January 2019

2 | 501 LIFE January 2019

you are

not alone

Cancer has made Stacy Rice a stronger woman, it has made her more bold in her life and she says she would not be the person she is today without the experience. She hopes she will be an encouragement to other women who are going through this same battle.

“Ask for support because you can’t go through this or life by yourself.

Remember you are not alone. You have your family, friends, an oncologist, radiologist and God. I just want to be there for the next person because I had great support.” —Stacy Rice

YOUR

OF CARE

Stacy Rice Breast Cancer Survivor, Unity Health Ambassador

HOSPITALS • CLINICS • SPECIALISTS

Unity-Health.org

Searcy | Newport | Beebe | Bradford | Cabot | Clinton | Heber Springs January 2019 501lifemag.com | 3

501 LIFE

EDITOR'S NOTE

OWNERS Donna Spears, Sonja J. Keith EDITOR Sonja J. Keith

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Donna Spears

ART DIRECTORS Jennifer Godwin and Nick Walker ASSOCIATE EDITOR Levi Gilbert PHOTO DIRECTOR Mike Kemp

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Tom Keith CONTRIBUTORS Donna Benton Don Bingham Kellie Bishop Tanner Cangelosi Brittany Gilbert Laurie Green Linda Henderson Vivian Hogue Megan Ledbetter Karl Lenser Mark McDonald Mark Oliver

Todd Owens Bill Patterson John Patton Susan Peterson Dr. Robert Reising Robin Richards Jan Spann Donna Lampkin Stephens Callie Sterling Jaison Sterling Katelin Whiddon

FAULKNER COUNTY EDITORIAL BOARD

Charlotte Strickland (left) and KARK Channel 4’s Mallory Brooks were “Loving LIFE” before the monthly 501 LIFE segment featuring the December issue. Each month, 501 LIFE has a segment on the current edition of the magazine on Channel 4. Charlotte and her nativity collection were among the stories in the December edition.

We want to thank Mallory, producer Nathan Treece and our other friends at Channel 4 for their continued interest in 501 LIFE. For more than 10 years, they have been a wonderful supporter of the magazine.

Johnny Adams Jack Bell Don Bingham RaeLynn Callaway Glenn Crockett Kay Dalton Beth Franks Russ Hancock Spencer Hawks Mathilda Hatfield Roe Henderson Jerry Hiegel Mike Kemp Julie LaRue

Karl Lenser Monica Lieblong Lori Melton Kiera Oluokun Deanna Ott Pat Otto Jon Patrom Amy Reed Lori Ross Margaret Smith Jan Spann Kim Tyler Jennifer Whitehead

CONWAY COUNTY EDITORIAL BOARD

Reflecting on 2018 As we say goodbye to 2018 and usher in a new year, now is a good time to reflect on the last 12 months in anticipation of the year ahead.

2018 was a big year for 501 LIFE as we celebrated our 10th anniversary. Wow! It has been a little difficult to grasp that it has been 10 years since the creation of a magazine that celebrates greater Central Arkansas, its wonderful people, its scenic places and all the incredible things that make the 501 an outstanding place to live, work, worship, do business, get an education and play.

Many copies of 501 LIFE have been packed in suitcases and taken around the United States and the globe for “Loving LIFE” photos – one of the most popular sections in the magazine. We have attended and captured photos from a plethora of events in the 501 – from banquets and birthdays to receptions and holiday happenings.

We have recognized individuals for their work and achievements through our Person of the Month feature while also celebrating our youth and other community volunteers and leaders.

Along the way, we have been very touched by the extremely warm reception that the magazine has received – from young, older and everyone in

4 | 501 LIFE January 2019

between. We have been overwhelmed by reader comments, including one from a schoolteacher who said her “best day” is when the magazine lands in her school box and a young person who responded “heck, yeah!” when asked if we could take her photo at an event.

The first of the year is an exciting time as it represents something new and fresh. When the calendar rolls around to Jan. 1, we are reminded that what will follow is 365 days representing new opportunities to make plans and pursue dreams. Thank you for traveling this journey with us.

My business partner, Donna Spears, and I have much to be thankful for as we reflect on the last 10 years – our faithful readers, our talented team, our supportive editorial boards and our fantastic advertisers. We have also been blessed with dear family and friends who have shared this journey with us. We want to express our appreciation to each for their support. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

We are “Loving LIFE” and are excited about 2019, the next 10 years and beyond.

Until next month, here’s to a great new year and “Loving LIFE” in the 501!

Mary Clark Shelli Crowell Dr. Larry Davis Shawn Halbrook Alicia Hugen Alisha Koonce

Stephanie Lipsmeyer Stewart Nelson Kristi Strain Jim Taylor Morgan Zimmerman

WHITE COUNTY EDITORIAL BOARD Betsy Bailey Tara Cathey Cassandra Feltrop Phil Hays Natalie Horton Matt LaForce

Hannah Owens Mike Parsons Brooke Pryor Carol Spears Kristi Thurmon

To subscribe or order back issues, visit www.501lifemag.com. The subscription rate is $20 for one year (12 issues).

501 Advertising and Publishing 701 Chestnut St. Conway, Ark. 72032 501.327.1501 info@501lifemag.com

501 LIFE is published monthly by 501 Advertising and Publishing (701 Chestnut St., Conway, Ark. 72032, 501.327.1501). The contents of 501 LIFE are copyrighted and materials presented may not be copied or reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publishers. Articles should not be considered specific advice, as individual circumstances vary. Products and services advertised are not necessarily endorsed by 501 LIFE. 501 LIFE is produced on recycled paper.

CONTENTS

January

2019

Volume 11 Issue 9

features&departments 44 Home

m

This year, you can resolve to save energy and money by participating in the Conway Corp Energy Smart Challenge.

59 Finances

As the year winds down, you may want to look ahead to see which areas of your life you can improve in 2019 and include some New Year’s financial resolutions to your list.

54 Special section

501 LIFE is celebrating this year’s Conway Women in Business honorees, including Diamond Achievement Award recipient Donna Townsell.

33

neighbors

On the cover

In this month’s edition, 501 LIFE is all about “Planes and things that go.”

The cover features a Linda Henderson photo of a train, the topic of her Traveling the 501 feature (Pages 72-74).

The other two photos, taken by Mike Kemp, depict Conway pilot Robbie Wills (Pages 30-32) and Conway School Resource Officer Chuck Townsend, this month’s Person of the Month.

40

26 Couples

Dr. Thad and Sara Hardin are loving life in Conway, where he is a physician, and she is a full-time mom.

28 Youth

Oftentimes you can find Clinton High senior Sky Davidson in the sky.

30 Conway

Robbie Wills came by his love of aviation honestly.

78 Person of the month

Conway School Resource Officer Chuck Townsend loves riding his motorcycle through the beautiful country roads that the 501 has to offer.

regulars

46

4 8-9 10-17 40-47 78

'501 KIDS' 501 LIFE contributors Kellie Bishop and Brittany Gilbert present some great tips in the 501 Kids section (Pages 50-52).

Have a story idea or a young person you would like to see featured? Send suggestions to info@501lifemag.com.

LIFE pics 18-25

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Editor’s Note Calendar Loving LIFE Home Person of the month

501 LIFE would like to thank its advertising partners for their continued support and encourage our readers to support these businesses:

501 LIFE is you!

twitter.com /501lifemag

B

Bledsoe Chiropractic, 45

C

facebook.com /501lifemag

Centennial Bank, 55 Central Arkansas Pediatrics, 51 Coldwell/Banker-Hawks Family Team, 48 Conway Corporation, 21 Conway Institute of Music, 19 Conway Regional Health System, 79 Conway Regional Rehab, 61 Crain Automotive, 27

D

DJM Orthodontics, 29

E

Edward Jones, 37 EL Clinical Esthetics, 49

F

First Security Bank, 80 First Service Bank, 13 Freyaldenhoven Heating and Cooling Inc., 35

H

Hartman Animal Hospital, 77 Harwood, Ott & Fisher, PA, 65 Heritage Living Center, 5 Hiegel Supply, 69

Get “LIFE” at home!

For a limited time, 501 LIFE is offering a special subscription rate for new subscribers - have the magazine delivered to your home for only $20 for one year, $40 for two years.

While the magazine is distributed through more than 700 locations in Central Arkansas, copies go fast. Home delivery ensures readers they won’t miss a single issue.

Readers can visit 501lifemag.com or call 501.327.1501 to subscribe.

Tune in at 12:30 p.m. the last Tuesday of each month to KARK Channel 4 for a segment on the current issue of 501 LIFE.

Writers’ Room

L

Luxury Pool & Spa, 43

M

Magie Smith Charton Eye Clinic, 41 Methodist Family Health, 67

N

Nabholz, 56

O

Ott Insurance, 39

P

Patterson Eye Care, 69

S

Salem Place Nursing and Rehab, 2, 58 Salter Properties, 32 Shelter Insurance, 47 St. Joseph Schools, 52

U

Unity Health, 3, 31 University of Arkansas Community College Morrilton, 25 University of Central Arkansas, 47, 57 UCA Reynolds Performance Hall, 63

W

Wilkinson’s Mall, 41

5

501 LIFE, 75

Donna Benton has lived in Greenbrier for nearly 25 years. She enjoys most the small town culture and community in the 501. “But most of all, my friends and family are here and that is what makes it home!”

Donna attended Louisiana State University in her home state and said most people probably don’t know that she was a rock climber, whitewater kayaker and a backpacking guide. “My husband, Joey Benton, is a lifetime Greenbrier guy, and our boys, Joseph and Ben, graduated from or currently attend Hendrix College.”

Donna, who writes Home features for 501 LIFE, describes herself as a “maker.”

“In my business, I design with vintage furniture, but I guess that is my hobby too! I love the whole process from discovering one-of-a kind pieces on adventurous buying trips to creating fabulous rooms where every element has a story.”

To contact Donna, email donna@ waterhousemarket.com. Check out her blog on waterhousemarket. com and follow her on Instagram @ waterhousemarket and Facebook at WaterHouse Market.

Equal parts dreamer and doer, Jennifer Godwin has been with 501 LIFE since the beginning, helping with the visual look of the magazine, down to the logo.

A former editor, digital strategist and communications manager, she now does public relations in Memphis. She can be reached at jennifercg@gmail.com.

Nick Walker has been designing 501 LIFE since the first issue.

Longtime residents of the 501, Nick and his wife, Jennifer, moved to Memphis in 2017 where he works for the City of Memphis.

A North Little Rock resident since 2014, Callie Blair Sterling graduated in 2009 from North Little Rock High School and the University of Central Arkansas in 2013 with a degree in journalism.

“Central Arkansas has so much to offer!”

Callie loves to take road trips with her husband, Jaison, playing with their dogs (Marley, Myla and Happy), scrapbooking and CrossFit. Most people probably don’t know that Callie lived in Germany and also had a serious ATV accident in 2005. “It is a miracle that I am alive today. God truly saved my life and today I hope to be an advocate for others who are traumatic brain injury survivors and help raise awareness about the cause.”

To contact Callie, email jc@ sterlingimageworks. Follow her on Instagram @sterlingimageworks and on Facebook at Sterling Imageworks.

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 7

NEWS/NOTES

The University of Central Arkansas will present award-winning country music performer Travis Tritt in concert at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 14, in the Reynolds Performance Hall. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit uca.edu/Reynolds.

January S 6

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13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Woolly Hollow State Park will host a First Day Hike from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 1. Admission is free. Please bring water, sturdy shoes and a hiking stick, if you like. For more information, call 501.679.2098 or visit arkansasstateparks.com/woollyhollow.

A First Day Fun Run 5K will be held 2 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 1, at DeGray Lake Resort State Park. The run will be along a mixed surface course split evenly between trail and road. For the goal-oriented, organizers are issuing the “2019 Challenge!” - complete the course in under 20 minutes 19 seconds in the self-timed event. All experience and fitness levels are welcome on this fun run/jog/hike. Register at https://runsignup.com/Race/AR/Bismarck/ FirstDay5KFunRun. Contact the park for more information.

8 | 501 LIFE January 2019

A continuous tradition for 25 years and counting, Hot Springs galleries stay open late for Gallery Walk on the first Friday of each month (Friday, Jan. 4) to host openings of new exhibits by local, regional, national and international artists. The Hot Springs Arts District is a unique blending of natural beauty surrounded by a National Historic District. For more information regarding individual arts events and exhibits or local events, visit hotsprings.org or call 501.321.2277.

The University of Central Arkansas Reynolds Performance Hall will present “Something Rotten” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23. Set in 1595, this hilarious smash tells the story of Nick and Nigel Bottom, two brothers who are desperate to write a hit play. When a local soothsayer foretells that the future of theatre involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, Nick and Nigel set out to write the world’s very first musical. For more information and to order tickets, visit uca.edu/Reynolds.

The Maumelle Area Chamber of Commerce will host its annual recognition banquet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, at the Maumelle Event Center. The chamber will honor members who have gone above and beyond during the previous year, with awards presented to the Large Business of the Year, Small Business of the Year, Person of the Year, Educator of the Year and Ambassador of the Year.

Nominations will be accepted through Monday, Jan. 7. To help sponsor the event of for more information, call 501.851.9700 or email macc@ maumellechamber.com.

St. Joseph School is planning a community open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 27. There will be PreK-12th grade tours, an opportunity to meet teachers and free refreshments. For more information, call 501.327.1204.

The Main State EdUCAtion Series will present a play titled “Freedom Bound” for area schoolchildren on Monday, Jan. 28. The program is designed for students in grades third through ninth. Main Stage performances are selected to be entertaining while educating the audience on an academic topic and integrating arts into school curriculum. For more information on this performance or Main Stage, visit uca.edu/ publicappearances/mainstage.

The Cabot Chamber of Commerce will present its membership banquet on Tuesday, Jan. 29, at Veterans Park Event Center. A reception is planned at 6 p.m., with dinner at 6:30 p.m. The event will feature The Big Game Show. Tickets are $30 per person for chamber members and $40 for non-members. Table sponsorships are available. To RSVP, call 501.843.2136 or email chamber@cabotcc.org by Monday, Jan. 14.

To submit a calendar item, please send information to info@501lifemag.com.

To see a complete list of items, please go to 501lifemag.com.

va

Conway Regional plans Arkansas Duck Derby

Registration is open for the inaugural Arkansas Duck Derby planned Thursday, Jan. 10, and Friday, Jan. 11.

The competitive one-day hunt features a team of four hunters and a landowner or designated host who will compete for an elaborate grand prize that can be equally divided among the team and landowner. Organizers have secured private land in Central Arkansas for the hunt.

The fundraiser will support the Conway Regional Health System, with proceeds used for the Conway Regional Men’s Health Initiative and the Lodging Assistance Program that provides shortterm housing for patient families in need.

“Nothing pulls guys together like a great hunt and this also is an opportunity for us to focus on men taking care of their health, a topic that men rarely discuss,” said Thad Hardin, M.D., a family practice physician at Conway Regional and chairman of the organizing committee. “We are fortunate to provide comprehensive men’s health services to our community, but they do us no good if men

Members of the Arkansas Duck Derby Committee: Kelley Erstine (front, from left), Jeff Standridge, Chip DeBoard, Jim Rankin Jr., Mike Armstrong, Dr. Lew McColgan; Jason Smith (back), Jon Ross Henderson, Reggie Rose, Josh Robinson, Dr. Thad Hardin and Dr. Andrew Cole. Not pictured: Bret Carroll, Kevin Carter and Jeff Morrison. don’t take a proactive role in taking care of themselves. So, our goals are two-fold with this event.”

Hardin joins fellow physicians Andrew Cole, M.D., and Lew McColgan, M.D., in planning the derby along with Mike Armstrong, Bret Carroll, Kevin Carter, Chip DeBoard, Kelley Erstine, Jon Ross Henderson, Jeff Morrison, Jim Rankin Jr., Josh Robinson, Reggie Rose, Jason Smith and Jeff Standridge.

Planning for the event began in 2016. “We’ve been

having monthly meetings as a committee since that time,” Hardin said. “We knew that for it to turn out well it would take a lot of planning and hard work. We wanted to make sure that the event was a success and that people would want to come back next year.”

The entry fee for the four-person team is $1,200 and includes four tickets to the Pre-Hunt Commu-

Ducks continued on Page 45

Centennial Bank creates endowed scholarship Centennial Bank has become the first bank to establish an endowed scholarship in the UCA College of Business with a $30,000 gift to create the Centennial Bank Endowed Finance Scholarship Fund.

The scholarship will be awarded annually, beginning in 2019, to one student per year, known as a Centennial Bank Scholar. Recipients will be finance majors in the College of Business.

Centennial Bank Division President Greg Sanson said the bank is excited to provide assistance to students pursuing finance in the College of Business.

“UCA has played a major role in our success at Centennial Bank,” said Sanson. “We have several employees who have graduated from there and numerous current students who are working here part-time. Centennial Bank and UCA call Conway home and we feel it is very important to keep these students here.”

More than 40 UCA alumni and current students are employed by Centennial Bank, making it one of the university’s largest corporate partners.

Sanson said this decision by Centennial Bank is

Centennial continued on Page 45

Dr. Michael Hargis (left), dean of the UCA College of Business, and Centennial Bank Division President Greg Sanson were “Loving LIFE” after the announcement that Centennial is establishing an endowed scholarship.

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 9

LOVING LIFE

Sharing the 501 LIFE spirit

501 readers are enjoying LIFE and sharing their trips and special occasions with others.

An overwhelming number of readers are submitting “Loving LIFE� photos for inclusion in the magazine, and every effort is being made to publish them as soon as possible.

Headed out on a special trip? Pack a copy of 501 LIFE in your suitcase, snap a photo at your destination and send it to us for publication in a future issue.

Have a special occasion or get-together coming up? Take 501 LIFE along, take a photo and send it to us.

Photos can be submitted by email to info@501lifemag.com or by mail to Reader Photos, c/o 501 LIFE, 701 Chestnut St., Conway, Ark. 72032. Please include the names of those in the photograph and their hometowns along with contact information.

(Sorry, photos will not be returned by mail but can be picked up at the 501 office.)

Here’s to “Loving LIFE.� – Sonja Keith

Teachers and administrators employed at Wooster Elementary School when it opened in 2008 were “Loving LIFE� as they attended a 10th anniversary celebration of the school: Leslie VanPelt (from left), Kelli Martin, Teri Beth Stevens, Angie Miller, Angela Hartman, Cassie Wilcox, Dianne Walls, Lenett Thrasher, Megan Girdler, Jamie Holley, Sonya Cato, Penny Hartwick, Ella Cardin, Melanie Vanover, Tami Buchanan and Teresa Jackson.

Little Caesars employees were “Loving LIFE�: Lisa Harris (from left), Jayme Durkin, Caitlin White, Caesar, Jeremy Hogan, Laura Hearst, Sunshine, Tory Hogan and Charles Lagergren. (Samantha Lagergren photo)

10 | 501 LIFE January 2019

Maumelle seniors were “Loving LIFE� during Watercolor on the Lake, Advanced Watercolor Class: Nancy (front, from left), Barbara, Sharon, Theresa, Mike, Ernie; Jane (back), Jo, Becky, Marie, Margaret, Diane, Shelly, Wendy, Barb, Rhita, Deborah and Donna.

The Greenbrier High School Class of 1960 was “Loving LIFE� at its recent reunion: Linda Thornton Carter (seated, from left), Charles T. Carter; Gloria Jean Hartsfield (middle), Nancy Powell, Judy Mellner, Linda Taylor, Joyce Ballard, Glenda Ruth Havens, Barbara Phillips, Frank Burgess, Larry Hart, Maurice Langley; David Powell (back), Don Moore, Joe Ellzey, Melton Cotton, Hollis Phillips and Larry Land.

Cousins Claire Milam of Greenbrier and Kelsey May of Cabot took 501 LIFE along as they enjoyed the natural beauty of Greers Ferry Lake and Fairfield Bay. First Arkansas Bank and Trust associates were “Loving LIFE” on “Wear Red Day” and “Paint the Town Red” in conjunction with Dazzle Daze, a three-day shopping event presented by the Conway Regional Women’s Council: Nick Starnes (from left), Katherine Lyons, Michelle Squires, Mike Damron and Donny Bradley.

Ginny Musgrove (from left) and Sandy McKim of Conway were “Loving LIFE” with Becky and Richard Hammer, who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

President Catie Overton (left) and vice president Sarah Mayo of the Best Buddies Chapter at Conway High School took 501 LIFE along as they attended the 2018 Best Buddies Leadership Conference in Bloomington, Ind.

Jessica and Geoff Carter were “Loving LIFE” at their wedding on Nov. 3 at Alda’s Magnolia Hill in Little Rock.

Fourteen-year-old Jasmine Saat was “Loving LIFE” as the Microsoft Office Specialist Word 2013 Arkansas State Champion, after making a perfect score 1000/1000. “There were over 5,700 Word 2013 certifications earned in the state so there was plenty of competition and we didn’t know what to expect,” wrote Greenbrier Junior High School teacher Alyson Walls. “In May, we found out she had been named the state champion and earned a trip to Atlanta to compete in the Certiport MOS US National Championship (pictured at the awards ceremony).

This is a huge accomplishment. At 14, not only does she already have her Microsoft Office Specialist Certifications in Word and Excel, she can also say that she represented her school and state at the U.S. National Championship.”

Pat Woods (from left), Diane Gray, Patsy Ensco and Jean Stapleton were “Loving LIFE” on a trip to Branson where they enjoyed “Samson,” the Showboat Branson Belle and The Presleys.

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 11

LOVING LIFE

Cabot High School student-athletes were “Loving LIFE� after signing to play their respective sport on the college level: Connor Gaunt (from left), Izzy Dulin, Zach Morris, Blaine Calhoon, Zack Slunder and Sami Romano.

Cabot athletes to play on collegiate level Six Cabot High School student-athletes were surrounded by family and friends as they signed letters of intent to play sports at the college level next fall.

The students: Connor Gaunt – Golf, Arkansas Tech University.

Izzy Dulin – Swim, Williams Baptist University.

Blaine Calhoon – Golf, University of Central Arkansas.

Zach Morris – Baseball, University of Arkansas.

Sami Romano – Softball, Evangel University.

Zack Slunder – Baseball, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.

Blaine, a son of Brian and Renee Calhoon, is looking forward to continuing his golf career and to playing with some of the best golfers in college. Blaine chose UCA for the overall college atmosphere and is excited to work with the new staff and team. Blaine has been golfing from a very young age and was part of the 2018 Boys State Championship Team. He was also the 2018 Top Individual Medalist.

12 | 501 LIFE January 2019

Connor, a son of John and Monica Gaunt, is excited to play golf at Arkansas Tech. He is looking forward to the collegiate level for the competitive playing experience and amazing coaching staff. Connor was also part of the 2018 State Boys Championship Team and was named All Conference and All State for three years. He was also named the ASGA Player of the Year two years in a row. Connor plans on majoring in business and marketing.

Zach Morris, a son of William and Stacy Morris, has played baseball since he was 4 years old, and continuing to play at the University of Arkansas is a dream come true. He is also excited to play in the SEC. He plans to study kinesiology and physical therapy. He was a member of the 2017 State Baseball Championship Team.

Zack Slunder, a son of Scott and Robyn Slunder, plans on majoring in business administration while attending college and is looking forward to the new experience and challenge in his life. Zack played on

the 2017 State Baseball Championship Team and was All Conference.

Sami, a daughter of Anthony and Terri Romano, signed to play softball at Evangel University. Sami fell in love with the Christ-centered campus and said it felt like home. She is excited to meet her new team and make new friends. Sami plans on studying allied health and science and is looking forward to all the activities the school has to offer.

Izzy, a daughter of Shawn and Charity Dulin, signed to swim at Williams Baptist College. She plans on majoring in education and is looking forward to the college’s outstanding education department. Izzy has been swimming for nine years and last year finished third place overall at the state championship in the mile swim. She has also qualified for state championship meets for Cabot and her USA club team in both long and short course for the past five years.

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• Venture to Mount St. Helens Visitor Center to learn about its eruptions.

• Visit Columbia River Gorge’s Bonneville Dam.

MUST-SEE INCLUSIONS • Embark on a sightseeing tour of Seattle, the “Emerald City.”

• Behold the majestic beauty of the Redwood Forest’s “Avenue of the Giants.”

FIRSTSERVICEBANK.COM CONWAY | 2475 Washington Avenue | 501.932.5050 CONWAY | 540 United Drive | 501-932-9700 CLINTON | 486 Highway 65 North | 501.745.7200 GREENBRIER | 134 Broadview | 501.679.7300 LITTLE ROCK | 12921 Cantrell Road | 501.801.7402

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LOVING LIFE

“Loving LIFE� during the Iburg Great Alaskan Adventure: Becky Kelley (front, from left), Wenona Iburg, Diane Cummings; Sue Iburg (back), Doris Iburg Singleton, Dwight Lankford, Donna Lankford, Howard Cummings and DeLoris Iburg.

Members of the Central Arkansas Rose Society took “501 LIFE� along as they toured a private rose garden near Tulsa. Celebrating CAR’s 50th anniversary were Don Adlong (from left), Frank James, Carol Shockley, Gail James, Barbara Mullican, Paula Adlong, Cathy Quinn, Ouida Wright, Debbie Greer, Ann York and Kathleen Phillips.

Travis (from left) and Jennifer Fulfer along with Becky Benedetti and Karen Ladd took 501 LIFE along on a family trip to Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire in the fall to look at leaves, covered bridges, waterfalls, gorges and little white churches.

Lexi, Kristin and Madison Kennedy took 501 LIFE along as they enjoyed a girls trip to Houston, Texas.

14 | 501 LIFE January 2019

Lifelong friends Sandy Newman and Regina Erwin of Morrilton took 501 LIFE along as they spent part of their summer on a tour of Europe, which included the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Portugal. They were “Loving LIFE� in the ancient town of Evora, Portugal, in front of the ancient Roman Temple of Evora, also called the Temple of Diana. Regina is a media specialist with the South Conway County School District at Morrilton High School, and Sandy retired from SCCSD, Morrilton Primary School, in May.

Bryant and Dorothy Quattlebaum and their daughter, Stacy Rimmer, took 501 LIFE along to Havana, Cuba.

The Rolands – Steven (from left), Mark, Angela and Scott of Perryville – took 501 LIFE along on a vacation to the Hard Rock Resort in Riviera Maya Mexico. “We love 501 magazine and would love to be included in your next issue. Thanks,” wrote Angela.

Steven Reynolds, Josh Deaton, Kyle Reynolds and Mark Reynolds took 501 LIFE along on a Bourbon Tour in Downtown Louisville, Ky.

Steve and Linda Erickson of Conway were “Loving LIFE” when they visited Denali National Park in Alaska.

Dale Pounds along with Treasa and Dean Webb were “Loving LIFE” in June while roaming with the buffalo in Custer, S.D., on motorcycles.

Joe and Sue Dablock were “Loving LIFE” at Dinosaur National Monument in Utah.

Len Schlientz of Conway was “Loving LIFE” at the annual Shakespeare festival in Stratford, Ontario, with his wife, Jeannie Denniston (who took the photo).

They saw a fabulous performance of “A Comedy of Errors” in July.

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 15

LOVING LIFE

‘Loving LIFE’ and Halloween

“Loving LIFE� and Halloween at the Dollar General in Greenbrier: Shawna (front); Cindy (back), Christi, Milissa, Tiffany and Wendy. “Loving LIFE� and Halloween at Arkansas Pediatrics of Conway.

“Loving LIFE� at the Fairfield Bay Yacht Club’s Halloween Party. “Thanks to Brittney and the staff at Bogies Restaurant for hosting the event,� wrote Richard Mills.

Holly Sanson (Sun Drop girl) and Erica Kilgore (Theodore from Alvin and the Chipmunks) were “Loving LIFE� at the Conway OB-GYN Clinic.

16 | 501 LIFE January 2019

Members of the Gravel Ridge Fire Department and North Pulaski United Methodist Church were “Loving LIFE” during the presentation of Fire Buckets and Fire Backpacks to the department: Wendy Tittle (from left), John Majors, Andrew Jepko, the Rev. LaNita Daniels and Lee Church.

‘Loving LIFE’ and helping others When someone has stood outside of their home watching everything they own burn to ashes, what do they do next? That is what North Pulaski United Methodist Church’s Pastor LaNita Daniels began to contemplate.

Daniels began to think of what someone would need within the first 24 hours of being displaced from their home. Five gallon buckets were filled to capacity with needed items (water, light blankets, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, towels, wash clothes, note pad, pen and the Book of Promise). The bucket can also be utilized as a seat.

When contemplating the needs of a displaced

family, Daniels thought of the children that might be impacted. That is when the Fire Backpacks were developed. These backpacks are filled with needed items specifically for children (socks, stuffed toy, coloring book, colors and a Bible).

Wendy Tittle, a member of North Pulaski United Methodist Church, took the lead on compiling the buckets and backpacks. “Thank you, Ms. Tittle, for your work on this ongoing mission along with Bert Burns and Hazel Derickson,” said Daniels.

North Pulaski United Methodist Church is located in the Gravel Ridge community of Sherwood. The Gravel Ridge Fire Department

is located a couple of blocks from the church and is the recipient of the Fire Buckets and Fire Backpacks. When a family is displaced from their home, the firefighters can give them a bucket and/or a backpack as fits the needs of the family.

As they are distributed, the fire department’s Lee Church will communicate with the pastor to replenish the buckets and backpacks.

“Fire Buckets and Fire Backpacks is a mission that we, as a congregation, can do to help the community. In doing this, we can give a small amount of comfort to those who are suffering loss.”

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 17

LIFE PICS

Healthy Women of Unity hosts Merry Marketplace Sonja J. Keith photos

The Healthy Women of Unity — a Unity Health Foundation resource — recently hosted its inaugural Merry Marketplace: A CommUnity Event at Robbins Sanford Grand Hall in Downtown Searcy.

The Merry Marketplace, which featured a variety of vendors, was designed to help individuals find holiday gifts at one location. Door prizes were also given away.

The event kicked off with Shopping ‘She’Nanigans, an evening of fun activities and refreshments.

Healthy Women of Unity is a membership group open to all women who are advocates of Unity Health and who want to support healthcare in the community. Their mission is to empower women with the knowledge and confidence to make informed health care and well-being decisions for themselves and their loved ones. To become a member or for more information, visit unity-health. org/women

Merry Marketplace Committee members: Leigh Ann Showalter (from left), Shelby Cooper, Morgan Feltrop, Cassandra Feltrop, Anna Brumfield and Christie Brooks.

Morgan Feltrop and her mother, Cassandra.

Georgia Manek (left) and Valerie Sims.

Laura Davis (left) and Linda Kitts.

Sarah Hite (left) and Lauren Wilson.

Ramona Staton (left) and Cindy Holden.

Tonia Shue (left) and Liz Wilson.

Terri Parsons (left) and Stacy Bailey.

Kelly Odom (left) and Hannah Blanton.

Lauren Neathery (from left), Jaimi Zeringue and Mary Margaret Fish.

Susan Helm (left) and Molly Kircher.

18 | 501 LIFE January 2019

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LIFE PICS

Dazzle Daze ‘huge’ success The Conway Regional Women’s Council recently hosted the 17th Annual Dazzle Daze at the Conway Expo Center.

Proceeds from the three-day shopping event will be used to expand 3D mammography at the Conway Regional Women’s Center. The event featured an early bird shopping party, Teddy Bear Clinic for children, photos with Santa by Courtney Reynolds, door prizes, a high-value prize raffle and more.

501 LIFE publishers Sonja Keith and Donna Spears (center) with a team from Julie’s Sweet Shoppe (in blue): Lisa Goodnight (from left), Julie Goodnight, Teilla Bradley and Susie Wallace.

Julie Goodnight created a special cake to serve at Girls’ Nite Out to kick off the 501 Make Me Over giveaway. The 501 LIFE booth was decorated by Reita Johnson and her team from Daisy-ADay Florist and Gifts.

Dazzle Daze Raffle winners were: 2018 Ford Mustang from Smith Ford – Toni Boydston Louis Vuitton Satchel donated by Braswell & Son – John Simone Diamond pendant donated by Lee Ann’s Fine Jewelry – Ruth Clements Traeger Wood-Fired Grill and $250 meat gift certificate donated by Moix Companies – Theresa Fenner $1,000 furniture gift certificate donated by Cajun Brothers Furniture – John Ed Moore Dazzle Daze co-chairs Amy Reed and Shelia Isby said the 2018 event was one of the best.

“I thought that the event itself was another huge success,” said Amy. “I heard over and over from the merchants that our event is one of their favorites because of the way we take care of them. I felt like Girls’ Nite Out was the best one we’ve ever had. The swag bags, the food and the window dressings were top-notch.

“I feel very blessed to have been a part of this group of ladies and this event.”

The event kicked off with Girls’ Nite Out, which featured food, prizes and a chance to view the wares offered by more than 80 merchants from across the U.S. “Girls’ Nite Out has always been a favorite of mine and this year was no exception. I love seeing all the ladies together with their friends, being excited about an evening of fellowship and shopping,” said Shelia.

Organizers are already discussing plans for next year’s event, which is held the week before Thanksgiving. For more about the event, visit dazzledaze.com.

“This is an event I love being a part of,” said Shelia. “The volunteers, committee members and Conway Regional staff put a lot of time and effort into a great event that helps Conway Regional continue to provide exceptional healthcare to our community.

“I am very fortunate and blessed to be part of such a great group of women who work so well together and have a passion for the betterment of women’s health in our community.”

501 LIFE was a Presenting Sponsor for Dazzle Daze.

20 | 501 LIFE January 2019

Dazzle Divas contest winners Alesha Arnold (from left), Tonya Keith, Carrie Jones and Jennifer Reed.

Dot Welch (from left), Marla Hambuchen and Lori Ross were “Loving LIFE” at Dazzle Daze.

Rayla Hearne (left) and Amanda Bledsoe.

Charlsey Hillis and Sara Berley.

Stefanie Vann (from left), Cassaundra Mierke and Kiera Oluokun.

Leslie Hart (left) and Shawn Johnston.

Laurie Green (from left), Brittany Jones and Robin Tipton.

Banks participate in Dazzler promotion 501 LIFE teamed up with Conway financial institutions for the second “Dazzle Daze Dazzler” ornament fundraiser to help promote one of the state’s largest holiday shopping events, Dazzle Daze.

The shopping event is sponsored by the Conway Regional Women’s Council and provides financial resources to purchase equipment and support programs through Conway Regional Health System. Proceeds from the ornament fundraiser are added to the money raised at Dazzle Daze.

In the weeks leading up to Dazzle Daze, participating banks sold a special paper ornament for $1 each to display at the bank.

For the second year, First Security Bank raised the most money during the Dazzler promotion Other banks selling ornaments were Bank OZK, Centennial Bank, First Arkansas Bank and Trust, HomeBank of Arkansas and Simmons Bank.

“We want to thank all the participating banks for their help and support,” said 501 LIFE editor/co-publisher Sonja J. Keith.

Women gather around the 501 LIFE table at Dazzle Daze to get a piece of red velvet cake.

Dot Welch (from left), Amy Reed and Lori Ross (right) present the Dazzle Daze Dazzler trophy to First Security Bank’s Stefanie Vann. First Security raised the most money, winning the trophy for the second year in a row.

Lynda Harmon (from left), Donna Spears and Penny Baker.

Ashton Thomas (from left), Connie Farner and Logan Loyd.

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LIFE PICS

Major Eric Weatherman (from left), UCA President Houston D. Davis, Major General Walter A. Paulson II, Dr. Patricia S. Poulter and David Williams.

Veterans gathered at UCA for the annual Veterans Day Celebration. (Photos courtesy of UCA)

Veterans Day celebration hosted by UCA The University of Central Arkansas and the City of Conway hosted the 21st Annual Veterans Day Celebration on Nov. 8 at the Prince Center on campus.

The event honored all veterans of the U.S. armed forces and celebrated 50 years of the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at UCA, which is called the Bayonet Battalion.

Maj. Gen. Walter A. Paulson II was this year’s keynote speaker at the formal ceremony. He began his military career as an ROTC cadet at UCA and entered active service with the U.S. Army in 1970, where he served in several key roles. He left the active Army in 1975 and entered the Army National Guard, where he held numerous command and staff assignments before assuming his current position as deputy commanding general (Reserve Component) Fifth United States Army.

The ceremony included the presentation of two scholarships: the UCA Veterans Day Scholarship and the Tidwell UCA Veterans Scholarship by Mark and Tracy Tidwell in memory of Staff Sgt. Harry Midgett, U.S. Army, and in honor of Master Sgt. John Tidwell, U.S. Air Force. Both scholarships are awarded to full-time UCA students who are veterans or current service members.

UCA Provost and Executive Vice President Dr. Patricia Poulter was presented a Veteran Educator Award.

The master of ceremonies was Maj. Eric Weatherman of the Bayonet Battalion. Music was performed by the Mobility Brass of the U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America. UCA President Houston Davis welcomed those in attendance and Coway Mayor Bart Castleberry presented a proclamation. For more information, please visit uca.edu/veteransday.

22 | 501 LIFE January 2019

Ethan Dunbar and Jody Gatchell of A&J Collision, who gave Ethan a refurbished van as part of the Wheels to Prosper program.

Floyd Brantley (left) and LTC Joshua Powers.

Dr. Patricia Poulter (left) and Alison Tutt.

Kelley Erstine (from left), Rep. David Meeks, Sen. Jason Rapert and Jeremy Gillam.

Major General Walter A. Paulson II (from left), Rep. Doug House and Thomas McNabb.

‘Burn the Mortgage’ held at senior center Sonja J. Keith photos

The Faulkner County Council on Aging recently hosted a “Burn the Mortgage” ceremony at the Ola and John Hawks Senior Wellness and Activity Center in Conway.

Seniors, community leaders and donors were on hand for the event, which included a bonfire in the parking lot and a barbecue lunch. The program averages 55 new seniors every month, with 2,600 served each year.

“We are so glad you’re here to help celebrate this special occasion,” said center director Debra Robinson as she welcomed those in attendance. “We have so many people to thank for making this dream a reality.”

Debra said hundreds made donations to purchase the building, with the largest contributors recognized with rooms named for them. The center also features special bricks, hand painted by artist Tim Morris, in the entry which list special contributors. “A special thanks to Tim Morris,” Debra said. “He donated many hours to make this place a beautiful and welcoming center.”

The campaign to purchase and renovate the building, located at 705 Siebenmorgen Road, began about five years ago with a goal of $2.5 million.

“It started with two great leaders who co-chaired the ‘Make it Happen’ campaign – Linda Linn and Lori Melton. They did a great job getting us organized and they helped raise a lot of money.”

Debra also recognized First Security Bank for its help with the financing. “Johnny Adams and George Baker were great to work with,” she said.

During the ceremony, Debra also recognized fiscal administrator Nancy Rowell and the center staff. “They all go above and beyond the call of duty every day. We’re so blessed to have a staff that cares so much.”

First Security’s Johnny Adams and Conway Mayor Bart Castleberry also spoke at the event, offering their congratulations and recognizing the important place the center has in the community.

According to Debra, the new facility would not have been possible without Ola Hawks and her family. “We would have never attempted this project if she had not made the commitment of her very generous donation.

We are so glad that our center bears her name and her husband’s name.” Ola was presented with a bouquet of flowers and a box of handwritten cards from center participants. “These cards are full of words of people with thankful hearts.”

The last $100,000 needed to purchase the building was the hardest, according to Debra. She said a gift from the Robert and Barbara Nabholz Family, with many family donations made in honor of their late Aunt Monica Strack, along with a special “Burn the Mortgage” campaign helped wrap it up.

During the campaign, the person who raised the most was to be presented with “something very special,” according to Debra.

“This person raised $15,000 – $100 at a time, just because she said she would put on a dress,” Debra said, as she presented a framed picture to Sherri Lachowsky. Sherri is a certified personal trainer with a specialty in senior fitness who leads the fitness programs at the center. “We want to thank you for helping us pay off the mortgage.”

Johnny Adams (from left), Ola Hawks, Debra Robinson, Diana Kirkland and Jim Hawks.

Nancy Rowell presents picture to Sherri Lachowsky.

Sherri Lachowsky (left) and Debra Robinson were “Loving LIFE” when Sherri wore a dress after center participants contributed $15,000 to help pay off the building.

Ola Hawks burns the mortgage for the Conway senior center as participants cheer and hold “Burn the mortgage” signs.

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 23

Morrilton chamber presents awards Sonja J. Keith photos

Individuals and businesses with a heart for the community and helping others were among the 2018 award winners recognized in November at the 91st Annual Morrilton Area Chamber of Commerce Banquet and Awards Ceremony.

Chamber board chairman Shawn Halbrook and Conway County Economic Development Commission (CCEDC) chairman Rich Moellers welcomed those attending. Mike Preston, executive director of the Arkansas Economic and Development Commission, was the keynote speaker.

The 2019 edition of the Morrilton Area Chamber Guide, a collaboration of the chamber and 501 Advertising and Publishing, was also unveiled.

The event was presented by the CCEDC, Conway County Regional Water and the City of Morrilton.

Among those honored were seven Youth Citizens of the Year, representing all of the high schools in Conway County: Faith Byers (Wonderview), Carolyn Hopkins (Morrilton), Sophia Isely (Nemo Vista), Bailey Roscoe (Sacred Heart), Jacque Wilson (Morrilton), Juleigh Wilson (Morrilton) and Bailey Wright (Wonderview).

Other award winners: Earle Love Business Leader of the Year – John Maus, sales manager at Maus Implement.

Citizen of the Year – Brandi Cooper, owner of Merle Norman and More. She supports numerous community and downtown projects and events, was an active member of the Morrilton Century League and was a founding member of the Sacred Heart

Kara Jones (from left), Dr. Larry Davis and Charis McKay.

Dr. Larry and Carlene Davis.

24 | 501 LIFE January 2019

Brandi and Kylan Cooper with their children Kambreey (left) and Karlee.

Shawn and Jennifer Halbrook with their children Hannah (left) and Kynsleigh.

Cody and Sammie Beene.

Brandon Zinser (left) and John Maus.

Faith Byers and Shawn Halbrook.

Christin and Pastor Craig Duncan.

Nikki Murdock (from left), Jennifer Zinser and Hope Gordon.

Jerry Smith (from left), Mike Preston, Mayor Allen Lipsmeyer and Matt Twyford.

Youth Citizens of the Year with the enlarged cover of the 2019 Morrilton Area Community Guide: Bailey Wright (from left), Sophia Isely, Bailey Roscoe, Carolyn Hopkins, Juleigh Wilson and Jacque Wilson. Not pictured: Faith Byers.

Catholic School Development Advisory Board.

Educator of the Year – Kara Jones, an education instructor at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton and faculty advisor to the Phi Theta Kappa honor society at the school. A member of the Morrilton Century League, she is also active in the community, helping to implement two food pantries at UACCM and one at Morrilton City Hall. She is also an avid supporter of Sacred Heart Catholic School and Church.

UACCM Academic All-Star – Charis McKay, a drafting major at the college.

She is a Student Ambassador, president of the Drafting Club and a member of Phi Theta Kappa, National Technical Honor Society and SkillsUSA. Business Site of the Year – Big Cuppa in Downtown Morrilton, with a second location at UACCM. Community Project of the Year – Class A State Basketball Tournament Partnership with Wonderview and the South Conway County school districts.

Education Project of the Year – University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton Workforce Training Center. The 53,843-square-foot facility represents the largest construction project in the institution’s history and was made possible with a bond issue and private funding totaling about $2.7 million. In addition, more than $1 million in equipment has been donated.

Conway County Farm Family of the Year – Travis and Valerie Sims of Center Ridge.

Recognized as a district farm family, Travis and Valerie raise poultry and cattle on 602 acres.

Chairman’s Award – Cody Beene, superintendent of the Nemo Vista School District, was recognized as the driving force behind the Pathways to Opportuni-

Shawn Halbrook (from left), Dr. Larry Davis, Jamie Stacks and Cody Beene.

Shawn Halbrook presents plaque to the Conway County Farm Family – Travis and Valerie Sims and their sons, Will and Cordell. ties Partnership (POP) with School Counts!, UACCM and Conway County schools where students can attend UACCM concurrently and take career/technical classes at no charge.

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January 2019 501lifemag.com | 25

NEIGHBORS couples

HIM

Dr. Thad Hardin

Dr. Thad and Sara Hardin are loving life with their two sons in Conway, where he is a physician at Banister-Lieblong Clinic and she is a full-time mom. Thad is leading a special committee that will present the inaugural Duck Derby, benefitting Conway Regional Health System, in January. (Mike Kemp photo)

HER

Sara Hardin

NATIVE OF: McGehee (Desha County).

NATIVE OF: Jacksonville.

EDUCATION: Bachelor of science in microbiology at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville; MD at UAMS. I finished my medical education in family medicine at AHEC Northeast in Jonesboro.

EDUCATION: Arkansas State University; doctorate of pharmacy degree, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. I’m a licensed pharmacist, but have been staying home to take care of our family for six years.

JOB: I’ve been a family physician at the Banister-Lieblong Clinic for more than eight years and I also work as a University of Central Arkansas team physician.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR VOCATION: I’ve always wanted to be a doctor. I was

a sickly kid and was always around Dr. James Young (in McGehee) as a patient or at his house with his son, Jared. I wanted to be Dr. Young, and as I grew older, the idea of helping people just became more and more what I wanted to do.

PARENTS: Twilla Hardin of McGehee and Thomas and Charlotte Hardin of Pine Bluff.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: Conway Regional Health System Board of Directors, vol-

unteer physician for Conway Christian Athletics and Central Baptist College Mustangs, and chair of the Arkansas Duck Derby Committee.

HOBBIES/SPECIAL INTERESTS: I am an avid hunter, but don’t get to go as often as I’d like. I am a binge reader so I have to be careful because I can get pretty useless for days at a time when I have a good book to read. I’ll do almost anything involving sports. I enjoy and feel obligated to teach future medical professionals. And I try to coach every one of my son’s teams.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A HUNTER: I’ve been hunting with family my whole life. I love to sit on a deer stand for hours in the peace and quiet, but I discovered the addiction of duck hunting while in medical school and became obsessed when I spent three years in Jonesboro while doing my family medicine residency.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR VOCATION: I became a pharmacist because I liked science, and at the time, there was a big demand for pharmacists. I became a full-time mom because with no family in town, we needed one of us to have more flexibility to take care of the kids.

PARENTS: Jim and Nancy Green of Jacksonville.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: Member of Antioch

Baptist Church and Women’s Bible Study Fellowship. I help as much as I can at Conway Christian, where my boys attend school.

CHURCH ACTIVITIES: I help Thad lead our couple’s Sunday school class — I’m really just the secretary and event planner.

HOBBIES/SPECIAL INTERESTS: I love to read and

WHAT IS ONE THING PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU: I have a twin brother

spend time with my family. I enjoy spending time with my mom and two sisters — it doesn’t matter what we do, it’s always fun. I try to catch a concert with friends when I can.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT LIVING IN THE 501: I love the people.

WHAT IS ONE THING PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU: I used to consider myself a social

named Carl.

Conway has the same close community feel that I grew up with in Southeast Arkansas.

That’s extremely important to me. As a family physician here in Conway, I want my patients to think of me as part of their family and to me, the 501 feels like a big family.

26 | 501 LIFE January 2019

person, an extrovert. When I married Thad, I discovered he is so extroverted that I seem like a homebody in comparison.

THEM

CITY: Conway.

HOW WE MET: Thad’s friend (a local 501 product Dr. Matt Bell) in medical school was married to my friend in pharmacy school. The two played matchmaker.

THE PROPOSAL: Thad proposed super awkwardly at Maggiano’s in Denver on a ski trip with friends. We’ll spare the details, but I was totally surprised and excited!

WEDDING BELLS: Nov. 4, 2006, in

Jacksonville.

CHILDREN: Ridge (9) and Brady (6).

PETS: We have a quirky 12-year-old terrier mix, Tanner.

FAMILY ACTIVITIES ENJOYED TOGETHER: We love to spend time at the

pool, go to the movies, play games and read together. Thad and the boys love to hunt.

MORE INFORMATION: Speaking of

Conway being a close-knit community, check out arkansasduckderby.com to get information on a great fundraiser for our community. It will be a great event for men and women to enjoy!

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 27

NEIGHBORS youth

Clinton senior ‘loves serving others’

Sky Davidson, a senior at Clinton High School, recently earned his pilot’s license.

by Levi Gilbert

Sky Davidson was a terror on the ground for the Clinton Yellow Jackets in 2018, rushing for almost 900 yards. Off the field, you can often find Sky in, well, the sky.

Davidson, a senior at Clinton High School, recently earned his pilot’s license after months of studying, lessons and flights. He first became interested in aviation after a flying trip with his father, Doug, who is also a pilot and owns a business specializing in aviation insurance.

“My dad took me up to Fenton, Mo., and along the way, there was beauty all around the Ozarks,” Sky said. “Ranging from trees, rivers and towns, I was seeing things in a completely different way.

Growing up I didn’t have much of a passion to fly.

I just thought it was cool and pretty to look outside the plane. When I got older, I started enjoying it a lot more and stopped taking it for granted.

“I’m blessed to have a father who was patient and willing enough to help me obtain my license. I wanted to make him and the rest of my family proud.”

28 | 501 LIFE January 2019

Sky earned his Private Pilot Certificate with John Kerr, FAA Designated Examiner, on Sept. 1 in Wynne (Cross County).

Obtaining a private pilot’s license is no simple achievement. It takes hours upon hours of studying and practical application.

“My dad wanted to know how committed I

was, so I had to take my written exam before I could actually start flying lessons,” Sky said.

After three months of studying, Davidson completed and passed his exam at Barrett Aviation in

“ I’m blessed to

have a father who was patient and willing enough to help me obtain my license. I wanted to make him and the rest of my family proud.

”

— Sky Davidson North Little Rock. In the summer of 2017, he began flying lessons under the tutelage of Steve Stansel.

“Steve is a great instructor and was very encouraging and considerate,” Sky said. “He taught me about the four maneuvers — straightand-level flight, turns, climbs and descents. We knocked out the requirements throughout the span of a year and eight months over 30 lessons.

Those requirements include different varieties of cross-country flights, under-the-hood training and many others. Then, we prepared for the check flight. We studied a lot of stuff dealing with sectional charts, weather and controls of the plane and how they actually work.”

To obtain a private pilot’s license, Sky had to complete three separate exams — one written, one oral and one check flight. He completed both his oral exam and check flight on Sept. 1. He completed all of his lessons and check flight in his father’s Cessna 172.

“My favorite spot to fly over in the 501 would definitely be over Greers Ferry Lake during the summer,” Sky said. “While you are 3,000 feet in the air and flying over the lake, you can see everyone out on

Sky with his parents, Bev and Doug Davidson, after he completed his first solo flight. “They cut the shirt tail because of an old tradition,” Sky said. “The tradition is when the instructor thinks you are ready to solo, he will cut your shirt tail and exit the plane to let you fly by yourself for the first time.” the lake enjoying their play date with their families.”

Davidson, a senior running back/linebacker for Clinton, was selected to the 2018 edition of the 501 Football Team — 28 players representing all 11 counties of the 501. The team, sponsored by Conway Ortho and Sports Medicine, Conway Regional Health System and First Security Bank, boasts the best the 501 has to offer both on and off the field.

Through the regular season, Davidson put up big numbers for Clinton on both sides of the ball.

He was Clinton’s leading rusher, accumulating 898 yards on just 98 carries (9.2 yards per carry) for 14 touchdowns. He was also the Yellow Jackets second leading receiver with 131 yards and seven touchdowns. Defensively, he was Clinton’s leading tackler with 76 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions.

Davidson is even more productive for Clinton High School off the field, serving as Student Council

president and participating in Bible Club and Science Club. He also sings in the Clinton High choir.

After high school, the ambitious Davidson plans to attend college, join the Navy and become a naval fighter pilot.

“I love serving others, and what better way to serve others than to serve in the Navy, defending their rights as U.S citizens,” Sky said. “Another thing that inspires me to join the Navy is the opportunity to see other parts of the world. The Navy sends people all around the world. I think it would be cool to fly over areas that aren’t as familiar as the southern part of North America. A naval fighter pilot sounds like a dangerous, but necessary job. I would love to do the job if it were needed. If not, I’d be happy to be any kind of pilot for the Navy, wherever they would need me, as long as I’m seeing the world and serving others through my duty.”

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 29

Conway attorney Robbie Wills has discovered the joy of flying.

30 | 501 LIFE January 2019

NEIGHBORS conway

Attorney’s passion is the sky

by Dwain Hebda Mike Kemp photos

From an early age, Robbie Wills seemed destined to fly.

The Conway native, attorney and former state legislator came by his aviation bug honestly. His grandfather — Wilburn Adams, creator of Pickles Gap Craft Village — was an Army Air Corps cadet late in World War II. So late, in fact, he never got his pilot’s wings before the war ended. “(My grandfather) was never able to own his airplane after that, just didn’t have the financial ability to do that, but he always talked about aviation like it was his long-lost love,” Wills recalled.

“He always had this twinkle in his eye when it came to airplanes. That stuck with me. I’ve always been obsessed with making model airplanes, going to the airport and watching planes take off and land.”

Wills grew up and began building a career, earning a law license and getting elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives where he would serve as Speaker of the House. After his stint in politics, he founded his own firm, providing strategy and

lobbying services and becoming, in his words, “a million-miler on Delta” in the process.

In fact, he might have never taken the rudder himself had it not been for a passing encounter with an acquaintance about five years ago.

“It never seemed realistic to me to become a pilot or learn how to fly,” he said. “Then one day I heard Dr. Steve Magie, who’s a state rep from Conway now, talking about his airplane. I said, ‘Are you a pilot?’ and he said, ‘Yes.’ I said, I’ve always wanted to do that. He said, ‘You should do it,’ and he gave me the name of his instructor.

“A couple days later, I took a lesson there at the Conway airport and I was just hooked from the very first flight.”

Wills enlisted Steve Stansel for his flight training.

A retired Drug Enforcement Administration officer and longtime pilot, Stansel was long on experience and more importantly, Wills points out, long on patience.

“At the time I was 45, so I was kind of an old dog that he was trying to teach some new tricks,” Wills said. “It took me quite a while.”

Federal Aviation Administration guidelines dictate a pilot complete a minimum of 40 hours to earn

a pilot’s license. Wills clocked in at more than double that enroute to earning his flight card in 2014.

“I was a slow learner,” he said with a shrug. “I passed my FAA check ride on my 99th flight hour.”

Since then, Wills has spent a great deal of time in the air, both for business and for pleasure.

“I fly about 300 hours a year, which is a lot for someone who doesn’t do this for a living,” he said.

“I’m right at 1,300 hours right now. I’ve kept that pace pretty well and I’ve progressed from the instrument rating. I’ve got a commercial pilot certificate, so at some point I could do this as an occupation.”

No one spends that much time in the cockpit without a few near-misses, but thus far Wills has been lucky. About the worst thing that happened was losing electrical power in a rented plane heading into Jonesboro.

“This was in the middle of the day and fortunately it was nice weather,” he said. “(The plane) did have retractable landing gear which goes up and down without electricity, so I had to manually lower the gear. I didn’t have a radio to communicate. Fortunately, there were no other aircraft trying to land at Jonesboro at the time.”

As harmless as Wills makes it sound, the situa-

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January 2019 501lifemag.com | 31

tion was a serious one. He couldn’t work the flaps on the wings — key to slowing the craft down — so his landing was, in his words, “very hot, very fast, very quiet.” But to talk to him, you’d never know he’d just been in a near-miss.

“I wasn’t worried at all. I knew exactly what to do. I’d been trained well and relied on that training,” he said. “Statistically speaking, it’s a lot safer to get on an airplane and fly than get on a motorcycle. My joke is I have an airplane because my wife (Dana) wouldn’t let me buy a Harley.”

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Robbie Wills takes off in his plane from Cantrell Field near Conway.

32 | 501 LIFE January 2019

Besides, he says, the occasional mechanical malfunction is a small price to pay for the joy he gets when he’s aloft in his beloved 1969 Beechcraft Bonanza E33A four-seater.

“Every flight I’ve ever taken I find myself amazed that I’m able to do it and I thank God for giving me the ability to do it,” he said. “It’s something I dreamed about as a kid and I have to pinch myself every time I’m in the cockpit. Every flight something amazing happens that just makes me so thankful I’m able to do this.”

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FEATURE

Saving lives one flight at a time

Survival Flight 6 has been stationed at White County Medical Center since 2016.

by Taryn Brown

Emergency medical helicopter Survival Flight 6 has called Unity Health home for almost two years.

In March 2016, Unity Health announced a partnership with Survival Flight Inc. by having Survival Flight 6 at the White County Medical Center location full time.

According to its website, Survival Flight Inc. is a premier emergency medical transportation company dedicated to air medical transportation focusing on the quality of care to patients and their safety with aviation medical transportation. Their mission and purpose is “serving our customers with unsurpassed and rapid medical services to save lives.”

Unity Health Emergency Department Director Steve Bonds said since the partnership with Survival Flight Inc., the Unity Health staff has been educated to a higher level, including trauma certifications, helicopter safety and flight medicine education.

They also participate in Survival Flight educational opportunities to further advance their knowledge and skills.

Unity Health is part of the AR Saves (Stroke Assistance through Virtual Emergency Support) Program through UAMS, and Bonds said Survival Flight 6 allows the hospital to transport stroke patients immediately to Little Rock for definitive treatment.

Survival Flight 6 facts: • Bell 407 helicopter.

• Makes both inner facility and accident scene transports.

• The medical conditions patients are transported for include traumas, heart attacks, strokes and anything requiring neurosurgical services.

• Each transport consists of a pilot, a paramedic and a nurse.

• State-of-the-art equipment is on board, including monitors, ventilators, IV pumps and multiple medications.

“I hope patients feel as if they have the best possible options in this area for healthcare, and having Survival Flight 6 here allows them to know if it is beyond the capabilities of our hospital staff, we will get them to a tertiary care hospital in the fastest possible time with the most well-trained staff,” Bonds said.

Matthew McIntosh is the base clinical manager for the Survival Flight team at Unity Health. He has been with Survival Flight Inc. for four years and at Unity Health since the partnership in 2016. McIntosh oversees all clinical aspects of the base, from

• Transports have been made as far away as Springfield, Mo., and Nashville, Tenn.

• The flight time to Little Rock and Jonesboro is 20 minutes.

• The flight time to Memphis is 45 minutes.

• The team at Unity Health makes an average of 10-12 patient transports a month.

• Other than flight time, out of hospital time has been significantly reduced.

• The crew can take a third rider, such as a parent or spouse.

nurses and paramedics to marketing and outreach education.

“I actually wound up in this field by accident, but fell in love with it, progressed my way up and am going on my 11th year of flying,” McIntosh said.

“My favorite part about what I do is when I am able to see the outcome of our work,” McIntosh said. “In our profession, we do not always get to see the outcome. Being in the air medical world, we get the sickest of the sick and the most critically injured, and we have the opportunity to save lives.”

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 33

FEATURE

Enjoying the ride in the 501

The Hollis Country Store on Highway 74 is a great pit stop on a motorcycle ride.

Story and photos

by Mike Kemp

Nirvana on a motorcycle is not found in the straight and narrow. It’s found leaned over in a corner.

It’s experienced on a remote stretch of road, and less so on a slab of interstate. Your destination may be the same, but a motorcyclist understands the cliché that it’s more about the trip and less about the destination.

And motorcyclists always have their favorite roads to travel when air therapy is needed. The 501 area code encompasses some of the more populated areas of the state, but within minutes you can find unpopulated stretches of roads that provide motorcyclists with tasty curves and beautiful scenery.

One of my favorite routes takes me to Petit Jean State Park and loops over to Rose Creek via state highways 155 and 324. Petit Jean Mountain 34 | 501 LIFE January 2019

is one of the prettiest vistas in the state and makes a nice stop to break up the ride. From Conway, I ride Highway 60 to Perry County, making my way through Houston and taking Highway 113 to Oppelo before climbing the mountain on Highway 154.

On top of the mountain – and after a stop at one of several overlooks – I like to head back down the mountain on the twisty roads leading to Rose Creek.

It eventually intersects Highway 10 that loops me back toward Perryville and eventually home.

Following Highway 154 west from Petit Jean can take you to one the state’s nicest scenic byways, state Highway 7. It runs the length of the state from the southern border to its terminus in the north.

Although it runs through many counties, the section of the road in Garland County near the community of Hollis is a delicious stretch of curves that are some of the best in the state.

The stretch in particular is at its best when it

starts winding its way north from Jessieville to the intersection of Highway 60. Don’t forget to make a stop at the Hollis Country Store. In a structure that was built in 1931 with other portions built in the 1950s, the friendly clerk can whip up a great ham sandwich for hungry riders eager for a break from the twisties.

Moving further north in the 501 also leads to awesome stretches of road. The topography dictates that roads are snaked around Greers Ferry Lake, which means fun rides for motorcyclists. Crossing Greers Ferry on Highway 16 near Edgemont, a section of tight turns greets enthusiasts wanting to remove excess metal from their foot pegs.

Following 16 to Highway 9 leads riders back to Clinton, which gives them the choice of several great side roads. Highway 16 heading west from Clinton is a great ride, which eventually deposits riders back on Highway 7.

Another side trip through Van Buren and

Conway counties is Highway 95, accessed from Highway 65 in Clinton and eventually taking riders back to Morrilton. Although the southern portion of this route has more straight stretches, the northern sections feature fun sweeping curves to add to a rider’s fun.

Highway 287 veers off of 95 and makes for a fun, short blast for sport bikers and cruisers alike.

Although it’s a very short stretch, it’s still one that makes for a nice break during a ride.

One of my most-traveled routes out of Conway is the Wye Mountain area. Many riders enjoy the stretch of Highway 113 heading south from Bigelow, particularly a stretch of tight curves a few miles after leaving the community.

Although many riders opt to head back east on Highway 300 to Roland and Pinnacle Mountain, I prefer staying on 113 until it intersects with Highway 10. It joins Highway 9 at Williams Junction and heads north through some fun sweepers in the eastern edge of the Ouachita National Forest. I loop back on Highway 216 before hitting 300 then 113 back into Bigelow and eventually Conway.

Another jewel is a loop of roads around Prim in Cleburne County. From Highway 92, riders can join the loop either on Highway 225 or 263. Either road leads you to the greater Prim metropolitan area, where they intersect. The stretches around Greers Ferry Lake can be pretty tight and technical, though; newer riders may want to work up to these roads.

I also have a tradition that was handed down in some form by my Uncle Randy, who was my riding mentor for many years. Whenever I travel a new road, I take a highlighter and trace it out on a map

One of the overlooks on Petit Jean Mountain makes for a great stop on a ride. upon my return. My personal map is now about 15 years old, and has been taped and re-taped, but I sometimes carefully retrieve it and remember fun days discovering roads and planning to tackle roads I have yet to ride.

Living in the 501 can be a bounty for riders.

If you can’t find a road you enjoy, you’re centrally located and just a short ride to great roads in other area codes.

And, should you find yourself in the 501, look for the guy on the old Suzuki Bandit in high-vis gear.

I would be happy to show you around.

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 35

COLUMNIST

Writing without a helmet I am sometimes asked where I get ideas for my columns, and the answer is easy. They’re from the past and present, the things I know best.

They can relate to family, friends, newspaper items or experiences. Any of them can lead me down the road to humor or history.

One of my traits for Vivian Lawson which I am grateful is Hogue curiosity. If I don’t know something, I research it.

A native of Conway, Vivian Lawson Hogue graduated If I don’t recall a detail, I from the University of Central can only go to those near Arkansas with a degree in art education. A retired teacher, she my age or much older for worked in the Conway School clarification. Regrettably, District for 23 years. She can be reached at vhogue@conwaycorp. my “much older” sources net. are becoming fewer, but I can rely on living contacts, old books and documents, and, yes, even the cemeteries. I am grateful for the Internet, but also waiting to see how that can be further ruined by ne’er-do-wells and evil-doers.

Sometimes I can see a person, thing or an old newspaper item that makes me want to develop a written piece. For six years I wrote more than 100 articles featuring Old Conway’s historic houses for our local newspaper. They are removed from its archives now, so I am glad I had the opportunity to cover the houses’ first or early owners, styles and a lot of Conway history. Adding to my own memories, I interviewed, researched and toured the homes, learning as I went.

At a weekly rate of 25¢, the local newspaper of my youth was the Log Cabin Democrat, owned and published by Frank Robins III. We also subscribed to the former Arkansas Gazette. In my youth, the open papers were impressive when spread out on the homemade braided rug in front of our old Dearborn heater.

Until the mid-1990s, open papers were 34 inches wide and 22 inches long. Today they are approximately 22 inches wide and 23 inches long.

Unfortunately, in these times, front-page crimes and protests don’t go well with my morning coffee.

I began reading very early, choosing things I could read and that piqued my interests. If I didn’t know a word or concept, I struggled with our enormous unabridged dictionary. Of course, I read the comics, and I think I graduated to the crosswords by osmosis by way of my dad. I was fascinated by the classifieds, legal notices, advertisements and “correspondents’” reports from “out in the county.”

I never got out in the county, so how they lived was significant to me as a “city girl.”

The contents of some old local papers that I pos36 | 501 LIFE January 2019

sess indicated that our still-small town was close, yet in touch with the rest of the world. International and state news was lightly covered, with emphasis on the city and county. The correspondents from outlying communities informed me of new babies, family deaths, church attendance, socializing and farming successes and losses.

Advertisements told me there were people who could afford to buy ACME cowboy boots for $3.95 and sirloin steaks for 79¢ a pound. A very small legal notice of divorces matter-of-factly told the cause of the breakups. Amazingly, it could be published who was in the hospital or going out of town, and they didn’t worry about someone breaking in their homes while away. I thought people were rich who could sell their four-bedroom, two-bath brick home near downtown for $10,000.

It is stunning that on Dec. 31, 1956, a very small headline revealed that “city officers made two arrests yesterday.” One was for drunken driving, of course; the other for speeding on Markham Street. I recall times when passing the courthouse at night that I saw the jail windows on the top floor with one light on or none. Never a heavy occupancy. See? That

headline prompted an old memory!

The best thing I ever did was listen. With parents born in 1900 and brothers growing up in Depression and war eras, there was a lot to hear and record mentally. Although we were not prominent, some of our neighbors were. People loudly speak of “diversity” today, but we had it long before there was a trendy, one-meaning term for it. Neighborhood differences of income, status and religions did not get in the way of close friendships.

So, to a child or adult, I recommend the development of a few traits for writing or journaling: reading, curiosity, probing for memories, observation, listening, conversing with older people and comparing cultural matters outside your own life.

To do these, you must keep your cell phone in your pocket.

Sometimes I ask myself, “Why don’t businesses put black wreaths on their doors anymore when an owner passes away?” “What happened to patriotism and the nativity scene on the courthouse lawn?” I know the answers, but I can’t help but compare the changes in times. Hmm. Maybe I should write a column about that . . .

Life is a trip I love to travel, and one of the most fun parts of traveling is planning the trip.

For me, a great trip involves two necessary elements: the destination and the itinerary.

Years ago, I used to contact AAA and request travel plans. They would send me a map that included possible stops Mark along the way. Now, that McDonald same planning tool is available almost instantly Mark McDonald, a Methodist minister, has served churches in online, and you can Northwest Arkansas, Booneville, travel with apps that Jacksonville and Conway. His family settled in Faulkner County help you find the most in the 1840s. He attended interesting places to visit Hendrix College, where he serves along the way. as a trustee. He and his wife have six children all living in Central But even with Arkansas. the best plans, things happen to change the details along the way. While the destination remains constant, the plans along the way often change. Car problems, delays, traffic and illness can throw off the entire plan, and sometimes it’s critical to stop and pay attention to the unexpected to keep on track for

the ultimate destination.

Jesus once told his followers not to worry about each day (Matthew 6:25-34). He reminded us that God provides everything we need, but he also told us to have two priorities in that same passage: God’s kingdom (where we are headed) and God’s righteousness (doing the right things for others along the way).

In Christianity, Judaism and Islam, we share two ultimate commandments to love God first (our destination), and second, to love our neighbor (care

for needs along the way). There are many more faith stories about keeping our eyes on the destination while also paying attention to those that are around us at each step of the journey.

As we begin a new year and you read through this issue of 501 LIFE, let’s come to this important realization: Life isn’t just about the destination. It’s about the journey. And the best trips have a clear destination, but they also allow for us to focus on the day-to-day opportunities to enjoy the stops along the journey.

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 37

COLUMNIST

Are New Year’s Resolutions obtainable?

“How does one photograph New Year’s resolutions? Well, I have ribs. I resolve to eat ribs.” – Adam Bledsoe

Adam Bledsoe Originally from Northeast Ohio, Adam Bledsoe moved to Arkansas in 2000 to attend Harding University after active duty service in the U.S. Air Force. He is married to Dr. Amanda Bledsoe, and they have two children, Audrey (10) and Hunter (6), who attend Wooster Elementary.

Adam is newly employed by THV11 as a feature reporter, focusing on a variety of feel-good community related stories.

How many times around this time of year have I committed to reading the Bible in the upcoming year? How many times have I jumped on a diet and exercise program as a New Year’s resolution?

Some may try to figure out this is a great time to stop smoking or drink alcohol.

I truly believe New Year’s resolutions can come with great intentions. However, are we setting ourselves up for failure? Oh by the way, Merry Christmas. I hope you sang yuletide carols by a fire and saw folks dressed up like Eskimos. Oh

38 | 501 LIFE January 2019

and who likes turkey? I say throw on some baby back ribs on the smoker! Sorry...I get distracted easily. Where was I? Ah yes, why do we wait for 1/1/2019 to make significant (or insignificant) changes in our lives?

I began a journey to lose weight on July 10, 2017. I am the KING of losing and gaining weight. It’s in my DNA. I reckon I’ll struggle with my weight for the rest of my life, but I’m willing to do it. I spoke about this topic a couple months ago, but it seems fitting to reflect again.

I chose 7/10/17 because it just so happened to be the moment in time when I was ready to make a drastic change. It started when a good friend of mine, Dr. Andrew Baker of Harding University, said, “Bledsoe, I need to lose weight, and I want you to be my accountability partner.” It was the perfect scenario.

Here I was, 350 pounds, borderline high blood pressure, fatigue, terrible self-esteem, and the list goes on. I made the change and hopped on Whole 30.

Except for a bite of a Thanksgiving type wrap

consumed live on THV11 while working at the Arkansas State Fair, I have yet to eat a piece of bread or pasta. No pizza, no amazing General Tso’s chicken (how do you pronounce that anyway?), no dairy...that’s right...no ice cream since 7/10/17. Look up Whole 30 to see what else I’ve cut out.

You know something though, for the first time in my life, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. In fact, I feel like I’ve gained something many of you have lost over time – freedom from food addiction! An old friend of mine, Kendis Chenoweth, used to tell me all the time, “Adam, nothing tastes better than healthy.” I concur.

I am so far from being a GQ model. But you know what? I don’t WANT to be a GQ model. I want to be healthy and active in order to be a better husband, father, employee, Christian and friend.

I don’t plan on making any New Year’s resolutions this year. Nope. Every day I wake up, and say TODAY is going to be the best day of my life.

How about you? I love you. HTBDOYL!

New Year’s resolutions that work

Bruce Trimble Bruce Trimble, MA, APR, is the director of business development for The BridgeWay Hospital, a psychiatric facility for children, adolescents and adults in North Little Rock. An avid mental health advocate, Trimble was appointed by the governor to the Arkansas Suicide Prevention Council in 2015 and served as co-chair from 2015 to 2017. In 2018, he was instrumental in establishing a call center for the Arkansas Suicide Prevention Hotline.

Happy New Year! It’s time to pack away the decorations, organize the home and look ahead to a new year. Looking forward to the next 12 months may bring about hopes of new beginnings, the potential to do better and perhaps the resolve to tackle both new and existing aspirations.

Whether you call them resolutions, goals or a to-do list, according to Forbes magazine, only 8 percent of people accomplish their goals. The truth is, creating a list of goals won’t bring you any closer to achieving those goals. Whether you’ve decided to lose weight, stop smoking or earn more money, there are several steps to take to achieve success.

Keep it simple Start with small, attainable goals for the entire year. Instead of making this a bucket list, choose two or three goals to accomplish.

Make it tangible Set goals that are tangible. Instead of planning to lose weight, plan to lose a certain amount of weight within a specific time period.

Make it obvious Keep track of your goals and progress in a format

that you can see daily. Also, enlist your family or friends to assist with holding you accountable.

Believing you can In order to achieve, you must believe. You have as much willpower as you think you have, essentially.

Whatever you resolve to achieve this year, you have accomplished much more in years past.

Prepare for obstacles At some point in the year, you may encounter barriers, temporary or long-term, that throw you off track. Or you may abandon one or more resolutions for one reason or another. In these instances, its

important to be aware of your thoughts and feelings.

• Stay active and get enough rest • Eat well and drink sensibly • Keep in touch with supportive, caring people.

• Find ways to relax at home or on a trip • Volunteer your talent, time or treasure • Do something you’re good at • Accept who you are Talk about your feelings with friends or family or mental health professional.

No matter the time of year, remember to take it day by day and take care of yourself.

Any time of year is a great time to enjoy Divinity.

(Mike Kemp photo) 40 | 501 LIFE January 2019

Enjoying divine

ENTERTAINING

�

Divinity

There is no more HEAVENLY candy than divinity! It makes its annual appearance around the holidays, but for those of us who are divinity enthusiasts, winter and snow remind us of this delectable treat!

There are so many ways to prepare this confectionery — with Don Bingham or without nuts, with or without fruits, with or Recognized throughout the without flavors and colstate as an accomplished chef, Don Bingham has authored ors! The most important cookbooks, presented television fact is to not be intimiprograms and planned elaborate events. dated by the preparation of the delicious morsel!

During my tenure as the administrator at the

Arkansas Governor’s Mansion, it was my delight to meet Martha Glenn, a gracious and kind-hearted lady who came to visit the Mansion and stay overnight with Gov. and Mrs. Asa Hutchinson. She was “well known” for her divinity, and she gave me a divinity making lesson in the Mansion kitchen! The recipe is included below.

When those winter nights head our way and the fire is warm and glowing, nothing says comfort like divinity! Divinity with toasted pecans are almost other-worldly.

If you are a slight bit fearful of creating a catastrophe, worried about the humidity or have challenges with candy thermometers, I have since discovered the internet is full of cooks who love to demonstrate how to prepare divinity with notable success! All have slight variations in colors, preparation methods and “tricks to successful divinity making” and how to package them properly.

With the holidays behind us, it’s a great time to

conquer the art of divinity making. It will come in handy in 11 more months. Meanwhile, what a way to celebrate the loss of each five pounds gained during Thanksgiving/Christmas!

DIVINITY FROM MRS. MARTHA GLENN 3 cups sugar 3/4 cup light corn syrup 1/2 cup water 2 egg whites 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans Stir sugar, syrup and water until it boils for 8 minutes (stirring).

Remove from heat. Beat two egg whites until frothy. Add syrup mixture slowly, beat for 2 1/2 minutes and add flavoring and nuts; then beat until consistency to drop from spoon on to wax paper and gloss is gone from divinity mixture.

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 41

NEWS/NOTES

Conway Regional expanding

Conway Regional Health System has announced expansion of its campus to include a 42,000-square-foot, three-story medical office building dedicated to women’s services. Conway Regional President and CEO Matt Troup made the public announcement at the Women in Business Luncheon. (To see the announcement at the luncheon, visit the 501 LIFE Facebook page.)

The Conway Regional Health System Board of Directors has approved a $40 million bond issue to fund several projects over the next few years, including construction of a 42,000-square-foot, threestory medical office building dedicated to women’s services.

The building will house two of the three primary obstetrics/gynecology practices in Conway: Conway OB-Gyn Clinic and Conway Women’s Health Center. The third major OB/GYN clinic, Renaissance Women’s Center, owns and occupies its own building adjacent to the Conway Regional campus on Robinson Avenue.

“This will be a great addition to our campus and will support one of our premier service lines,” said Matt Troup, Conway Regional president and chief executive officer. “There are several components to the expansion but the most publically visible and the cornerstone of this expansion will be this medical office building supporting women’s services.”

The second floor will house the practices of the Conway Women’s Health Center, which includes Drs. Debra Lawrence, Amy Johnson, Brandie 42 | 501 LIFE January 2019

Martin and Josh Ward along with nurse practitioners Theresa “TJ” Moix and Heather White. Their Med Spa will be located inside their clinic offices and the layout of this space will be more efficient than their current clinic space.

The third floor will hold the entire practice of the Conway OB-Gyn Clinic, combining their two current locations into one. The providers in this clinic include Drs. Andrew Cole, Katy Cox, Phillip Gullic, Keith D. Holland, Carole Jackson and Lauren Nolen and nurse practitioner Katie Boyd.

The new medical office building will be located on the northeast end of the Conway Regional campus. Design options are being developed for an enclosed walkway that would connect the building with the rest of the Conway Regional Medical Campus. Other components of this expansion plan include an expanded Critical Care Unit to be located on a newly constructed story atop the OR building as well as enlarged space for the lab and pharmacy and expansion of the Greenbrier Family Medicine Clinic.

Women’s services is one of Conway Regional’s

largest service lines. In 2017, more than 1,800 babies were delivered in the Conway Regional Women’s Center and the Mammography Department added 3D breast imaging technology. The 3D imaging is considered more effective in detecting breast cancer in women with dense breasts.

For the past 13 years, Strategic Market Research, an independent research company, has found that the region’s favorite place to have a baby is Conway Regional. This year, Conway Regional received a quality award from CareChex® for being No. 1 in the state for Medical Excellence in Women’s Health.

CareChex®, an information service of Quantros Inc., scores, rates, ranks and compares inpatient quality performance across general, acute, nonfederal U.S. hospitals in 38 clinical categories using publicly available data from the most recent and consecutive 10 quarters.

Construction is expected to begin in the spring in 2019 and continue through the fall of 2020.

Conway-based Nabholz Construction is the contractor for the project. Cromwell Architects Engineers is designing the project.

Conway Corp receives APPA awards Conway Corp has been awarded an Award of Excellence in the Web and Social Media Category and the Print and Digital Category from the American Public Power Association.

APPA conducts the Excellence in Public Power Communications awards to encourage and recognize excellence in communications. Awards were given to utilities that showed ingenuity and creativity in copy, design, financial data, graphics, organization, social media interaction, video editing, web layout and interactivity, as well as in communicating the utility’s special story.

In the Web and Social Media Category, Conway Corp was honored for its Lineman of the Week social media video series. Each week during the high school football season, these videos spotlight a Conway High School lineman and one of Conway Corp’s Electric linemen.

The company was also honored in the Print and Digital Category for its development of Lineman Trading Cards. The card features a photo of the employee, career highlights and electric safety tips. Conway Corp lineman hand the cards out when they are doing school or community programs.

Chief Marketing Officer Crystal Kemp accepted the award at the APPA Customer Connections Conference in Orlando, Fla. The winning projects were led by Kemp, Senior Marketing Coordinator Beth McCullough Jimmerson and Public Relations Coordinator Jeff Matthews.

Conway Corp Chief Marketing Officer Crystal Kemp (right) accepts an APPA Award of Excellence from Sue Kelly, president and CEO for APPA.

First Service Bank expands team First Service Bank recently announced that Whitney Long has been hired as a mortgage loan officer to serve its Conway market.

“We are excited to be expanding our mortgage team and feel Whitney will be a great addition and will help enhance our customer experience,” said Robin Hackett, mortgage department manager.

Whitney Long made Conway her home in 2010. She was born in Greenville, S.C., but grew up in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. After moving to Conway, she started working in real estate as a top producer and acquired her broker license. In 2017, she pursued her career as a mortgage lender. Being a lender allows her to use her experience in the real estate world to better serve people in fulfilling their dream of homeownership.

Long serves the Faulkner County community on the boards of the Women’s Shelter of Central Arkansas and Deliver Hope. She also volunteers to

serve at local shelters.

Long enjoys spending time with her family, church family (Church Alive in Conway) and serving in the community. She also enjoys jumper equestrian riding. Whitney and her husband, Ryan, have a son, Harrison.

“Our Conway team is proud to have Whitney join us, and we feel strongly that her real estate background will be an asset to our Conway team, and most importantly to our customers,” said Tom Grumbles, president and chief executive officer at First Service Bank.

First Service Bank has locations in Greenbrier, Conway, Marshall, Mountain View, Dermott, Shirley, Yellville, Flippin, Clinton and Little Rock, with its headquarters in Faulkner County. A majority family-owned and operated bank for 56 years, First Service employs 110 people at 10 locations around the state.

Whitney Long has joined First Service Bank as a mortgage loan officer to serve the Conway market.

OVER

YEARS IN BUSINESS

2665 Donaghey Ave, Ste 103 Conway AR • (501) 327-1772 www.luxurypoolarkansas.com January 2019 501lifemag.com | 43

ENERGY SMART

Time for the Energy Smart Challenge It’s that time of year again. The holidays are nearly over. We’re putting away the decorations and the treats and making lists of what we hope to accomplish in 2019. This year, you can resolve to save energy and money by participating in the Conway Corp Energy Smart Challenge.

Beth The Challenge helps Jimmerson Conway residents make A long-time Conway resident, home energy upgrades Beth McCullough Jimmerson is easy and affordable. the senior marketing coordinator for Conway Corp. She has Customers can work at a bachelor’s degree from the their own pace choosing University of Central Arkansas and a master’s degree from the to start with small upUniversity of Arkansas. She can grades like replacing old be reached at beth.jimmerson@ lightbulbs with energyconwaycorp.com. efficient LED bulbs, or they can request a free energy audit from Conway Corp to identify goals and develop a tailored plan for their home. Zero percent interest loans are even available for many upgrades including attic insulation and appliances.

No matter how large or small you start, saving energy is a resolution you can stick with that will save you money in the long run while making your home more comfortable too. Start with these five tips and put them into action in the next three months – you will definitely start to notice changes.

START USING POWER STRIPS Many electronic devices and equipment continue to consume unnecessary energy even when not in use. Often called energy vampires, these devices cost families more than $100 a year. Use a power strip for electronic devices and turn it off when not in use to eliminate energy vampires. And be sure to unplug your chargers – they draw energy even when they aren’t connected to a device.

REPLACE INEFFICIENT LIGHTING About 10 percent of the energy your home uses goes to lighting costs. By just replacing five of your home’s most frequently used lights with energy-efficient ENERGY STAR bulbs, you could save $75 a year in energy costs. Compared to traditional incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent bulbs can yield as much as 75 percent energy savings and last six-times longer. You can get even more energy savings, longer life span and less wasted heat by switching to ENERGY STAR LED bulbs.

UPGRADE APPLIANCES Installing and setting a programmable thermostat can save an estimated 10 percent per year on heating and cooling costs while switching to ENERGY STAR certified appliances can save nearly $750 over the lifetime of the item.

44 | 501 LIFE January 2019

Conway Corp Energy Auditor William Shaw.

REDUCE WATER HEATING EXPENSE Water heating is a large energy expense in your home, accounting for about 14-18 percent of your utility bill. By taking low-cost steps, you can reduce your water heating bill. Make sure your water heater is set to no higher than 120 degrees.

Install low-flow showerheads or temperature-sensitive shower valves. Newer water heaters have more insulation than older ones. If your water heater is more than five years old, wrap a water heater jacket around it to stop heat loss from the tank.

BENCHMARK YOUR ENERGY USAGE Staring down 12 months of utility bills can be daunting, but benchmarking is a key step toward seeing how your current energy usage stacks up, prioritizing your projects and ultimately making a dent in your utility bills. The myConwayCorp app is a great resource for the past 13 months of electric and water usage in your home.

Set an energy-saving goal that will both challenge

you and serve as an attainable milestone to reach by year-end. Aim to reduce energy use by 5 percent or save $300 from last year. Whatever your goal – set it and work toward it.

Once you’ve made the commitment, visit ConwayCorp.com/EnergySmartChallenge to officially sign up to take the Energy Smart Challenge and pledge to reduce your energy usage and footprint in 2019. You will find other ideas and tips for energy efficiency along with information on free residential energy audits and zero percent interest loans for qualified energy efficient improvements.

Customers who register to take the Energy Smart Challenge and schedule their free residential energy audit during January will be entered to win a $100 Home Depot gift card to help with energy efficiency improvements around the home. Winner will be selected by random drawing in February. To schedule your energy audit or learn more about the zero percent interest loan program, call 501.450.6000.

Ducks continued from Page 9 nity Banquet and four hunter gift packages.

The banquet, which is open to the community, is Thursday, Jan. 10, at The Spiritan Center at St. Joseph Church in Conway. There will be dinner, a gun raffle, silent and live auctions with big ticket raffle items. Teams will be randomly paired with landowners and hunting locations at the conclusion of the Thursday night banquet.

Hardin has been talking to friends and hunters for years about the event and it wasn’t hard to find like-minded hunters who love the community and love to hunt.

“I have been trying to get this event together for several years but never had the means to make it happen,” Hardin said. “I wanted to create an event that would be fun and unique for our community to participate in but also an event that would meet the needs of our community. After joining the Conway Regional board of directors, I gained access to the foundation and its army of volunteers with their experience and knowledge about making events happen.”

While there are other duck hunts in the state, the Arkansas Duck Derby is unique to Central Arkansas.

“This is an event that will benefit our community tremendously. It will bring awareness to Central Arkansas through a great event. We all know that men’s health is sometimes out of sight/out of mind and men typically don’t go to the doctor until it’s too late. We are hoping that through this hunt we will be able to augment the men’s health Initiative to create more opportunities to make men healthier. The Arkansas Duck Derby is certainly an event you won’t want to miss.”

For more information, visit ArkansasDuckDerby. com or contact Marla Hambuchen at mhambuchen@conwayregional.org.

Centennial continued from Page 9 important to him on a personal level because of the connection he has to UCA. “I’m a proud alumnus, and both my parents and son graduated from UCA as well,” he said. “The education I received there has definitely helped me succeed in business and in life.”

Centennial Bank is the wholly owned subsidiary of Home BancShares, co-founded by Johnny Allison and Robert H. “Bunny” Adcock, a University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees member. It has locations in Arkansas, Florida, Alabama and New York.

“Mr. Allison and Centennial Bank have been wonderful supporters of our college for many years,” said Michael Hargis, Ph.D., dean of the College of Business. “We are thrilled that support continues to grow with this scholarship to benefit our students.”

Centennial Bank is the first company to commit to piloting a large scale, multi-discipline internship program within the College of Business.

Additionally, the bank established the Johnny Allison Entrepreneurship Speaker Series in 2006, and has brought more than 20 speakers to the College of Business to talk with students, including Rush Harding, Rick Massey, Steve Strange, and former Govs.

Mike Beebe and Mike Huckabee. Centennial Bank also has the John W. Allison Entrepreneur Endowed Professorship Fund, which supports faculty within the Innovation and Entrepreneurship program.

Visit uca.edu/business for more information.

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 45

GET CREATIVE

Funky Frugal: Laundry renovation The Henleys are a sweet family that we have had the privilege of getting to know over the past few years. We are thankful for the way the Henley family genuinely loves people, and their precious little girls are always smiling.

Zane is a pediatrician and is always willing to take our calls, at any Tanner hour, and that is a LOT Cangelosi of calls with our herd.

An alum of the University Lindsey is a wonderful of Central Arkansas, Tanner mother to her girls as owns her own business – www. well as mothering the neonsouthernlady.blogspot.com – and has done a variety of projects, hundreds of children from individual home décor items as they serve by leading to painting murals in private residences. For more information, the children’s ministry at Tanner can be reached at New Life Church in Hot tcangelosi@newlifechurch.tv Springs.

They recently redid their laundry room, and they knocked it out of the park, so I wanted to share it with you. Listen to what Lindsey said about their renovation.

The Henleys undertook a major renovation of their laundry room.

A little bit about the family: My husband, Zane, and I have been married for seven years. We have two beautiful daughters, Vivian (4) and Ruth (1). We have lived in our home in Hot Springs for almost three years, and we love living here. We purchased an outdated 1950s ranch home with the intention of renovating it room by room.

How did the project(s) come about: Our laundry room was originally a separate space off of the carport. It was uninsulated, heated or cooled. I had to go outside of the home to do the laundry, which presented a problem with two young children inside! We wanted something beautiful and practical that would allow me to do laundry inside of our home and make good use of the large space.

The new laundry room is brighter and more functional.

Where did you draw your inspiration: I used a lot of Pinterest and Magnolia Home photos for inspiration. I stayed true to my simple, uncluttered style — a neutral color palette with pops of greenery and natural wood.

Three favorite aspects of the project: I love that the laundry room is now open to the main house by way of a pocket door in the dining room. This is so much more practical than having to go outside.

I also enjoy the amount of storage that is now available. There are lots of drawers, cabinets and lockers that make much better use of the space and allow this room to also function as a “mud room.”

We can enter from the carport, drop off our shoes and bags, then enter the main house. It keeps the rest 46 | 501 LIFE January 2019

of the house uncluttered!

Lastly, I like the hanging rod across from the washer/dryer and the amount of counter space. I use them daily to hang or fold clothes! It is very beautiful, but more importantly, it is practical.

Three tips to do a renovation: 1.

Have a clear idea of what your style is. There are so many options as far as materials and colors that the choices can be overwhelming if

2.

you don’t know your own style.

Use a good contractor that you can trust. Using a contractor took the pressure off of us so that we could go about with our everyday lives during the renovation. We had a wonderful working relationship with him and knew that we could trust him to give us fair prices and complete the job in a timely manner, but we also understood that there would be hiccups in one way or another — there always is! Reno-

“Our laundry room was originally a separate space off of the carport. It was uninsulated, heated or cooled,” said Lindsey. “I enjoy the amount of storage that is now available. There are lots of drawers, cabinets and lockers that make much better use of the space.”

3.

vating your home is already stressful enough without having to do the work yourself.

Be thoughtful and patient. Take the time to find and choose the materials that you REALLY love. Even if it puts your project a little behind, it is worth it to have the end result that you really want — you will probably be living with this new room for a long time!

How long did it take: Six weeks.

More information: I would add one interesting thing about this project that is probably applicable to a lot of laundry room renovations. When we installed the washer and dryer, there was a large gap between the back of the appliances and the wall. I wasn’t expecting that gap aesthetically

and really didn’t like it. After discussing the options with our contractor and doing a little research, this is a common issue due to the space needed for hoses and the dryer vent. Many people build cabinets above the washer/dryer, but we did not want to block the existing window. So, we had a custom shelf built to match the countertops and fit over the washer/dryer. Though this wasn’t a part of the original plan, we LOVE how it turned out and actually wouldn’t change it!

Let’s talk about your insurance!

SatURDAY March 30, 2019 HPER Center

To not only thank you for your business, but to ensure we are doing the best we can for you and your family, call me today so we can review your current and future insurance needs. In addition to thanking you for choosing Shelter, we like to take time each year to review your coverage options. Your life changes and this free service helps you get the right coverage at the right price.

Roe Henderson

1416 Prince St. Conway, AR 72034 501-327-3888

RHenderson@ShelterInsurance.com

uca.edu/gala

®

Personal Protection Review

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 47

AUTHORS IN THE 501

Book offers mini tour of Little Rock What’s your favorite place in the world? For Emily Wyatt, it appears to be Little Rock and the many places that make it unique.

Emily was born and raised in Little Rock.

She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway with a degree in business administration. After Susan living in Texas and New Peterson Mexico, she and her family returned to Little Susan Peterson holds a PhD in education and taught Rock, where she enjoyed at the University of Central a renewed appreciation Arkansas and Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. She of what the 501 area has retired in 2004 and now spends to offer. her time doing artwork (painting and pottery). She is the executive In 2016, Emily, a fullsecretary of the Arkansas Reading time mom, self-published Association, a professional organization for educators a hardback picture book that has about 800 members titled “Goodnight Little statewide.

Rock.” She got the idea for the book after taking a trip to St. Louis where she saw the book “Goodnight St. Louis.” Emily was so inspired by the book that she wrote her own Little Rock version during the return trip home.

Although Emily highlights various well-known locations, the illustrations of them by Little Rock artist Nathaniel Dailey make these places come to life.

Dailey received his bachelor of arts with an emphasis in illustration and design from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He has illustrated numerous fiction, non-fiction and children’s books including “The Adventure of Thomas the Turtle,” “An American Bear in Paris” and “The World Adventures of

48 | 501 LIFE January 2019

Buddy & Ching.” He sells his artwork internationally to individuals and corporate collections. He also does album and cover art and logo design.

Although designed for children, “Goodnight Little Rock” can be enjoyed and treasured by readers of any age. It would make wonderful bedtime reading, especially for those with young children.

The repetitive “goodnight” phrase, coupled with the soothing blue hues of the illustrations evoke a calming, restful mood. And it would be easy for parents to personalize other “goodnights” of their own to

add to the story.

For adults, the book is a mini tour of the capital city. It highlights the state Capitol building, Pinnacle Mountain, Big Dam Bridge, Central High School and so much more. It’s a great gift to give a visitor to the city.

Emily and Nathaniel enjoy talking about their book and do frequent book signings and visits with children at area schools.

To find out more, visit goodnightlittlerock.com.

The book is available from Amazon and at various tourist venues throughout Little Rock.

Rolling back the years

Susan Isom Susan is well known for her personal attention to each and every client and for developing a treatment program or skin care regime just right for that individual. Since beginning her career in 1990, Susan Isom has received ongoing education and training in the latest developments for skin care products and treatments. She has received advanced training as a cosmetic injector with certifications from Allergan, the creators of Botox and Juvederm injectable gel fillers.

Susan has received numerous awards and special recognition during her career.

A buzz word in aesthetics is “Medical Micro-Needling,” also known as collagen induction therapy. This procedure has had a surge in popularity over the past couple of years and is far more effective than at-home rollers. It’s considered effective in treating minor scarring related to acne, wounds and aging.

BEAUTY

This helps to make the procedure more comfortable.

The micro-needling process can begin once the cream has taken effect (about 30 minutes).

The hand-held device gauges the needle size ranging from 1.0 mm to 3.0 mm. The size of needles used depends on the condition being treated.

The very fine needles are passed across the

What is Medical Micro-Needling?

Medical microneedling is a handheld medical device covered with micro needles that when passed across the surface of the skin break the underlining epidermis. The microneedles cause multiple microscopic puncture wounds to the dermis, causing only minute injury.

During this period, the damaged obtained stimulates your skin to start to repair and signal growth factors that initiate its own healing mechanism’s to produce new collagen and elastin. Received in sessions, micro needling will continue to build collagen and elastin to the area(s) receiving treatment.

Medical Micro-Needling over other Resurfacing Treatments Medical micro-needling is an ideal treatment for those individuals who are seeking less invasive treatments like laser, yet very similar to laser. Unlike some treatments, micro-needling is even ideal during the summer months. Some of the benefits of choosing micro-needling over other treatments is the procedure does not cause skin damage and has no risk of permanent skin discoloration.

Above all, it is one of the safest methods available and the most affordable as well.

Medical micro-needling is also one of the few skin treatments that is suitable for all skin types, and can be used to treat the fragile skin around the eyes, mouth and on the neck.

What is involved?

Total prep and procedure time is about two hours. The skin is cleansed then a topical analgesic cream that is applied to the area being treated.

skin, piercing the top layer of the skin creating small area of wounds causing dermic bleeding.

Don’t be alarmed. Pinpoint bleeding is needed because it shows the breakdown of the skin and releases Interleukins (responsible for reduced inflammation and more rapid healing of damaged skin) which in return causes the skin to go into overdrive trying to repair and plump the areas that have been damaged during the treatment process.

The healing process is very rapid and the holes created during the needling usually close within 30 minutes.

What happens afterward?

Immediately after the treatment, the patient can look as though they have a moderate sunburn and their skin may feel warm and tighter than usual. The redness, warmth and tightness will start to subside over the next one to three hours and will normally recover within the same day.

Some patients may have swelling and slight redness the following day, but this can be easily covered with make-up. Following the treatment, the patient will be given a post care kit to use for three days. The patient can see changes in the appearance of his or her skin in as little as two weeks. The treatment will continue to work over the next few months. While this is not a quick fix, a series of treatments (normally five) will provide the best results.

Before considering cosmetic surgery for anti-aging and other concerns, learn more about Medical Micro-Needling and talk to your doctor/ aesthetician to see if this is the right option for your skin.

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501 kids

Tips for flying with children While it is true that no two children are the same and every child has their unique interests, it seems that all children are intrigued with planes, trains and other things that “go.” They love to watch big trucks, tractors and other vehicles as they drive down the road. Adults tend to get slightly irritated when Kellie we get stuck at a railroad Bishop crossing, but children Kellie Bishop is a pediatric nurse enjoy watching the trains practitioner at Central Arkansas pass and are usually fasPediatrics in Conway. She lives cinated at the speed and in Plumerville with her husband, Greg, and two dogs. She obtained mechanics of the train. her bachelor’s degree in nursing These are common at the University of Central Arkansas and her master’s and modes of transportation doctorate degrees in pediatric that children become primary care at UAMS. accustomed to seeing on a regular basis, so while they still enjoy watching them pass by, they do not seem to have the same allure as airplanes. I am sure we have all experienced a child looking up at the sky in amazement and making sure everyone within ear shot hears them yell, “Look, an airplane!” They become captivated at watching the planes take off, land and fly through the sky.

Due to this fascination, children are usually excited about the idea of traveling on airplanes. If you are a parent who has traveled with children, or even simply been a passenger on an airplane with children, you probably know that despite the fascination and excitement about the plane, the flight can often be anything but enjoyable. However, there are some strategies you can use to ensure your next family trip is not ruined by a disastrous flight and gets off to a great start!

It is always a good idea to check your seat assignments prior to boarding the plane. After checking in, check your boarding passes to ensure you are sitting with your child. This is much easier to fix, if needed, prior to boarding as many passengers will not be as understanding and willing to move seats once on board. It is also a good idea to ask to be seated toward the front of the plane, if possible, as the back of the plane often experiences a bumpier ride, which can lead to more motion sickness.

While we are on the topic of motion sickness, it is always wise to pack a change of clothes for both your child and yourself in your flight bag. You prob50 | 501 LIFE January 2019

ably have extra clothes for the child at all times, but it could be a long flight for you if you get covered in vomit during takeoff.

You want to make sure you have essential items to make the flight as enjoyable as possible.

Diapers are crucial, so make sure you have plenty!

Pack a good number of snacks that are easy for kids to eat with their fingers and are not too messy. Lollipops, gum (for older children) and pacifiers are often helpful for preventing ear pain during ascent and descent. Ensure you pack cups and purchase drinks for your child once you get through security.

Kids love using handheld electronics and often request them during car rides. While we do not recommend frequent use of electronic devices for children, airplane rides are the perfect time to splurge and let them play with a tablet or smartphone.

Parenting is often about choosing your battles, and this is one you want to let them win, for your sanity and that of the other passengers!

Safety should always be a priority when traveling, no matter the mode of transportation. Familiarize yourself with the emergency exits on the plane and pay close attention to the safety presentation at the beginning of the flight. If you bring a car seat for your child, ensure it is airline approved.

Traveling in the morning may facilitate better behavior during the flight. Your child is less likely to get injured during the flight if they are sitting in their seat calmly instead of climbing on seats and unbuckling their seat belt. Finally, stay seated and buckled up. Unless your child has to use the bathroom, they are safest in their seat with their seat belt buckled during the flight.

Happy and content children during travel allow the adults traveling with them to remain happy, as well. There are many different modes of transportation that your family may use for your next trip so you can modify these tactics as needed to fit your situation but using these strategies can ensure your time traveling is as enjoyable as possible!

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Abigail Rehm AGE: 8.

CITY: Conway.

SCHOOL/GRADE LEVEL: Second grade, St. Joseph School.

FAVORITE SUBJECT: Math.

FAMILY: Parents, Josh and Amy Rehm, and brother Elijah.

FAVORITE MEAL OR SNACK: Pizza.

MOST CHERISHED POSSESSION: My kitten, Annabelle.

MORE INFORMATION: This school year has been extra special.

My mom started teaching at my school. I love that she is now a part of my school family.

I love St. Joseph School!

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 51

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501 kids

‘Human milk for human babies’ I first realized I had an oversupply issue when my firstborn was 2 weeks old. We struggled to get him to alternate between breast and bottle because he was a little early, and neither came super easy for him. To make sure he was getting enough to Brittany eat, he had to take a Gilbert bottle after nursing.

I had to pump to try Brittany Gilbert is a former FACS teacher at Maumelle High School. and figure out how She and her husband, Levi, much he was eating have three children and live in Conway. Brittany can be reached at and give him a little b.gilbert37@gmail.com. extra to “top him off.”

After two weeks, our freezer was completely full of milk. I mentioned it to some friends, and they were impressed. That was my first inkling that this wasn’t exactly normal. After a month or so, we had trash bags full, completely overflowing our friends’ deep freezer. I had no idea what to do with all of this milk, and then a friend suggested that I donate it.

I contacted Arkansas Children’s Hospital only to be told that they don’t accept donor milk anymore. I felt defeated. I really wanted to help babies who needed it the most, and

52 | 501 LIFE January 2019

I was told by multiple local hospitals that there are reasons why they can longer accept donated breast milk.

My next stop was to search online, and I found milkbank.org. It was a lengthy process, but it seemed like the only way to get this milk out of my friends’ freezer and in to the bellies of babies who needed it. The morning that I was scheduled to have a nurse come to my house to draw blood for the application, I was informed of a very critical need for donor milk. A friend was a part of a Facebook group called Human Milk for Human Babies (the Arkansas group). In these groups, moms will post if they have excess milk to donate, and other moms will post if they are in need. They share locations, and if someone is able to help, they meet up.

My first donation was to a family who was adopting a baby who was in the NICU and not doing well with formula. He wasn’t progressing like he needed to and wasn’t hitting milestones that he needed in order to get out of the hospital. This mom had read articles about the power of breastmilk and felt it was his best chance. I donated close to 1,000 ounces that day.

Within a week, he was progressing so much, and his doctors were telling his mom to keep him on breast milk. Over eight months, I donated all of the milk that this baby needed.

I also donated to other babies simultaneously.

I was making enough milk for triplets.

When our second baby was born, I didn’t know what to expect. I thought maybe I just had a unique experience with our first and this time it would be more normal. I was wrong.

By the third day, I was making enough milk for quadruplets.

This time, with a newborn and a toddler, I didn’t have time to nurse and pump as much as it required to maintain that kind of supply.

It was very painful, and I had to work really hard (I can’t accurately express how much work this took) to decrease my supply. Despite this, I always made way more than we needed.

God knew what he was doing and connected us with another family who desperately needed donated milk. Same story with our third baby.

With each baby, I met multiple families who, for one reason or another, could not supply breast milk to their babies without help.

I’m very thankful that I was able to supply a few babies with all of the milk they needed for the first year of their lives.

Altogether, I donated more than 15,000 ounces of milk.

And to think, in the beginning, I was hesitant because I thought it seemed weird. The idea of taking milk from someone else and giving milk to another baby just seemed so foreign. God is so intentional though, and He knew what He was doing when He made me make more than what my babies needed.

7th Annual Women in Business Awards Diamond Achievement Award Donna Townsell – Centennial Bank

Outstanding Women in Business Laine Berry – Laine Berry Inc. Donna Blecher – Hilton Garden Inn Amy Denton – Pediatrics Plus Vickey Kirkemier – Salem Place Nursing and Rehab Center Andrea Woods – Nabholz Construction Corporation

Outstanding Women in Nonprofit Kristy Carter – University of Central Arkansas Outreach and Community Engagement Mona Dixon – AETN Sarah Murphy – Conway Human Development Center

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 53

Women in Business Nine recognized for accomplishments, service

Women in Business award honorees: Andrea Woods (from left), Mona Dixon, Donna Blecher, Laine Berry, Donna Townsell, Sarah Murphy, Vickey Kirkemier, Amy Denton and Kristy Carter.

Nine women were recognized in December by the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce during the Seventh Annual Women in Business Awards Luncheon.

Those honored were:

Diamond Achievement Award Donna Townsell, Centennial Bank

Outstanding Women in Business Laine Berry, Laine Berry Inc. Donna Blecher, Hilton Garden Inn Amy Denton, Pediatrics Plus Vickey Kirkemier, Salem Place Nursing and Rehab Center Andrea Woods, Nabholz Construction Corporation 54 | 501 LIFE January 2019

Outstanding Women in Nonprofit Kristy Carter, University of Central Arkansas Outreach and Community Engagement Mona Dixon, AETN Sarah Murphy, Conway Human Development Center The event was presented by H+N Architects, Conway OB-GYN Clinic and Conway Women’s Health Center.

Sue Kelly, president and chief executive officer of the American Public Power Association and the first woman to hold the position in the Association’s 76-year history, was the featured speaker. Under her leadership, the Association has advocated to protect tax exemption for municipal bonds and preserve

public power’s right to self supply in wholesale electricity markets. She has helped strengthen cybersecurity awareness and resources and raise the profile of public power. She was designated 2017 Woman of the Year by the Women’s Council on Energy and Environment and named one of the 100 Most Powerful Women by Washington magazine in 2015. She has been in the energy field for 35 years, spending much of her career as an energy lawyer.

Other luncheon sponsors were First Arkansas Bank and Trust, Snap-on Equipment, Francis M. Fine Jewelry, Nabholz Construction, Conway Corporation, Acxiom Corporation, Arkansas Surgical Hospital and Baptist Health Conway. Each honoree was presented with a necklace by Francis M. Fine Jewelry.

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 55

Diamond Achievement Award:

encouragement and insight. She has spoken at women’s conferences at Arkansas State University and the University of Central Arkansas as well as for the Arkansas Bankers Association. She has also been featured in the Independent Banker Magazine “Out of Office” and in “The Girl Banker” Blog.

Donna Townsell

Women in Business honorees:

Donna, senior executive vice president and director of investor relations for Centennial Bank, was named this year’s Diamond Achievement Award winner.

“It is very humbling to receive this recognition,” said Donna. “Conway is filled with many great women in business. I work pretty much every day in some capacity, so to be recognized for my commitment to my company and awarded for the contribution I’ve made is very meaningful to me. Plus I appreciate the example it shows to my Donna Townsell teenage daughter (Riley) about working hard and women supporting women.”

Donna joined Centennial Bank in 2007 as a project manager and was selected early on to lead the bank’s efficiency project. During that time her efforts and leadership were evident, she and her team implemented over 250 initiatives, including combining six bank charters into one. Her efforts have also led to Centennial’s efficiency ratio, which is one of the best in the country.

According to her nomination, Donna has become known as a fixer at Centennial Bank, and is the person that Centennial Board Chairman John Allison calls on when needed. She has helped to manage many projects as well as served in a variety of positions and committees at the bank.

Donna is a two-time winner of the Chairman’s Award and is a member of the National Investor Relations Institute.

One of the things that Donna is most proud of is being able to speak to other women and providing

Laine Berry Laine is the Owner of Laine Berry Inc, which consists of The Royal We, Inverness Bridal and Laine Berry Bride.

Since opening in 2008, The Royal We, which offers upscale formal gowns, has grown into a location that draws shoppers from all over the U.S. After helping to make Downtown Conway a destination in formalwear, Laine expanded into bridal. Within three years, Inverness Bridal was awarded The Knots “Best Laine Berry of the Best” among bridal stores in the nation.

Through Laine Berry Bride, she also designs wedding gowns and oversees their manufacturing and distribution around the globe.

“It is amazing to be recognized for the work that has gone into the creation of my business,” Laine said. “Being self-employed is diametrically different from being in the corporate sector, where I began my career. When I go to bed at night, I am thinking about everything from how much payroll will be to how the new tax laws will impact our growth potential. It’s not 9-5, it is 24/7. To know that someone saw that reality and hoped to see it recognized is great motivation!”

Donna Blecher Donna, general manager for Hilton Garden Inn Conway, is dedicated to successfully achieving company

goals while going above and beyond to ensure guests and clients receive customer satisfaction beyond their expectations.

The drive to go beyond and help others also applies to her employees.

Her nomination stated that she is always there with a shoulder to lean on or a ride to be given when needed. During her years as a sales director, Donna has had many opportunities to work with and mentor others starting out in the hospitality field.

“It is such an honor to Donna Blecher be included in this group of outstanding ladies,” she said.

Donna and her husband, Bill, have been married for 43 years, including 20 years during Bill’s military service.

They have two daughters (Robin and Carolyn) and four grandsons (Jacob, Zachary, Joshua and Nate).

Kristy Carter Kristy is director of marketing for the University of Central Arkansas Division of Outreach and Community Engagement.

For more than a decade, she has been instrumental in helping to craft the UCA Outreach brand and in developing programs such as servicelearning, UCA DREAM Team, Technical Assistance for Mayors and the UCA Women’s Leadership Network.

During her time at UCA, she has mentored Kristy Carter dozens of female professionals and students, seeing her purpose as someone to elevate, empower and embrace all women at all stages of life by providing them with ample opportunities to gain personal and profes-

Congratulations

ANDREA WOODS Conway Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Woman in Business Award recipient

Thank you for serving our clients and community.

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sional development.

“Being recognized by the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce means the world to me,” Kristy said.

“There is honestly nothing like being recognized for the contributions that I make in my community and for UCA every day.”

Kristy is also a leader and advocate for women in higher education, serving on the American Council on Education Office of Women in Higher Education, the American Association for University Women and the Arkansas Council for Women in Higher Education.

She is a former United Way of Central Arkansas board member and serves on the Bethlehem House Board of Directors.

Amy Denton As the chief executive officer of Pediatrics Plus, Amy is dedicated to the purpose and excellence of the organization. She and her team strive every day to improve the lives of children throughout the state.

Amy has led the organization through significant growth over the last decade all while maintaining a positive and empowering company culture and excellence in services for clients and their families.

Amy also founded Community Connections Amy Denton – the nonprofit arm of Pediatrics Plus – that provides extracurricular actives for

children with special needs.

Amy leads by example, coaching those around her in order to make them more successful. She believes that investing in people and growing new leaders is one of the most important things you can do.

She and her husband Todd, have two children, Kate, 14, and Max, 11.

Mona Dixon Mona has spent more than 30 years at AETN, moving from administrative assistant to chief operating officer and director of development for the AETN Foundation. Most recently, she led her team in a yearlong fundraising campaign that exceeded their goal of more new donors and resulted in a $100,000 grant.

“I am honored to be recognized in my community for the work that I’ve done in the non-profit area,” said Mona. “Being honored locally, in many ways, means more than any regional or national awards that I’ve won. My Mona Dixon commitment has always been to Conway and Arkansas for over 20 years, and I’m proud that Arkansans are as generous and caring as they are.”

In addition to being able to consistently increase fundraising, Mona counts sharing her experience and knowledge of public television and the opportunity to

mentor young professionals in this field as one of her top accomplishments. She takes the trust of the people in Arkansas seriously and helps her department stay mindful of their position as stewards.

Vickey Kirkemier Vickey is the administrator at Salem Place Nursing and Rehabilitation, which set standards for health care on the state level and was recognized with the Governor’s Quality Award in 2017 and 2018.

Under Vickey’s term as administrator, the facility has been recognized as one of America’s top nursing homes and has received numerous People’s Choice community awards. She counts one of the greatest accomplishments in her job as being able to work with Conway High School and the University of Central Arkansas students.

She has been able to help train young professionals and, in some cases, watch students advance from entry-level to physician status.

Vickey has been involved with the Alzheimer’s Walk for the past 13 years and is a member of the Faulkner County Nursing Home Christmas Gift Fund.

Vickey Kirkemier She also partners with Compass Academy for facility involvement and contributes to the Conway High Volleyball Team’s Pink Night.

Congratulations!

2018 WOMEN IN BUSINESS HONOREES

Amy Denton ’97, ’98

Kristy Carter

Donna Townsell ’92

Outstanding Woman in Business

Outstanding Woman in Nonprofit

Diamond Achievement

CEO, Pediatrics Plus

Director of Marketing, UCA Outreach and Community Engagement

Senior Executive Vice President and Director of Investor Relations, Centennial Bank

1206 Women Honorees-ad (501).indd 1

12/7/18 1:5657 January 2019 501lifemag.com | PM

Vickey and her husband, Steven, have been married 25 years. She has three children: Kelsey Crain Robertson married to Dr. Andrew Robertson, Mallory Kirkemier and Brody Kirkemier.

Sarah Murphy Starting with an entry level position providing direct care to individuals, Sarah has worked her way up to superintendent and administrator at the Conway Human Development Center.

In this position, she is responsible for ensuring the facility provides excellent care for more than 500 residents, working with multiple agencies, abiding by state and federal regulations, and overseeing approximately 1,200 staff members all 24 hours a day, seven days Sarah Murphy a week. She feels some of her greatest accomplishments include those that have increased the facility’s involvement with the community such as the therapeutic all-inclusive playground, the Polar Express event during the holidays and the dedication of a Veteran’s Wall of Honor.

Married to Jason Murphy, they have three daughters — Hannah (17), Abby (14) and Maddie (10).

Andrea Woods As executive vice president and corporate counsel for Nabholz Construction, Andrea believes women professionals need to see other women taking risks and succeeding. She was the first woman to be elected to serve on The Nabholz Group Inc. Board of Directors and has been elected to serve two terms on the Arkansas Bar Association Board Andrea Woods of Governors and two terms on the House of Delegates representing lawyers in this judicial district. She was recently elected to serve as the chair of the Conway Regional Health System Board of Directors.

Andrea participates in the Conway Leadership Network as a mentor, supports the American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law’s women lawyers, and speaks publicly on topics relevant to the legal profession, ethics and leadership.

“I am honored and thankful to be a recipient of an award recognizing the women in our community who strive and succeed in making a difference in the lives of others,” said Andrea.

Andrea and her husband, Jeff, have been married 24 years. They have a son, Cullen, a sophomore at the University of Arkansas Honors College; and a daughter, Abby, a sophomore at Conway High School.

58 | 501 LIFE January 2019

FINANCIAL FOCUS

Welcome 2019

Time to consider financial resolutions

Submitted by Edward Jones

As the year winds down, you may want to look ahead to see which areas of your life you can improve in 2019. Perhaps you’ll decide to exercise more, eat healthier foods, reconnect with old friends or volunteer at a school or charitable organization. All these goals are certainly worthwhile – but you also may want to add some New Year’s financial resolutions to your list.

Here are a few ideas to consider: • Boost contributions to your employer-sponsored retirement plan. Good news! Contribution limits will be increasing for many employer-sponsored retirement plans.

For 2019, you can contribute up to $19,000 (up from $18,500 in 2018), or $25,000 (up from $24,500 in 2018) if you’re 50 or older to your 401(k) or similar employer-sponsored retirement plan. It’s usually a good idea to contribute as much as you can afford to your employer’s plan, as your contributions may lower your taxable income, while any earnings growth is tax-deferred. (Keep in mind

that taxes are due upon withdrawal, and withdrawals prior to age 59 1/2 may be subject to a 10 percent IRS penalty.)

At a minimum, put in enough to earn your employer’s matching contribution, if one is offered.

• Try to “max out” on your IRA. Even if you have a 401(k) or similar plan, you can probably still invest in an IRA. For 2019, you can put in up to $6,000 in a traditional or Roth IRA (up from $5,500 in 2018), or $7,000 (up from $6,500) if you’re 50 or older. (Income restrictions apply to Roth IRAs.) Contributions to a traditional IRA may be tax-deductible, depending on your income, and any earnings growth is tax-deferred. Roth IRA contributions are not deductible, but earnings growth can be withdrawn tax-free, provided you don’t start taking withdrawals until you are 59 1/2 and you’ve had your account at least five years. You can put most types of investments – stocks, bonds, mutual funds, government securities and so on – into an IRA, so it can expand your options beyond those offered in your 401(k) or similar plan.

• Build an emergency fund. Try to build an emergency fund containing three to six months’ worth of living expenses, with the money held in a low-risk, liquid account. This fund can help you avoid dipping in to your long-term investments to pay for unexpected costs, such as a major car repair.

• Control your debts. Do what you can to keep your debts under control. Ultimately, the less you have to spend on debt payments, the more you can invest for your future.

• Don’t overreact to financial market volatility. In 2018 – especially the last few months of the year – we saw considerable market volatility, with huge drops and big gains in rapid succession. What will 2019 bring? It’s always difficult – and usually futile – trying to forecast the market’s performance over the course of an entire year. But, in any case, try not to overreact to whatever ups and downs we may experience. Instead, continue pursuing an investment strategy that’s appropriate for your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon.

Following these suggestions can help you become a better investor in 2019 – and beyond.

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 59

BUSINESS

‘Best of the Best’ Wilkinson’s marks 50th anniversary

Employees at Wilkinson’s Mall in Conway recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the business.

by Donna Lampkin Stephens

A venerable Conway landmark recently celebrated a milestone, and it’s already looking ahead for more.

Wilkinson’s Mall, Arkansas’s largest shoe and boot store, celebrated its 50th anniversary on Nov. 3 with door prizes, gift cards, face painting, popcorn, hot dogs and a balloon artist at its Harrison Street location.

The family-owned store began in 1968 as Wilkinson’s Wholesale Shoe Company. Bill Wilkinson was general manager of Helena Wholesale Dry Goods Company in Helena when he and his wife, Jean Wilkinson, decided to start their own business in Conway.

According to a company history, Bill was familiar with the wholesale shoe business from his 60 | 501 LIFE January 2019

previous work at Helena Wholesale Dry Goods, and the new company originally sold shoes only to stores.

“Bill and Jean Wilkinson took a chance,” according to the history. “With modest means and four children, they decided to build a business with hard work and perseverance. Jean cooked family meals in a popcorn popper until they could afford a stove.

“Bill’s best friend in Helena was David Rayman, who agreed to put his life insurance policy up for collateral at First State Bank by Mr. ‘Uncle’ Tom Wilson for a small loan to kick start the business. The rest is history.”

A crisis came in 1974, though, when Bill Wilkinson, just 48, died unexpectedly of a heart attack. The couple’s son, Mike, finished the final two weeks of his four-year Marine Corps commitment and then came home to join his mother,

sister Jenny Wilkinson Honey and brother-in-law Steve McEntire in running the business.

According to the history, Wilkinson’s in 1980 became a distributor of Kangaroo Shoes for eight states. Six years later, the family decided to liquidate the shoes and dissolve the corporation.

But in 1987, Mike, Jenny and Jean decided to reincorporate and diversify the business into a wholesale/retail operation.

The 31 years since have seen an explosion of growth as the store — now more than 20,000 square feet and billed “Arkansas’s largest shoe, boot and sock store for the entire family” — has become a destination shopping experience for men, women and children far beyond shoes.

According to the history, “the family said that by the grace of God, and with the addition of Mike’s three daughters — Natalie Rose, Beth Reed and Megan James — and about 50 great

employees, the company thrived.”

Today the store features more than 200 brands. Apparel, outerwear, accessories and jewelry joined the lineup in the mid-1990s.

The men’s department includes “most any type brand of shoes or boots a man could want,” according to wilkinsonsmall.com. Besides shoes in almost any width and size, the department also includes socks, apparel, hunting apparel and accessories and shoe care products. According to the website, the boot selection is “the largest in Arkansas: work, western, fashion, hiking, hunting, rubber, waterproof and footwear for the natural gas industry,” including safety toe footwear.

The women’s department includes “all of the famous footwear brands, plus fashion boots, cowboy boots, etc.” Jewelry, apparel, accessories and “fabulous purses in many different shapes, sizes and colors” highlight the section.

The kids department features one of the largest footwear selections in Arkansas as well as socks, accessories and apparel. There is a “kiddy korner, lounge area and Wilkinson’s famous horsey,” according to the website.

The Sporty Shop includes athletic footwear, apparel and socks for a variety of sporting activities, and problem feet.

Wilkinson’s Mall has been recognized as “The #1 Best of the Best Shoe Store in Arkansas,” according to a statewide readers poll.

Family members involved today include Mike Wilkinson, president; Jenny Wilkinson Honey, vice president; Natalie Wilkinson Rose, general merchandising manager; Megan Wilkinson James, financial manager; and Cole Crossland, general manager.

Mike Wilkinson said name brand “make-ups” — lookalike products— are among the challenges the business is facing.

“The consumers can’t tell the difference from the looks, but many parts inside are missing,” he said. “Retailers can make more percentage of profit, but the consumer gets fake name brand product. Wilkinson’s doesn’t sell make-up product. Counterfeit product especially on the internet hurts too.”

Mike Wilkinson (from left), Natalie Wilkinson Rose, Megan Wilkinson James, Jenny Wilkinson Honey and Cole Crossland at the anniversary celebration.

The business stays on top of coming trends by studying all the big footwear and fashion industry publications.

“Most importantly, we attend all the large footwear markets (national, regional or local) to evaluate the latest trends,” Mike Wilkinson said.

“In 50 years, we have only missed one, and that was right after 9/11.”

Advice for other family businesses?

“Don’t give up,” Mike Wilkinson said. “Do what you do the best you can. The customer is still the boss.”

The store posted its gratitude on its Facebook page after the day-long anniversary celebration Nov. 3.

“Thank you to all our wonderful employees and customers who have made celebrating 50 years possible. We have been truly blessed. A big thank you from the Wilkinson family!”

With a good social media presence and a tongue-in-cheek tagline — “voted ‘Best of the Best’ in every poll ever taken” — Wilkinson’s Mall is looking to follow its own advice for the next 50 years.

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 61

SPORTS

Falcon teams win at national volleyball tourneys

The undisputed 2018 12U NCHVC Gold Ball National Champion Team was “Loving LIFE”: Kiah Covington (front, from left), Claire South; Coach Tonya Lipp (back), Josie Benson, Elli Gerbholz, Allyson Crow, Eva Benson and Ally Lipp. Not pictured: Eleighana Ruhman and Madison Derden.

The runner-up 2018 14U NCHVC Silver Ball National Champion Team was “Loving LIFE”: Natalie Sansom (front, from left), Natalie Smith, Natalie Steinmetz; Kady Belle Harper (back), Kalynne Benson, Savannah Crow, Grace Harris, Kinley Corder, Aubrey Hudson, Alyssa Smith, Kaisyn Covington and Emily Roys. Not pictured: Kacie Clark, Sydney Keeter, AnnaBeth Turner and Coach LeSha Smith.

62 | 501 LIFE January 2019

The Faulkner County Falcon 12 & Under and 14 & Under teams did well in the NCHVC (National Christian Homeschool Volleyball Championships) tournament held in October in Wichita, Kan. “The 12U team walked into nationals as an undefeated team in our regular season and tournament play,” said Coach Tonya Lipp.

“Even though we had an impressive season, our goal at nationals was to be able to return home knowing we did our best and were positive in our play and behavior.

“Watching it all come together and everyone getting time on the court was an emotional experience. This was their dream season and they returned home with the first 12U gold ball ever awarded, and the Falcon organization’s first undisputed championship win. They all have a little piece of history they’ll be able to claim.”

12U players selected for the All-Tournament Team were: Josie Benson, Elli Gerbholz and Ally Lipp.

The 14U team was coached by LeSha Smith. “The national tournament is a great way for our team to play against teams from all over,” said Smith. “On our first day we played a South Louisiana team and then an Indiana team. It is three days of playing hard, cheering for our other teams and making amazing memories.

“Our girls played strong. They never gave up on themselves or each other. I am so proud of our 14U

Falcon team!”

14U players selected for the All-Tournament Team were Kinley Corder, Kaisyn Covington, Grace Harris and Aubrey Hudson.

Sydney Keeter was selected for the Christian Character Award for 14U. Eva Benson received the Christian Character Award for 12U. The Faulkner County Homeschool Athletic Association (FCHAA) provides sports teams for homeschool students. For more information, please email faulknerfalcons@gmail.com or visit faulknerfalcons.com.

University of Central Arkansas senior Matt Cummins was named the Southland Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.

UCA’s Cummins receives honor University of Central Arkansas placekicker Matt Cummins closed his career by earning the Southland Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honor.

All weekly awards in the SLC are presented by MidSouth Bank.

Cummins, a senior from Conway High School, accounted for 10 of UCA’s 16 points in its 16-7 victory over Abilene Christian in the season finale in Abilene. Cummins connected on three field goals, from 20, 37 and 42 yards, and added the extra point on UCA’s lone touchdown in the fourth quarter that sealed the victory.

For the season, Cummins finished 13 of 17 on field goal attempts and 37 of 40 on PATs. His 41 career field goals is two short of tying the school record of 43 held by UCA Sports Hall of Famer Curtis Burrow (1982-85) and is tied with Eddie Camara (2011-14) for second all time. His 129 PATs is fourth-best in school history.

Cummins had a career-long 50-yard field goal in his first career attempt against Samford in 2015, and added 47-yard field goals in both 2016 and 2017.

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 63

SPORTS

Perry County: Bill Crowder

Bill Crowder (left) had an opportunity to meet Tommy LaSorda, a former Major League Baseball pitcher and manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Bill Crowder’s spectacular coaching record should mislead no one. Off the diamond, away from the coaching box and the dugout, his accomplishments are at least as sparkling. Few coaches of any sport, at any level, can rival his empathy for and generosity to humankind. Truly Dr. Robert a man who has lived life on his own terms, Reising he can never be labeled Dr. Robert Reising retired monomaniacal or selffrom the University of Central Arkansas in 2013 after holding a absorbed. variety of teaching, coaching and Born on Feb. 4, administrative posts during more than a half-century in education.

1933, a son of a Perry His doctoral dissertation at Duke County resident who was treated literature and sports. soon to be elected county sheriff, Bill hardly knew splendor as a youngster. His home lacked indoor plumbing, electricity and running water, and its only light for completing his schoolwork was provided by a coal-oil lamp. That home, however, was rich in assets he thought more valuable: “a very loving environment…discipline, work and the love of my 64 | 501 LIFE January 2019

parents.”

Following graduation from Perryville High School in 1951, he completed a degree in physical education, history and English at the College of the Ozarks in Clarksville while a member of the school’s varsity squads in basketball and baseball. He was such a knowledgeable student of the latter that he was named an assistant coach of baseball at the College after his sophomore year, and hence in 1956, well experienced in handling adolescents, he earned an appointment at Ozark High School as head coach of football, basketball and baseball as well as athletic director.

His 1959 move to a coaching position at Springdale High School proved life-changing, not simply career altering. While there he met “a true lover of sports,” Jean Wines, whom he married two years later, and Shelby Breedlove, then head baseball and basketball coach at Fayetteville High School and, soon thereafter, athletic director at Fort Smith Junior College. In 1965, Breedlove found his College without a coach for men’s basketball and baseball, and he immediately appointed Bill. Thus began the latter’s 33-year relationship with the school that would transition into Westark Junior College in 1966, into Westark Community College in 1972, and into the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith in 2001.

Because he oversaw the basketball program for just three years, Bill was able to give undivided coaching attention to baseball for three uninterrupted decades.

And quality attention he provided! His teams triumphed in more than 64 percent of the 1,562 games he coached, an amazing 1,003 wins. That victory total identified him as one of the top 5 alltime most successful baseball coaches in the history of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). That total, too, he recorded while refusing to accept shabby academic performances from his players: grades below C automatically required study hall attendance.

Bill can claim other impressive statistics, too.

More than 500 players he coached went on to play in four-year programs, and more than 30 signed professional baseball contracts. Three played in the major leagues, including Van Buren County native Jeff McKnight.

Yet the coaching achievement he probably prizes most cannot be quantified: in 1966 he integrated Westark’s baseball and basketball programs.

Nor did his coaching feats escape the attention of his colleagues, who, in 2001, provided him with his profession’s highest honor: induction into the NJCAA Hall of Fame. But accolades have never been foremost in Bill’s mind. To him, as the

title of his autobiographical booklet proclaims, SUCCESS IS MORE THAN WINS. He has always been (and will always remain) an ultrazealous member of Sertoma, one of the oldest service clubs in the nation. Bill delights in aiding the needy, especially the hearing impaired, in and near Fort Smith. He has served that club in virtually every capacity, including president, and although he is too modest to make the point, his daughter Kristi notes he has won virtually every award Sertoma offers.

He has been especially effective in raising funds for Sertoma projects, large and small, and many a Fort Smithian has morphed from reluctant giver to cheerful giver because of Bill’s winning words.

Chuck Faucett, a prominent Fort Smith businessman whose late father was a multi-decade Sertoman with Bill, had but one word to describe Bill’s moneyraising capabilities: “Wonderful!”

Despite his decades of success elsewhere, however, Bill has only pleasant memories of Perry County. Recently, when queried about his first 18 years, he was quick to respond, “I have only a lot of good memories of my life prior to 1951.”

Perry County and the 501 are proud that his roots lie in their soil.

501 LIFE is once again profiling noteworthy athletes from Central Arkansas, one from each of the 11 counties in the 501, in a special series titled “Celebrating athletic excellence.”

The 11 are representatives of the quality of athletes found throughout Central Arkansas and are not meant to be the best or the most noteworthy.

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January 2019 501lifemag.com | 65

SPORTS

Major league dream World Series champs land UCA trainer

UCA athletic trainer Allison Susa’s dream of working in the Major League has come true. (Mike Kemp photo)

66 | 501 LIFE January 2019

by Mark Oliver

When Allison Susa first became an athletic trainer, she dreamed of helping Major League Baseball players get back on their feet from injury.

Now, the University of Central Arkansas graduate student is getting the opportunity of a lifetime — becoming an athletic trainer for the reigning World Series champion Boston Red Sox. “I applied into some of the jobs that the Red Sox had opened last year after my first year in Conway,” Susa said. “I got an interview and the hiring manager really liked me and my resume, but because I wasn’t available until after I finished my master’s degree and my contract at UCA, I didn’t get hired.”

Focused on her studies and her commitment to UCA, Susa never lost sight of her goal. One year later, with her master’s degree in exercise science in hand, the athletic trainer took another stab at landing her dream job.

“When I applied again this year, it was a very short conversation,” Susa said. “The manager remembered me from last year and offered me one of the seasonal assistant athletic trainer positions on the spot.”

“It’s amazing,” said UCA athletic trainer Steve Hornor. “This young lady came to us as a graduate assistant two-and-a-half years ago and has done a great job. It’s been a dream of hers to work in Major League Baseball. It’s really difficult to get your foot in the door there and this is an awesome first step to get her to do that.”

For Susa, the opportunity to help professional baseball players was a dream come true — and she’s ready to rise to the challenge.

“I’ve always known that I wanted to focus on baseball once I finished with my graduate assistant position here,” Susa said. “My favorite team is the Milwaukee Brewers because I’m from Wisconsin, but I’m the type of person that will work with anyone. I’ve never been to Boston before, but I watched the World Series this year and I’m excited for the opportunity to help them in any way that I can.”

Even though she’ll be working closely with sports celebrities, Susa says there’s no room for anything but business.

“You always have that ‘wow’ moment in the back of your mind when you’re working with players of that caliber,” Susa said. “However, that’s not what I’m thinking about when I’m working with them and taking care of them.

These are my patients who I am trying to improve so they can do what they’re here to do.

This is their job, and they depend on me to get them back to work.”

Much like a Major League baseball player, Susa will begin in the ranks of the Red Sox farm system and work her way up through the organization.

“I’ll start in Florida for spring training next year,” Susa said. “Then, I’ll be assigned to one of the Minor League affiliates. I’ll have to work my way up, just like any other job. I’m not expecting to work at Fenway Park right away,

but now it’s a goal for me to get there.”

From professional sports to the military, the need for athletic trainers grows each day. Soon, UCA — one of the state’s pioneers in athletic training studies — plans to step up its game for the next generation of athletic trainers.

“At UCA, we currently have an undergraduate accredited athletic training program, but the National Athletic Training Association is gradually doing away with that curriculum by 2022,” Hornor said. “When that happens, you’ll only be able to get a master’s degree in athletic training. Students who are now coming to UCA will be able to pursue that program — in which we’re looking to have our first cohort of students in July 2019 to begin that process.

We’re really excited about that.”

“I’m excited to see what happens with the master’s program,” Susa said. “You’re going to have stronger students that are dedicated to going to school two more years for this profession. UCA is wonderful and I can’t say enough about the staff I work with. They’re all a group of great professionals that want the students to succeed.”

Although the field of athletic training is competitive, Susa believes that dreams can come true with the right focus.

“Keep learning and keep growing as a person,” Susa said. “That’s the biggest advice that I can give anyone. Whether it’s in athletic training or just life in general — if you keep growing and keep learning, that’s how you’re going to become successful.”

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MethodistFamily.org January 2019 501lifemag.com | 67

First Service Cup Greenbrier wins rivalry game Bill Patterson photos

Regardless of records or playoff implications, Faulkner County is rife with tension for two communities every year in Week 10 of the high school football schedule.

The Greenbrier Panthers and the Vilonia Eagles faced off for the First Service Cup in their annual county rivalry in early November. In the end, Faulkner County Judge Jim Baker presented the traveling trophy to the victorious Greenbrier Panthers.

68 | 501 LIFE January 2019

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January 2019 501lifemag.com | 69

501 IN PICS

Thunder Over the Rock Sterling Imageworks Photography/ Jaison Sterling photos

The 501 recently enjoyed a special air show at the Little Rock Air Force Base.

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds headlined the twoday event, titled Thunder Over the Rock Air and Space Show.

Other acts included the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Jump Team, C-130J Demo Team and the Army National Guard Black Hawk and Lakota demo team.

There were also a variety of static displays.

70 | 501 LIFE January 2019

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 71

TRAVEL

Traveling the rails in the 501 Story and photos

by Linda Henderson

I never think about trains until one causes me to be late, as it slowly moves across its tracks. As I wait for the long coal train to advance through town, I have plenty of time to contemplate the importance that trains have been to the 501 area code. Railroads have had a significant impact on our state. Many of the towns and cities within the 501 were established because of the construction of railroads.

If you study early Arkansas history, you find that even before Arkansas was a state that plans were being made for the construction of railroads to crisscross our state. According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, the first railroad in Arkansas was laid from Crittenden County to St. Francis County. Eventually lines were extended to Little Rock and then northwest toward Fort Smith. By the early 20th century, almost the entire state had access to railroads.

Union Station located in Little Rock.

The train depot and museum in Downtown Morrilton.

72 | 501 LIFE January 2019

Union Pacific 844 heads down the tracks.

As I studied railroad history in the 501, I kept finding town after town that was created because of the railroad systems. The City of Conway was founded when the Little Rock-Fort Smith Railroad (now Union Pacific) came through the area. City Father Asa P. Robinson deeded a small tract of his land for a railroad depot site before creating a town site around the depot and named it “Conway Station.”

The town later took on the name of the station, which was named for Arkansas’ first governor, James Sevier Conway.

Linda A river trading post that was to Henderson eventually be Morrilton was established around train tracks that were built Jim and Linda Henderson are lifelong residents of the for the Little Rock and Fort Smith 501. During the week, Jim has Railroad. Downtown Morrilton grew a construction business and Linda is a registered nurse at the around the railroad depot. Morrilton Conway Human Development continues to maintain its beautiful Center. On the weekends, they travel the 501 and other areas depot as a museum, genealogy library of Arkansas. Jim drives and and historical site. hauls equipment. Linda takes photographs of Arkansas. During Malvern was founded in 1873 by the their travels, they have gained Cairo and Fulton Railroad as a city site. appreciation and love for The Natural State. They have found During the late 1800s, Malvern’s railroad the 501 has so much to offer station was the closest to the new tourist for weekend fun and beauty to destination of Hot Springs. It became an photograph. important connection point for passengers transferring from trains to stagecoach to complete their trip to the spas and hot water baths in Hot Springs. Ultimately a rail line was built from Little Rock to Hot Springs, ending the need for stagecoach transportation. The train depot is still being used for Amtrak passenger service.

Little Rock continues to have an active train depot. It is known as Union Station. The station was built in 1921 and is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. It is located on Markham Street in Downtown Little Rock.

Expansion of railroads continued in Arkansas until the 1950s.

After the interstate system started to cross the country and popularity of automobile travel increased, train passenger services began to decline. Now, the railroads remain important to Arkansas for transportation of industrial goods, coal and lumber products.

In 2015, Arkansas had 2,662 miles of active rail lines and a single passenger rail service that is operated by Amtrak Texas Eagle.

A single train northbound heading toward St. Louis and a single southbound train headed toward Dallas pass though Arkansas each day. Two stops of these passenger trains occur in the 501. Both Little Rock and Malvern have active train depots. According to Amtrak, train ridership has increased in Arkansas in the last 15 years from a little more than 20,000 to over 41,000 passengers per year.

Occasionally, historical trains will traverse the state. That was the case in 2016 when Union Pacific’s Steam Locomotive No 844 came through the 501. Union Pacific’s “Living Legend” No 844 travelled more than 1,200 miles one-way for the opening of the Big River Crossing in Memphis. On its return trip back to Wyoming, it passed through Arkansas and made stops in the 501 in North Little Rock and Conway. It was quite a beautiful sight as it passed with white steam bellowing out of the smoke stack.

Now that I have had time to contemplate the history and the importance that trains have been to the development of the 501, I appreciate them a little more. I now know they bring lots of goods and services to me. I now know how important they are in transporting coal that helps to produce the electricity I so enjoy.

I now find I am interested in historical depots and I plan to stop and photograph the old buildings and visit the museums that are contained in them.

I am now a little nostalgic about trains as a form of transportation and I might even consider planning a trip to see the Gateway Arch in St. Louis or even a trip south to the modern cosmopolitan skyscrapers of Dallas aboard an Amtrak Texas Eagle via Union Station in Little Rock. See all things do connect to the 501 area code!

An old caboose at the Morrilton train depot.

The train depot in Malvern.

Union Pacific 844.

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 73

Union Pacific 844 (top, middle and right).

The train depot in Perry County.

74 | 501 LIFE January 2019

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76 | 501 LIFE January 2019

NEIGHBORS special friends

Winter weather

Hartman offers tips for pet care, safety With a change of seasons to winter, there are several important suggestions pet owners need to be aware of to ensure the safety of their furry companions.

Dr. Greg Hartman and the staff at Hartman Animal Hospital in West Conway are dedicated to providing quality care, treating all as if they were a member of the family.

“Our clinic welcomes an opportunity for a personal relationship with people and their pets and to offer high quality health care for all of our patients,” Hartman said. “Our mission is to provide the best overall health and quality of life care that we can for pets and to treat each pet as our own and as a member of the family.”

According to Hartman, the most common problems associated with winter and pet care are keeping your pet warm and maintaining hydration. “A lot pf pets don’t drink as much when it is cold,” he said.

In areas that get cold and snowy, temperatures can get dangerous for pets, especially for those who aren’t built for the cold. What’s more, a number of common cold-weather products can be potentially poisonous.

Here are a few tips to help keep the colder months safe for everyone:

Keep an eye out for automotive fluid Antifreeze and windshield washer fluid are hazardous to animals. While walking your pooch, steer clear of puddles of antifreeze and washer

fluid. Also, keep pets out of garages and other automotive areas. The ASPCA recommends using products that contain propylene glycol rather than ethylene glycol.

Wipe de-icing products off paws Ice-melting products can get stuck in a pet’s paws and then they may try licking it to remove it. Paw pads may also bleed from snow or encrusted ice. If you walk your dog on de-iced roads or sidewalks, make sure he wears booties. And wipe off paws, legs and stomach when they come in out of the cold.

Be wary of rodent poison If you live in a rural or semi-rural area, you may see more mice move in when the temperature drops. You or your neighbors may be tempted to rid yourself of these pests with rodent poison.

Unfortunately pets sometimes eat the poison. If you exterminate rodents, use humane and safe traps rather than poisons.

Be prepared to act fast If you think your pet has swallowed something toxic, call the veterinarian.

Watch the temperature Cats and short-coated dogs don’t fare well in frigid temperatures, and even furrier breeds like Huskies and Malamutes can experience problems without adequate shelter. When the nights get

cold and snowy, bring pets inside and make sure working dogs have a good doghouse with warm bedding, like straw or woodchips.

Indoor pets should sleep off the floor and away from drafts on a dog or cat bed with a warm blanket, according to the ASPCA. Though frostbite and hypothermia are more rare in dogs than in humans, it can happen.

Keep cats away from your car Cats love warmth, so after you park the car, the heat from the engine can entice even the wariest of felines. Once under the hood, your cat could be seriously hurt the next time you start your engine. Keep your cat inside, and bang on the hood and honk your horn before starting your engine.

With a few simple precautions, the winter can be a favorite time of year for both you and your pet.

Regardless of the time of the year, Hartman encourages new owners to contact their veterinarian for wellness exams and vaccine protocol, and to enroll in a new pet/puppy training course.

Hartman Animal Hospital opened in 2004 and offers services in companion animal medicine, surgery and boarding. There are 15 employees of the clinic, which primarily cares for cats and dogs.

It is located at 385 Hogan Lane.

For more pet care tips, visit hartmananimalhospital.weebly.com. Additional information is available by calling 501.450.6444 or emailing hartmananimal@tcworks.net.

Animaal l Hospit Dr. Greg Hartman

Dr. Greg Hartman

| 385 Hogan Lane | Conway, AR 72034 | (501) 450-6444

HARTMANANIMALHOSPITAL.COM

Dr. JoAnna Roath

General Veterinary Medicine • Complete Diagnostic Services Companion Animal Medicine & Surgery • Full Service Boarding

January 2019 501lifemag.com | 77

NEIGHBORS person of the month

Chuck Townsend

CITY: Conway.

WORK: Conway Police Department. Twenty-two

years in law enforcement, five as a detective and 12 as a school resource officer for the Conway School District.

CHURCH ACTIVITIES: I attend Antioch Baptist

Church, where I am very involved and serve in various roles.

FAMILY: My wife is Mandi Townsend, a school

nurse at Marguerite Vann Elementary. We have four children, Haven, Madilyn, AnnaBeth and Lawson.

Haven is married to Bradyn Burchett (they are both new up and coming teachers). Haven has also given us a wonderful grandson named Caleb. Madilyn and AnnaBeth are students at Central Baptist College.

Lawson is a junior at Conway High School.

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Texas at Tyler. I was a teacher for five years in Mayflower where I taught fifth grade.

MOST CHERISHED POSSESSION: My motorcycle.

MOST ENJOYED WEEKEND ACTIVITY: I absolutely

love riding my motorcycle. There is nothing (for me) that is more soothing and relaxing than to ride through the beautiful country roads that Arkansas has to offer.

NO. 1 VACATION SPOT: I don’t know that I’ve yet to find my number one vacation spot. I’ve traveled a large part of our United States by motorcycle and I am always taken aback by the varying beautiful sites.

To me, the exploration of some place new makes each spot a new No. 1 spot. But, to be perfectly honest, living in Arkansas has spoiled me. There aren’t many sites more beautiful than what we have to enjoy right here in our beautiful state.

FAVORITE PLACE IN ARKANSAS: My favorite place in Arkansas would be the Arkansas Grand Canyon. I would dare say that many Arkansans don’t even know we have our own version of the Grand Canyon.

Sgt. Chuck Townsend was a fifth-grade teacher at Mayflower when he decided to pursue a career in law enforcement. “In jest, I tell everyone I left teaching to become a police officer because I needed something less stressful. In all sincerity, I am very thankful my two worlds of education and law enforcement were able to come together through my position as a school resource officer. It is in this position I hope to remain until I someday retire.” (Mike Kemp photo)

78 | 501 LIFE January 2019

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT LIVING IN THE 501: I love being centrally located within our state.

Being in the 501 allows us so many opportunities for meeting so many wonderful people. Besides riding my motorcycle, I also enjoy kayaking. Living in the 501 allows us to be so close to so many great outdoor activity locations. I’ve come to know so many great people through my church and my involvement as an SRO for the Conway School District.

tennis. gardening. hiking.

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