. And I believe Cappy Ware, who was in the Sixth Avenue district lived on 7th. Therefore the dividing line must've been 8th or 9th.      Well, I think that wraps up all the input so far. If later time allows, maybe we can start compiling the kids at Annunciation Academy, and  hope that Buddy, Lawrence, and David will be the mainstays in helping compile those lists, which should be chock full of lots of names we all recall so well, when they joined us in high school. To close out this round with another trivia question from our Growing Up Years :  NAME 6 DRUGSTORES FROM OUR GROWING UP YEARS ( Murray Hart Walgreens not included. Too easy ! )      Thanks again to Ralph, Gary & Barbara & Bobby for initiating this Round Robin and for all of you keeping it going to all.                                             Your friend always, Hames       First Ward is still listed as a public elementary school in the local phone directory. Roby Mize never lived with the Smithey family but he would have been a welcome addition. With some of the antics Roby pulled in his youth, it would have redirected some of the discipline Mr. Smithey administered in our household. Lord knows I could have used it.       Dad (J.R. Smithey) was a projectionist for the Bonner family who owned the Community Theatre. He worked there prior to entering the U.S. Navy in 1937 and again during WW II. The Bonner's also owned the Drive-In Movie on Dollarway  Road.       The cost of admission to a Republic Western Movie ( Roy Rogers, Lash Larue, Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry, and others) on week ends at the Community was ten cents. On Saturdays you could go to the Saenger Theatre for the price of two empty coke bottles. Jimmy Smith used to keep the empty coke bottles behind his grocery store. The Roop twins used to go behind the store and pick up enough empties, walk around front and sell em' back to the store to get their money to go to the movies. I tried it a couple of times. Scared the bejeebies out of me when doing it especially when I saw the Cummins Prison Farm workers cleaning out the ravine in our neighborhood but it got me in the movies.      Times were tough back then.       Dale Wyatt is an uncle to Bobby, Jimmy and Mary Ann Wyatt. I am not sure but believe Dale attended Dollarway and White Hall schools. Dale has taught journalism at White Hall for many years. Dale was an above average pitcher in baseball and outside shooter in basketball. He always seemed more mature for his age.  Bob Smithey Dear Tommy and Bo,      This e-mail just to thank you both for helping take the eyestrain problem away for me !( I have another appointment with the eye specialist next month ).      Since our e-mailers grew so quickly in numbers and others asking to be added, it just makes sense to have an up-dated, poof-read Master List so that anything I receive or write can be immediately forwarded to Tommy, who will just press Forward To All on his Master List, and that way everybody will get everything, with the exception of those who don't care to share with the whole group, or anything you guys figure doesn't meet the G rating test, and I no longer have to try to collate all the individual " All " lists or retype addresses each time.      As to the Master List, I think between Bobby's list, my list and Tommy's list, we've pretty much got it all covered. Bobby has had Lawrence Fikes listed, so if Bobby thinks Lawrence is OK with receiving the mailings,      I'd suggest adding Lawrence to the Master list, and unless Buddy McFadin hollers " Stop " I would think he'd be a good one to add, since he and Lawrence both went to AA and can help with that list.      Another for sure example, with Bobby's input, is Gary Shinall. I  purposely omitted Gary from the Dewoody health updates, concerned that negative health stuff might not be appropriate for Gary and his wife at this time. So Bobby, could you please let Tommy know whether to put Gary on the Master List to All, please, or just leave it that, since you will be getting everything, you can decide if what comes along is appropriate or not, and then you would forward on to Gary. Thanks !      Alan Blackwell has asked to be added to our mailings :ablackw001@aol.com  Alan asks us to be sure we get those numerals in as numerals rather than letter " O's "      And Tommy if you're doing names besides the more nebulous e-mails ( Altoid=Bellhouse, PPBurdeno= Penny, HHCJR =Catherine, et al, then I guess Alan would be a good one to do that with as well ?       We all 3 know that there are some names we'd love to add, but for different reasons can't. A case in point for me is Roy. I'd love to have sent several of our mailings to Roy, but what always stopped me is that I know Roy is maintaining a political blog and would automatically add all our e-mails to his mailouts and that just wouldn't be fair to others. But if anyone wanted to blind copy to Roy on their own and didn't mind receiving his stuff, that's a whole 'nother matter.       I've already sent our first trial e-mail to you both ( The Bill Bowker one ) and after Tommy', Bobby, and I have OK'd the Master Send To All list as best we can, Tommy that would be the first one to go out under this new system.      It's ironic that, here, we three who are still working, have wound up being the co-ordinators, but God provides ministries in wondrous ways sometimes, and I am just thankful we are being allowed to boost the morale or even the day, with a growing number of our Growing Up Years Friends !      Thank you again !  Your friend, Hames           Hames my personal feeling is that Gary knows he is facing an inevitable death as his body deteriorates and his wonderful mind remains in tact. Gary has reached a stage where he is almost non-communicative and totally dependent upon  Barbara feeding him any and all sources of information. No one will know Gary and his daily spirit better than Barbara. Let us continue to remember and communicate with him sharing all facets of life and death while depending on Barbara to edit the content. This gives Gary an opportunity to live until he dies knowing that many care for him and without his withdrawing into a shell until the end of this life on earth.      Those are my thoughts but we would be remiss not to solicit the thoughts of Ralph. For it is Ralph Rouse who began this strong shoulder of communication for Gary and Barbara to lean on during this difficult time. What are your thoughts Ralph? Bob Smithey      I agree totally Bobby. I have called Barbara and shared expressions with her of my caring and praying for Gary and she has cried and laughed and expressed great appreciation for the love expressed by our efforts to make their life more meaningful at this time when they feel so very alone facing this problem.       We should let them know that we love them, and more importantly GOD loves them and gave his only begotten Son for us all so that we can accept Him as our personal Savior and when our time comes we can go to be with Him and someday be with each other again where there will be no pain or sorrow.      I have total faith in His promise and am looking forward to that day. Ralph Rouse       Thank you for this reply Ralph. The one important question I have never asked Gary, and simply made an assumption is, "Are you a Christian?"      Have you discussed Gary's faith with him Ralph?      Ralph, you have done a wonderful thing by lending your strength and support to both Gary and Barbara. Your willingness to share and multiply words of encouragement and hopefully  email distractions of memories and humor have been beneficial to many others. It provided a medium to express our love and concern directed to Gary and Barbara that has grown to include those same expressions of emotions to many others.       I have always followed your life with admiration as you distinguished yourself first with feats of physical strength followed by overcoming tremendous adversity. In the past and today you are recognized as one of America's humanitarians improving the lives of others.       Your strong Christian faith and life experiences remind me of similarities of a man named Sampson with comparison details in scripture. Bob Smithey      Yes I have and "YES" they are Christian's and they do believe that we will be like HIM in the great bye and bye..       Bobby, your words are so kind. Thank you. You have such a way with words and appreciate you so much. I talked to Larry Walker the other day and he said he was going to call Gary and share his faith with Gary also. Barbara has told me to tell all of us that Gary really looks forward to our emails and that she reads them and then reads them to him as she has the time. She told me to tell you all that she wishes she could answer them but time does not allow her to. She says keep them coming.      She says that things have grown more difficult because Gary's respiratory system is under attack. He is having trouble swallowing and he is having trouble breathing but does not want to be put on a respirator. I asked her how she feels about that decision and she said if it were her she would make the same decision. I told her I respect such a very personal decision. Then I went on to tell her to tell Gary that in my eyes he is a bigger man than he ever has been and to tell him with the advances in medicine and most particularly some of the stem cell research going on, we never know what next year may bring.                  The Apostle Paul put it this way " I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith...". Pray for Gary and Dick and if you have the chance share your faith and hope with them. God bless you all. Ralph Rouse THIS CAME TO ME FROM BOBBY KIENTZ.      A couple of days ago I was running (I use that term verrrry loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio...and I was BLOWN AWAY! I want to share what I learned....but I fear not being able to convey it as well as I want. I will share anyway.      He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is...how He spoke the universe into being...how He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire..., etc., etc. Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know). ...and I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical training as I learned more and more about God's handiwork. I remember so many times thinking...'How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???'      Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hol