Reprinted here by special permission of the author, Cindy Beckman, a retired Conway High School history teacher who writes local history.

In 2007, AETN created an oral history program called In Their Words which attempted to preserve the experiences of Arkansas’ World War II veterans. Eventually more than 500 stories were recorded and archived. I encourage you to go to www.intheirwords.org and read some of their stories.

Many other stories will remain untold but my grandmother helped me preserve a few of them in the summer of 1999. Pleasant Valley joined Continue reading →

Reprinted here by special permission of the author, Cindy Beckman, a retired Conway High School history teacher who writes local history.

War often requires sacrifices and effort at home as well as in the battlefield. Pleasant Valley, a small Faulkner County community of about 50 or 60 families, contributed greatly to the war effort during World War II. Many of its young men had gone to serve in the military so those who were left behind worked doubly hard to do all they could for the war effort.

The community became well known for its efforts to provide agricultural products that were greatly needed by the troops. In the November 8, 1942 Arkansas Gazette Magazine section, the efforts of the community were featured in Continue reading →