100 YEARS AGO, 1919
♦ A married man of draft age who couldn’t read and asked his wife to write a note to an exemption board elsewhere stating that his family was dependent on him: “My husband ast me to write you a recommend that he support his family. He can’t read so don’t tell him, just take him. He ain’t no good to me. He ain’t done nothing but drink lemmen essence and play a fiddle since I married him eight years ago, and I gotta feed seven kids of his’n. I need the grub and his bed for the kids.”
♦ The identity of Sen. George F. Hartje came near being lost on account of his youthful appearance. According to a story told at the capitol, a lady entered the senate chamber in search of the Faulkner County lawmaker. Addressing the senator himself, she asked, “Could you please tell me where I might find Senator Hartje?” “This is the senator who you are addressing,” Hartje said. “I never would have thought it!” was the lady’s exclamation, “I was expecting a much older man.”
75 YEARS AGO, 1944
♦ Frank Robins completed his fiftieth year of service at the Log Cabin Democrat and wrote a letter of thanks to those who had sent him kind words. The staff presented him with a signed token of their appreciation.
♦ County Judge Jason L. Summers formally ordered that the legal sale of intoxicants, including every beverage that contains more than one-half of one percent of alcohol, would end in Faulkner County on March 15, 1944 for a period of at least two years.
♦ WAC Class 11, which numbered 52, graduated from WAC branch No. 3, army administration school at ASTC. Graduation exercises were held at Ida Waldran Auditorium. The final class was scheduled to graduate in four weeks.
50 YEARS AGO, 1969
♦ When he stepped down from the Faulkner County sheriff and collector’s office, Joe Castleberry had served in the office twice as long as any other officer in history. He completed a total of 16 years in the position.
♦ Circuit Judge Russell C. Roberts issued the oath of office to Mrs. Lucy Glover, the new circuit and chancery clerk. She became the third woman in history to hold a public office. Mrs. Jewell Crow renewed her oath as deputy county clerk. She had held the clerk’s office in her own name but planned to retire in April after 35 years’ service in the Courthouse.
♦ Rufus Hayden, 75, former Faulkner County surveyor and a retired surveyor for the U.S. Corps of Engineers, passed away after a brief illness. Born in the Rocky Gap community, he was the author of “Pine Mountain Americans,” a book describing events that took place near Round Mountain, south of Conway.
25 YEARS AGO, 1994
♦ The top news story for 1993 was when three Faulkner County pharmacists won a stunning predatory pricing lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and its Conway store No. 5 in an October 11 ruling by 20th Judicial District Circuit Judge David L. Reynolds.
♦ The second top story for 1993 was the manhunt in northern Pulaski County for James Avery Slack, formerly of Conway, who kidnapped Jo Ann Lieblong. After 20 hours, Slack turned himself in to police.
♦ The Clinton inauguration was also a top story in 1993. Faulkner County was well represented during a gala week of festivities in Washington.
10 YEARS AGO, 2009
♦ The top stories for 2008: 1) UCA President Lu Hardin’s resignation 2) Hewlett-Packard announced the location of a state-of-the-art support center at The Meadows Office and Technology Park 3) Two UCA students were killed in a shooting on campus 4) Southwestern Energy announced plans to build a regional headquarters by The Village at Hendrix 5) Senator Gilbert Baker and Conway businessman Joe White engaged in the state’s most expensive campaign 6) Ground was broken for a new Central Heart and Surgical Hospital at Exchange Avenue and United Drive 7) Arkansas Historic Preservation Program released an easement on the Faulkner County Courthouse.