Searcy Living - Issue 4 2012 by Searcy Living

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Issue 4 2012

f e at u r e s The Gift

Success

Someday Is Today

Little Known Facts About People & The City 56 Finding Fido

Searcy All Stars 68 Storm 02 Team 69 High Spirits & Random Acts Of Kindness

Angels Among Us

It Only Gets Better

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – May West

D e pa rtm e n t s Publisher’s Note 11

Fashion Fun 18 Living In Searcy 22 Fab Do It Yourself 28 We The People 30 Hope...Believe 50 Out & About 66 Dinner & A Magazine

Games & Puzzles 80

On the Cover

Cover Contest Winners: First Security Bank Mortgage Department Photo by George Dillin 501-268-9304

“What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?” – Robert Schuller

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Publisher Christine Walker Art Director & Webmaster Garrett Johnson Graphic Assistant Ikey Ray Customer Service Stephanie McInturff Editorial Assistant Cherie Sewell Makeover Coordinator Christine Locke Special Project Coordinator Hannah Elliott Public Relations Associate Jennifer Jones Contributing Independent Photographers Kimberly Brackins (501)279-1515 George Dillin (501)268-9304 Cassie Jones (501)230-0539 Roxy Creative (501)593-6866 Candace Skarda (501)281-6297 Homan Photography (501)268-2844 Taylor Howard Photography (870)917-8012 Feature Writers Cecelia Wilson Cassie Jones Erica Brooks

Searcy Living Locally Owned and Operated 812 South Main Street Searcy, AR 72143 searcyliving@yahoo.com (501) 368-0095 SearcyLiving.com For subscription information go to SearcyLiving.com

Copyright 2012 Shark Promotions LLC. Searcy Living, Cabot Living, and Your Hometown Magazine are trademarks of Shark Promotions. All rights reserved. Ownership, rights, and logos are property of their respected businesses. No part may be reproduced without written permission. Shark Promotions LLC is not responsible for claims, misprints, discrepancies, advice of any kind, or content in advertisements or editorials, but will rectify errors in forthcoming issues.

Searcy Living Magazine is a subsidiary of Shark Promotions LLC.

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This issue started out as an idea to help the community. But at the end of the day, an obvious theme came about. I feel like we have asked two questions and gathered the information in a neat package to give you the answers through stories, poems and quotes; What is success? and How do you achieve it? We look forward to getting your feedback on this issue. And I hope you will take a few moments of your day and FaceBook us a few thoughts of what you believe success is. As always, thank you for reading Searcy Living:)

He worked by day and toiled by night. He gave up play and much delight. Dry books he read, new things to learn. And forged ahead, success to earn. He plodded on, with faith and pluck. And when he won, they called it luck. ~ Author Unknown

Someday is Today

The Gift

“Someday doesn’t come until you decide it does.”

“I realized at that moment that all this time I was doing a whole lot of talking but not enough believing.”

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ver been given a great gift? One tied with shiny ribbons and beautiful paper? I have, over and over, but there’s one gift I received and the giver didn’t even know she’d given it. Its worth was, and still is, priceless and it changed my life forever. Wonder what it was? The power of prayer. You are probably thinking, “Yeah, whatever, everyone prays, so what?” Before the day of the gift I suppose I was thinking the same thing. I had all my life been a praying person. I truly prayed constantly about most everything you can imagine. If God and I were a married couple, we would have never been able to blame our problems on communication or the lack thereof. There was a lot of talking going on, but was there anything else? And then, in the winter of 1997, a woman sitting at my desk at the bank gave me a gift that would change everything. She challenged my prayer life. I was at work the day a woman who had several children came in and sat down, obviously with another bun in her oven. She was a little shy at my excitement at her state of being because she said most people were more negative about her having yet another baby. I explained that I was not one of those people. I wanted another baby so badly I could taste it. My husband and I had elected to not have any more babies the conventional way, and had in fact made that a permanent decision a few years earlier. We had two daughters and a son and, by most people’s calculations, that was enough. We should have been satisfied. My heart said differently. I yearned for another child. In fact, my husband, Patrick, and I had been praying for another child for that whole year. We had sat down and discussed it several times. Now, this is not to say that we agreed on every part of it, but just that we both wanted another baby with our last name. Earlier in the year we had started an addition on our home and had included in the plans a nursery right off the new master suite. I had begun piecing the baby quilts and cross stitching a large Noah’s Ark sampler for the wall. Wallpaper was bought that matched. And the prayers were being sent up. I would wake up praying and go to sleep still praying. There were times that I would ask God to forgive me for praying so much. I can’t tell you how many times I would say “It’s me again, God,” just minutes after another prayer had ended. You see, I knew that God is a great big God. I had that much faith. But, I don’t think I believed He could or would answer me on this subject. Or maybe it is better said that I didn’t completely rely on Him to bring it to pass. I thought I could manhandle things myself and we would get a child. I was much like the funny saying I’ve heard of from pulpits more than once of the person who was praying to God for a parking spot while rounding a parking lot several times until someone pulled out at just the right moment for them to get one up close. At which time they’d say, “Never mind, God, I got one.” That was

me. I prayed a lot, but I think that my praying was a habit, albeit a good one, a habit all the same. Going through the motions is not what God wants our prayer life to be. He wants a real relationship built on our faith! Patrick and I were a little divided. I wanted to adopt a child from Mexico because I had heard about an orphanage with babies laying sideways in the crib, with three in each crib. I pictured a dark haired, olive skinned baby girl that had already been given up and was waiting. Patrick wanted to adopt here in the states and avoid the endless and costly red tape that goes along with international adoption. So, we were divided. We agreed to pray – each in our own way. I prayed for what I wanted and he prayed for what he wanted. We made no contacts to anyone (here on earth anyway) who could help us with adoption. We only told my family and our friends at work. But on the day that the innocent woman gave me the gift, I hadn’t realized that what I had always thought of as prayer was really just me yakking at God. When I sat there telling her how excited I was that she was having a baby, she told me that she and her husband had prayed for another child. As if it were that simple. I told her, “Well, I pray, too.” Then she said it, “But do you BELIEVE?” At first, I might have been a little taken aback by this woman asking me if I believed. Of course I believe in God, always have. He and I go way back. But then I looked at her with questions in my eyes and she said it again, “Do you believe that He can and will give you what

you are asking for?” There it was: The Gift. I realized at that moment that all this time I was doing a whole lot of talking but not enough “believing.” My prayers to that point may not have even left the room in which I spoke them. Thinking about adding the actual “belief” to my prayers gave me a power I had never thought about. I realized that God wanted me to ask him boldly for my heart’s desire, but He also required that I believe that He, and He alone, had the power to do what I asked. That changed everything. I continued my assault on God with prayer, only now I was armed with an ingredient that had not been there before. I prayed continuously for a child and I truly believed He would give her to me. Then God showed up. In January, the nursery was painted and the wallpaper was hung. No prospects of any baby on the horizon did not deter us from finishing in faith what we had started. The carpet was laid in February. The room was coming together. One day in late February, my mother’s sister, Auntie Maxine, came for a visit. While visiting my mom, they talked about our new addition to the house and she asked for a peek. Mom took her down to show her our new master bedroom and bathroom and then she opened the nursery door. Auntie was taken by surprise. What in the world was this room for? Mom told her then that we were praying for a baby. I now know that the visit by Auntie was no accident. God placed her there because He knew how His plan was about to unfold and she would be a major player in it. She just didn’t know it yet.

“Being in His will is not always easy but it is always the right place to be.”

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- Karen Churchwell

Around Christmas time, she and one of her daughters, Donna, had some sort of disagreement and had not spoken to each other in a couple of months. Donna, my favorite cousin, is a nurse and was working at the AHEC clinic of St Bernard’s hospital in Jonesboro. The week following Auntie’s surprise visit to my empty nursery the events that would change our history started falling into place. Remember that never in all this time did we stop praying and never did we lose faith. After my “gift” at the bank, I had even been praying with a greater ease but not any less often. Donna was leaving her clinic later than usual one day and passed by one of the female doctors who looked perplexed and was rubbing her head. Donna asked if she was okay and she stopped to tell her that she’d just had the weirdest thing happen. A little married couple who were only a month from their due date had just told her that they had decided to give their baby up for adoption and wanted her to find the baby a home. She had immediately gone to the phone to call a couple who had a failed adoption a year earlier, only to hear them say that they were not interested in trying again. Donna thought about her mother, my Auntie Maxine, and remembered that back in December there were two couples in her tiny little church who were trying to adopt. She told the doctor not to ask anyone else and that she would call her mom. When she got home, she phoned Auntie and was told that the couples at her church had both already received the babies they were waiting for and, in fact, one of the couples was now pregnant. Then she told her about my nursery. Donna got excited. She called me and told me all she knew about the couples’ decision they’d made known to the doctor that day. I was absolutely dying. As she rattled everything off to me using some of the most beautiful words I had ever heard, I sat there taking it all in. Did she just say it was a married couple? I would’t have to wait for or fear a man coming back to claim a baby! Thank you, Lord. They are only about a month from giving birth? That’s okay, we’re already ready!! Thank you, Lord, again! But then, I think that God did something just to prove to me that He had been listening to each and every word I’d been saying. She told me they were 14 Your Hometown Magazine

expecting a baby girl and added, “There’s just one thing, the baby will be bi-racial.” I told her I didn’t care what color the baby was, we wanted her. And the kicker… “The father is white, but the mother is Mexican.” Seriously, God? Are You really that amazing? Even down to that little detail of the olive skinned, dark haired baby girl I was so wanting? You were willing to show me that You can and will do all things for me? I truly would have taken her if she was orange with pink spots and You knew that, but You wanted to give me my heart’s desire. I have never been as humbled as I was at that moment. There is so much to this story and I know there is not enough time or room for me to go on and on, but I will say that soon, even after I had heard the miracle that came through that phone, I began fretting about the expenses and hoped we’d have enough. A couple of days had passed and I had contacted a local attorney to ask about his fees. The home study had been ordered. Everything was rolling along, and then the investment advisor at my job came over to my desk smiling from ear to ear and said, “You won’t believe what that stock you bought is doing right now!” My goodness. Stock? I’d forgotten we bought that stock and it is now choosing to climb?! How convenient. I went with him into his office and asked him where it stood at that moment. He told me and I gave the order to sell. He advised me to hang on and watch it climb some more. I said, “No, you don’t understand. That is what I need for my adoption fees. I am not greedy; sell it NOW.” Cameron Grace Simmons arrived a week earlier than planned. A baby has never been born more wanted in this world - ever. And she was perfectly, exactly what we wanted. Her birth went off without a hitch. Her precious birth parents were waiting when I entered the delivery room and asked if I could snap a picture. The only picture we have of them is that one. Her father came to our hospital room and cried and told me how hard it was for them to have made this decision, but that he knew it was right. I quickly thought about the prayers I’d been praying that the family who were giving her up would have peace about their decision. He cried, saying though he knew it was

right, it was still hard. He also told me that they were worried that we would change our minds about taking her home. That part was humorous to me. I felt like we could have checked her DNA and it would have matched ours at that point. I wasn’t going anywhere without her. We were already completely in love and in awe of this little 6 pound baby girl that had been an absolute, nothing-but, answer to prayer. Lots of it. She is now 14 years old and I can honestly say that I still get chills when I think about the God of all things taking the time to stop and listen to my prayers. And then safely tucking her there under the heart of another woman who would also be a part of His plan, and then to connect us. What amazing grace He bestowed on us all to carry us through the plan that He’d had since the very beginning of time. I have adopted four more times since Cameron and have each time had to draw on the experience with her to remember that God is there listening, and He loves me even through all the bumps in the road. I feel like He is sometimes tapping me on the shoulder still saying, “Remember Me, Karen, I’ve got this. Let Me handle it.” He doesn’t miss a thing. He will never leave us alone to handle things on our own. And all He asks of us is that we BELIEVE. 4

Read “My Story” by Karen Churchwell on SearcyLiving.com

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Vivian Gavinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bright back-to-school clothes were designed by Hays. Shoes by Blackbird Clothing. Doris Yates at the Cosmetic Studio provided make-up, and Jordan Sullivan from Holden & Company styled her hair. Taylor Howard commemorated the day with beautiful portraits. Thanks to all of our generous sponsors for making Vivianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day special!

Before

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sponsors

Clothes from

Christine Locke Makeover Coordinator

3005 E. Race St. • Searcy (501) 268-0800

Shoes from

In the Heart & Soul Plaza 1625 E. Beebe-Capps, Ste A • Searcy (501) 268-3111

Makeup by

Doris Yates at

In the Heart & Soul Plaza 1623 E. Beebe-Capps • Searcy (501) 279-2526

Hair by

Jordan Sullivan at 200 E. Park • Searcy (501) 279-9592

Photography by

Turn the page for more fashion retailers. >>>

620 Sanibel • Searcy (870) 917-8012 www.thowardphotography.com

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IN SEARCY

The Roberson Home

ď&#x20AC;ľ The spacious layout of the living room and formal dining room is perfect for entertaining company.

Story and Photos By Hannah Elliott 22 Your Hometown Magazine

Keith and Sherry Roberson have only lived in their home a few months, yet the environment is already warm and inviting. The couple hired Perrin Paul to build their home and, though there was a slow start due to rain, they were able to move into it in April. They have worked tirelessly on decorating, landscaping, etc., to make their house a home in a very short amount of time. The house has a warm and earthy feel to it with splashes of color to accent each room and the beautiful dĂŠcor. Throughout the house pictures of family and friends are on display adding to the atmosphere a sentiment of fond memories. The spacious layout of the living room and formal dining room is a perfect fit for Sherry as she enjoys entertaining company. The flooring in the main living area of the home is a rustic, hand-scraped hardwood with large area rugs scattered throughout. Galena Gold is the color chosen for the walls, which adds a subtle flare for the living room. Sherry bought chandeliers to complement the style of the house for the entry way and formal dining room. Keith and Sherry bought furniture and decorative pieces together to incorporate their styles. Though they joke about each being more involved than the other, it was a joint effort they both have enjoyed.

Keith and Sherry Roberson

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 The kitchen features relaxed lighting, dark stained cabinets and stainless steel appliances. The kitchen features all new stainless steel appliances and a gas oven/stove top. The lighting blends with the Corner Bakery color on the walls, creating a relaxed feeling. Lights are inset in the ceiling as well as some that hang down above the bar and island. There is also lighting above the tiled backsplash to give more illumination on the granite counters. The cabinets feature a dark walnut stain, with the vent above the stove painted black to give a little variation of color. The carpeted master bedroom is just off the kitchen and informal dining room. Black and a light taupe paint are on the walls of the bedroom, with the ceiling painted black to give an elegant and calming appearance. Reds and golds are incorporated throughout the room to add a little energy. The master bathroom is a bright contrast from the bedroom, with a fresh and vibrant feel. Copper Pot is the color covering the walls, set off with beautiful clean white trim, cabinets and garden tub. The shower and floor tile are neutral browns that add to the warmth of the wall color. Sherry was quite excited to show me the large walk-in closet that connects the master bedroom to the laundry room, and as I walked in I completely understood why. I was amazed at the size of the closet. The walls are lined with shelves and bars to hang clothing. A square built-in dresser that stands about waist high is in the middle of the closet and boasted a beautiful arrangement of flowers that day. The laundry room connects to the hall between the kitchen and formal dining room and is painted similarly to the master bath. There is a generous amount of cabinet space as well as a sink and bar for hanging clothes to dry. There are two spare rooms off the living room that are connected by a bathroom. The grandsons have claimed the room with the bunk beds and have even informed Sherry that flowers do not belong in their bathroom. When they saw flowers during a visit their response was, “Nana, the flowers have got to go!” Sherry’s office is still a work in progress, but she has managed to put a few items in the room and, of course, hang 24 Your Hometown Magazine

 A square built-in dresser that stands about waist high is in the middle of the closet and boasted a beautiful arrangement of flowers that day.

 The master bathroom is a bright contrast from the bedroom, with a fresh and vibrant feel.

 The master bedroom has black and light taupe paint with the ceiling painted black to give an elegant and calming appearance.

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 The grandson’s bedroom complete with bunk beds.

pictures of her daughters. “I am so proud of my girls,” she told me as we entered the room. She has her baby grand piano pleasantly placed in her office next to a window and it is a stunning piece in the room. Keith and Sherry have worked hard on their home and it shows. Only a short time ago all they had for a yard was a mud pile, but now there is luscious green grass. They take pleasure in their time outside and soon will be able to relax more as the major work is coming to a close. I imagine there will be plenty of evenings with the couple enjoying sweet tea on the back porch while watching the sun set… or the grandkids play. 4

 Sherry’s office features pictures of her daughters and a baby grand piano. 26 Your Hometown Magazine

â&#x20AC;&#x153; Throughout the house

pictures of family and friends are on display adding to the atmosphere a sentiment of fond memories. â&#x20AC;?

Go to SearcyLiving.com to see more home galleries!

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D I Y Playroom Makeover Part 2: Lighting In the previous issue we brightened up our playroom with a wall painting technique that made the room feel larger and added a touch of elegance to the room. Now it’s on to lighting! Our homeowner has a basic white builder-grade ceiling fan. I will show you how to turn it into a fun and whimsical piece for under $15!

Visit my booth at The Bee’s Knees to see more projects!

Remove all blades from the ceiling fan.

Supplies

Mod Podge • Foam Brush • Scrapbook Paper (Wrapping paper, tissue paper, etc., could be used as well)

Remove the arm blades from all of the blades. Tip: Make sure all blades are clean and dry.

3 Draw an outline of each fan blade onto your scrapbook paper. Tip: If the paper is not long enough, slightly overlap the two sheets.

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Cut out the blade outlines.

Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge directly on the fan blade.

Apply scrapbook paper onto the blade, making sure to smooth out any air bubbles or wrinkles.

Apply even layer of Mod Podge on top of the scrapbook paper. *Allow 15-20 minutes dry time.

Reassemble ceiling fan and ENJOY!

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Fannie Mellon Selected as Associate of the Quarter for the 3rd Quarter of 2012 White County Medical Center associates have selected Fannie Mellon, Dietary Worker II, as the Associate of the Quarter for the third quarter of 2012. WCMC administrative representatives recently surprised Mellon with the announcement, along with flowers and gifts. Mellon has worked for the hospital since December 2009 and said she loves her job and feels honored to be the Associate of the Quarter. “I had no idea that I would ever be nominated or named the Associate of the Quarter,” she said. “It came as a shock, and I’m thankful for the people in the Dietary Department who have been very supportive of me. I enjoy my job and working in all the different areas of the department, whether it be catering events at the hospital or cooking for patients.” Attributes of the Associate of the Quarter include high values, a positive attitude and sense of professionalism. Mellon reflects the core values of the hospital: integrity, teamwork, compassion, excellence, stewardship, innovation and servanthood. The following comments were made by fellow associates who nominated her: “Fannie always has a great attitude; and, she goes out of her way to make people smile,” “Everything she does, she does it with 100 percent effort,” “I have seen her do almost every job in the cafeteria, and she always does it with a good attitude,” and “When she sees someone struggling, she always jumps in to help.”

 Fannie Mellon, a White County Medical Center Dietary Worker II (front and center), is surrounded by fellow associates after being surprised with the news that she’s been named the Associate of the Quarter for the third quarter of 2012. Associates pictured include: (front row) Pam Williams, Grace Cooperwood, Fannie Mellon and Tisa Carlisle; (second row) Scotty Parker, Barbara Freeman, Janet Spotts, Ramona Staton, Sarah Clark, Jennifer Varner and Jamie Laughlin; (third row) B.J. Roberts and Ray Montgomery.

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Dan Newsom, Executive Director of the White County Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Inc., recently met with Kathy Murphy, Executive Director of the White County Community Foundation, to sign the paperwork and transfer the funding to formally establish the Louise Beebe Endowed Scholarship. WCSPSF, Inc., hosted the Louise Beebe Endowed Scholarship Dinner on June 14th and raised $20,000 to establish an endowed scholarship in the name of Louise Beebe, mother of Governor Mike Beebe. The scholarship will be awarded every year beginning in the fall of 2013. The scholarship has been established to honor Louise Beebe for her courage and resilience in raising her son as a single parent. Local businesses sponsored the dinner and supplied the funding to establish the scholarship. Sponsoring the scholarship were Orr Chrysler Dodge Jeep; Orr Toyota; Orr Chevrolet Cadillac GMC Buick; Entergy; Yarnellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s; Sigma Pi Brothers; Harding University; Arkansas State University Beebe; Citizens State Bank; Centennial Bank, First Community Bank, Liberty Bank, First Security Bank; Regions Bank; Edward Jones-Robert Ross-Amy Daniels-Cindy Davis; Democratic Party of White County; Bryce Corporation; Larry and Janet Crain; and Southwestern Energy. The White County Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Inc. funds scholarships to White County single parents of minor children who are pursuing their post secondary education. Since its inception in 1999, WCSPSF, Inc. has awarded 346 scholarships with a total value of $169,200.

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Chesapeake Energy Corporation’s Searcy field office employees recently beautified Berryhill Park in Searcy, picking up litter and painting benches and playground equipment as part of the company’s Operation Blue volunteer initiative. Operation Blue, Chesapeake’s H.E.L.P. (Helping Energize Local Progress) Initiative’s annual summer volunteer campaign, is one of many ways employees work together to serve their neighbors and help build stronger communities. “Our families and our neighbors’ families love this park. We thought helping to spruce it up was a great way for us to give back to our community. We’re happy to be able to help and we hope our neighbors enjoy the improvements as much as we do,” said Tom Stovall, Chesapeake District Manager – Compression.

White County Domestic Violence Prevention, Inc. will have a display entitled Our Silent Witness and a Candle Light Vigil on October 30, 2012 at dusk, about 6:30 p.m., on the White County Court House lawn. We will also have the Searcy library display case and the United Way window for displays for the month of October. www.hopecottage.info

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Cole Vanaman of Beebe, a sophomore at Arkansas State UniversityBeebe, has been awarded the Wayne Hartsfield Scholarship. Vanaman, an agriculture business major, plans to pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree in agriculture. He serves as treasurer for the Ag Club and also volunteers at the University Farm. The $1,000 scholarship is for the 2012-2013 academic year. The memorial scholarship is named for prominent White County businessman Wayne Hartsfield. Hartsfield earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education from ASU-Jonesboro, and served as chairman of the board for Regions Bank in Searcy, was past president of the Arkansas Bankers Association, and was a member of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, Hartsfield served on the Federal Reserve Board, Arkansas State Board of Education, the ASU Board of Trustees from 1985 until 1995, the ASU-Beebe Development Council, Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, and the White County Medical Center Board, as well as many other business endeavors. The Wayne Hartsfield Scholarship has been awarded each year to an ASU-Beebe student majoring in business, education, or agriculture since its inception in 2000.

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Pictured (from left) Jerry Sites, assistant professor of agriculture; Cole Vanaman; Donnie Miller, Regions Bank North Central-West Central Arkansas President; and Jamie Mobley, Regions Bank Community Banker and Assistant Vice President.

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JA members Leigh Ann Showalter, Sarah Stone, Amy Crawford, Mandy Hefner and Jessica Collins preparing lunches for participants and volunteers at A Day of Caring.

Junior Auxiliary of Searcy (JA) recently participated in the 16th annual A Day of Caring medical mission by providing over 1,800 lunches for participants and volunteers, handing out children’s underwear and hosting a childcare room so parents could receive needed services while their children played in a safe environment. White County Medical Center is the coordinator of A Day of Caring. The medical mission is designed to help the uninsured and underinsured residents of White County, and Junior Auxiliary of Searcy has been involved and supportive of the mission since the very beginning. Junior Auxiliary’s involvement actually began 19 years ago with Shots for Tots and Teens and has grown through the years, including helping with all 16 years of A Day of Caring. Junior Auxiliary of Searcy is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose purpose is to render charitable services which are beneficial to the general public, with particular emphasis on children. JA is a group of women dedicated to improving the lives of children in Searcy and White County. JA projects are designed to fulfill the virtues of Charity, Youth, Health, Community Service, and Leadership in members and those it serves. JA believes that by caring today, we build character for tomorrow. To find out more about JA of Searcy please email junior.auxiliary@yahoo.com, find us on Facebook or on Searcy.com. To find out more about A Day of Caring, please contact White County Medical Center at 501.380.1057.

JA members Kristin Whitsett, Ashley Marshall, Emily Boyd, Lacey Bailey and Ashley Harvey prepare to hand out children’s underwear at A Day of Caring.

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The White County Medical Foundation recently announced the 15 Foundation Scholarship recipients at the annual Auxiliary Awards Luncheon held recently in WCMC’s Hubach Conference Center. Foundation Executive Director Cassandra Feltrop presented the scholarships to the students during the ceremony. In awarding the scholarships, the Foundation sought students who plan to enter one of the many healthcare-related fields of study. The 15 Foundation scholarships were established as a memorial for a loved one, or in memory or in honor of individuals who made great contributions to medicine in White County. Funding for the scholarships is provided by the White County Medical Center Auxiliary each year.

“The WCMC Auxiliary is delighted to help provide opportunities for promising students to pursue a career in medical services,” said Auxiliary President Kathy Gammill. “We feel it is important to invest in these bright individuals in hopes that they will seek employment here in the future.” Recipients of the scholarships included: Alexis Worsham, Mr. Michael Lynn Memorial Scholarship; Allyson Ferren, Ms. Thelma Quattlebaum Memorial Scholarship; Allisyn Stroupe, Dr. Thomas Formby Memorial Scholarship; Chase Caple, Mr. Charles Yingling Memorial Scholarship; Darian Knight, Mr. Houston Butler Scholarship; Elizabeth Garcia, Ms. Debbie Cantrell Memorial Scholarship; Justin George, Dr. Martin Hawkins Memorial Scholarship; and Peria Gipson, Ms. Juanita Morgan Memorial Scholarship, all from Searcy High School. Also, Cassey Vanwinkle, White County Central High School, Mr. Roger Mill Memorial Scholarship; Dustin Hodge, Bradford High School, Mr. Albert Pilkington, Jr. Scholarship; Easten Vernon, Pangburn High School, Ms. Kandyce Muncy Memorial Scholarship; and Megan Lewis, Riverview High School, Mr. Floyd Holifield Memorial Scholarship. White County Medical Center associates pursuing higher education who also received a scholarship included Brenna Rogers, Dr. Porter Rodgers, Jr. Scholarship; and, Michelle King, Mrs. Barbara Brown Memorial Scholarship. The White County Medical Foundation Scholarship program is open to area high school seniors, as well as WCMC associates and children of associates, each spring.

Realtors® with Re/Max Advantage offices of Searcy recently donated $720 to Jacob’s place homeless mission. Jacob’s place provides temporary shelter to homeless families in White County. Learn more at jacobsplace.org.

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Our cover contest was a simple concept but also a great challenge. Several issues back, we offered the front cover of this issue to the family or team who collected the most diapers, socks and under clothing for the Foster Care Boutique. The team family that had the most points had the cover of this issue. Each diaper, pair of socks, or item of under clothing counted as a point.

One Step Further Do more than exist; live. Do more than look; observe. Do more than read; absorb. Do more than hear; listen. Do more than listen; understand. Do more than think; reflect. Do more than just talk; say something.

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42 Your Hometown Magazine

When Chastity Bowman decided to get involved with the Foster Care Boutique diaper drive, she knew from experience how much even her part could make a difference in the lives of foster kids. “Jesus has proven himself over and over again in my life, and I can testify that he is the only One that can bring light into a dark situation. When I was a little girl, my mother, brothers and I had to stay in a women’s shelter for awhile. Sorrow may last for the night, but Jesus’ joy comes with the morning. I have so much compassion for the struggles that people have to endure. Last Christmas I wanted to do something for a shelter, so I asked the ladies that I work with if they would like to get involved. I am happy to say that the First Security Bank Mortgage Department made a large donation to Jacob’s Place and we were even able to get Kroger involved by donating Christmas dinner. Seeing those little faces open presents on Christmas morning was priceless and something that will never be forgotten. Needless to say, when I saw that Searcy Living was doing a contest I knew without doubt that “our team” could pull this off; I could never have done this alone. First Security Bank Mortgage Department is something very special; we aren’t just coworkers, we are a team; a unified unit; we are family.” “When I mentioned the diaper drive to the ladies of First Security Bank Mortgage Department, everyone pulled together and started bringing in the diapers. I would often give them a count of where we were and it was almost as if they saw it as a challenge and would run out and buy more. One of our coworkers’ daughter got so excited about the diaper drive that she started donating her baby’s unused diapers. I can’t take credit for this because my coworkers helped tremendously and with team effort we made a donation of nearly 3,000 diapers!” “I think I can speak on behalf of the entire mortgage department by extending a heartfelt thank you to Reynie Rutledge and Gwen Anderson for allowing us to collect and store the items. First Security Bank Mortgage Department is an awesome place filled with very spiritual ladies and I feel certain that our team will work together on future projects. First Security Bank Mortgage Department is trying to get involved to help meet the needs of our community. If you are in the market for a new home or looking to

“I think I can speak on behalf of the entire mortgage department by extending a heartfelt thank you to Reynie Rutledge and Gwen Anderson for allowing us to collect and store the items.” — Chasity Bowman

refinance, interest rates are at an all time low, you can call one of our Mortgage Loan Originators at 501-279-3461 or find more information online at www.firstsecuritybank.org”

-Chastity Bowman

“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.” — Flora Whittemore

Chastity Bowman Gwen Anderson Maryann Bailey Vicki Bates Jennifer Boere Janice Collins Barbara Forister Michela Fowler Jenifer Hampton Glenda Hare Jessica James Susan Kinderman

Lyn King Kim McCormick Darla Melton Lisa Ponson Susan Powell Starla Risley Lisa Short Sissy Walker Natasha Weathers Linda Wingate Beverly Zuloaga

See page 50 for more information on the Foster Care Boutique SearcyLiving.com 43

Wealth and what it brings is at best fleeting. For example, in 1923, a small group of the world’s wealthiest men met at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. They were a “Who’s Who” of wealth and power. At that time, they controlled more money than the total amount contained in the United States Treasury. Here’s a list of who was there and what eventually happened to them: Charles Schwab: president of the largest independent steel company - died broke. Arthur Cutten: greatest of the wheat speculators - died abroad, insolvent. Richard Witney: president of the New York Stock Exchange - died just after release from Sing Sing prison. Leon Fraser: president of the Bank of International Settlements - committed suicide. Ivar Kreuger: head of the world’s greatest monopoly - committed suicide. Even Greek millionaire Aristotle Onassis, who retained his wealth and died at a ripe old age, recognized that money isn’t the same as success. He said, “After you reach a certain point, money becomes unimportant. What matters is success.” From the Success Journey Albert Fall: member of a U.S. Presidential cabinet - was pardoned from prison so that he could die at home. Jess Livermore: greatest “bear” on Wall Street - committed suicide. ~Exerpt from Success - One Day at a Time by John C. Maxwell

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” — Pericles

44 Your Hometown Magazine

all Listings...one Site. Searcyhomes.com 501.268.2445 • 1560 W. Beebe-Capps, Suite A • Searcy, AR 72143 reduced

Judy Johnson Exec. Broker 501.305.1503

224 Joy St 3 BR 2 BA in West Searcy, Updated, clean, move in ready. MLS 10320890 $99,500.00 REDUCED! Judy Johnson 501.305.1503

reduced

511 W. Center 4 BR 2 BA HISTORIC HOME near downtown,Updated beautifully. MLS 10323674 Judy Johnson 501.305.1503

1012 Bent Tree, Saddlebrook 503 Samuel Loyce 4 BR plus Bonus Rm 3 BA Hardwood flooring, granite countertops, Huge backyard, Still time to customize! glazed cabinetry, large walk-in master 501.827.2239 Custom kitchen, granite, tall ceilings. closet, double sink vanity and walk-in MLS 10309620 $289,900 shower, PRICE REDUCED $146,900. Call Shelley Dietz 501 827-2239 MLS 10319616 Call Shelley Dietz 501 827-2239

Shelley Dietz

Rebecca Stone 501.278.6669

Janice Wright 501.230.7739

101 nicole Very nice 2 BR 2 BA brick w/ open floor plan, and covered patio. Some furniture and appliances can convey. West side of Searcy. MLS 10324193 $101,500. Call Rebecca Stone At 278-6669

1 Robinwood, Searcy 3 BR 2 BA, 2324 Sq. Ft., Separate dining, large deck, 24x40 wired shop MLS 10321309, $256,900 Janice Wright 501.230.7739

1205 headlee 4 BR 3 BA w/shop. 1 1/2 Acre. Hardwood floors, roof, french doors recently installed. Private setting in town. MLS 10317689 $139,900. Call Rebecca Stone At 278-6669

113 Granite Drive, Searcy Custom-built home, open floor plan, elegant architectural details, abundant storage & cabinet space, gourmet 501.230.9707 kitchen, safe room, bonus room, 20X30 Shop. MLS 10302958 $299,900 Greg Angel 501.230.9707

ridgeview Ct Great Spot To Build Your Dream Home! 4 Acres! MLS 10304403 $100,000 Roxanne Miles 501.827.5403

118 Brier Creek 3 BR 2 BA 2200 Sq. Ft. Mineral Rights Included. MLS 10316408 $65,000, REDUCED! David Dale 501.281.3017

109 Cedar Crest 1.5 Ac. Lot, lg. storage bldg., chain link fenced backyard. MLS 10294346 $102,500 David Dale 501.281.3017

602 Dripping Springs, Judsonia 3 BR 2 BA 1648 Sq. Ft. home on 5 acres with 20X35 Barn. Kitchen has been updated, oversize deck for entertaining. MLS 10320315 $122,900 Donna Smith 501.288.7551

297 Morris Lane 3/2 Doublewide on 2.07 acres. 2 living areas with fireplace, formal dining and eat in kitchen with bar. 3 bldgs for storage. Mature trees. Fin. avail with WAC. MLS 10279532 $82,900 Donna Smith 501.288.7551

Roxanne Miles 501.827.5403

David Dale 501.281.3017

Donna Smith 501.288.7551

1307 Sydney 1113 Bent Tree Lane 912 Kelburn Court Kelly 4BR 2BA, JUST LIKE NEW! Located in Saddlebrook Estates! 3 BR 2.5 BA Formal Dining, Office, VanHook almost 1700 Sq. Ft. Spacious 4 BR 2 BA with 1985 Sq. Ft., Hardwood And Covered back patio. New Exec. Broker kitchen w/beautiful cabinetry. Flooring, Granite in Kitchen and Split Construction by Jackie Stevens. Tray ceilings, Jacuzzi tub, covered Bedrooms, Covered Patio, Deck and MLS 10299504 $385,500 501.230.4567 deck. MLS 10322597 $162,900 Fenced-in Backyard. Kelly VanHook 501.230.4567 Janice Wright 501.230.7739 MLS 10319446 $209,900 Kelly VanHook 501.230.4567

SOLd

reduced

Greg Angel

14 Jamestown 4 BR 3 BA 2850 Sq. Ft., 2 master bedrooms. MLS 10295476 $167,000 (Reduced) Roxanne Miles 501.827.5403

2 Baker Drive 3 BR 2 BA, It has a wood burning brick fireplace, built-in bookshelves in den, carpet, laminate and tile flooring. MLS 1032043 $109,900 Greg Angel 501.230.9707

606 ethel 3 BR 1 BA, Good starter home Or rental property! MLS 10292244 $65,000 Tom Worley 501.278.0805

112 Woodland Country Building Site. Mineral Rights Will Convey. MLS 10281373 $13,900 Tom Worley 501.278.0805

Tom Worley 501.278.0805

Serving White County For 32 yearS SearcyLiving.com 45

A few months ago Revival Church started a new “Outreach Ministry” for our community. Over the summer, Revival Church collected and made donations to several different causes in need. One of the ladies involved in the “Outreach Ministry” saw the contest in the Searcy Living magazine and thought that it would be a very good cause to help the Foster Care Diaper Drive. When presented with the idea, Revival Church was excited about helping out. After the idea was presented, an announcement was made during several of our services, explaining the cause and asking for the diaper donations. The congregation at Revival Church

Pastor Danny Whitley Margaret Whitley Assistant Pastor Timothy Wachtstetter Charlotte Barkley Amanda Barnett

responded overwhelmingly. It was also extremely helpful that Pastor Danny Whitley and the Assistant Pastor, Timothy Wachtstetter, were very supportive of the Diaper Drive. They made several announcements and encouraged people to donate. “It has been a blessing for Revival Church to help the Foster Care Boutique Diaper Drive and we hope that we were also a blessing to the Searcy Living family, the foster families and to our community. We are willing to help the Foster Care Boutique in the future in any way we are able.” ~ Margaret Whitley

Billy Barnett Amanda Deimer Polly Noland Jessica Smith and the Revival church family

See page 50 for more information on the Foster Care Boutique 46 Your Hometown Magazine

How Do You Spell SUCCESS? elect your goal. nlock your personal potential. ommit yourself to your plan. hart your course. xpect problems. tand firm on your commitment. urrender everything to God.

“One of the best ways to get things going in your life is to be around people who are achieving success. Spend time with them. Watch how they work. Learn how they think. You will inevitably become like the people you are around.” — John C. Maxwell

SearcyLiving.com 47

Judy Johnson saw the Searcy Living Facebook page about the diaper drive contest and it piqued her interest. “I thought it would be a great way for our company to give back to the community. At our sales meeting, we all talked about the idea and looked at the information about it in the magazine. Everyone was very enthusiastic to help. Being a grandmother of two little ones still in diapers, I realized, along with everyone else in the office, what a huge expense diapers can be. We put a donation jar on our conference table with the magazine information taped to it so every time we sat down at that table, we could make a donation. It worked great!” Rebecca Stone and Judy Johnson shopped for the diapers and piled the carts high. Judy shared, “It was so rewarding to be able to help these children who have been through so much trauma. When we delivered the diapers to the Searcy Living office, we saw for ourselves what Christine and the others at Searcy Living are doing for the foster children in our area. They have set aside a room just to hold donations of clothing, toys, diapers and other things for the children who have nothing of their own. Foster parents and DHS case workers feel free to come to Searcy Living and pick up items for their foster children.” “Along with Rebecca Stone and all of our real estate company, we commend Christine and her staff at Searcy Living for their unselfish commitment to helping in this way. We at Dalrymple Residential plan to continue our efforts by setting up a Christmas fund for the foster children of Searcy and White County.” 4 ~ Judy Johnson

See page 50 for more information on the Foster Care Boutique 48 Your Hometown Magazine

“Success is simple. Do what’s right, the right way, at the right time.” — Arnold H. Glasgow

“Every worthwhile accomplishment has a price tag attached to it. The question is always whether you are willing to pay the price to attain it - in hard work, sacrifice, patience, faith, and endurance.” — John C. Maxwell

Judy Johnson Rebecca Stone Drew Angel Greg Angel Robbie Angel Merryl Boggan David Dale Ashlei Dalrymple Stuart Dalrymple Wendy Dalrymple Shelley Dietz Bud Gillham

Jim Gowen Robin Joseph Anna Layne Terra Manley Duann McInturff Roxanne Miles Caran Pitts Donna Smith Kelly Vanhook Becky Wilson Tom Worley Janice Wright

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1000!

The Searcy Living Foster Care Boutique is simply a room we have dedicated in the Searcy Living business office. Our awesome Searcy Living readers bring in donations and DHS case workers and foster parents get what they need for foster and disadvantaged children at no cost. Our office is located at 812 S. Main Street in Searcy. We welcome gently used or new items. Thank you Searcy for your generosity and time spent to support the Foster Care Boutique!

We do our best to provide â&#x20AC;&#x153;shoppingâ&#x20AC;? bags for the foster parents and case workers so they can fill it up for every child. This also helps us keep up with approximately how many children are being served. So far we have gone through over 1,000 bags in nearly three years! Thanks to you for helping!!!

Thank you to the Harding Honors Symposium students that helped organize and clean out the Foster Boutique and Foster Boutique storage! You did a tremendous job and helped us get ready for the fall season!

Thanks to the Searcy Rotary Club and First Community Bank for your donation to the Boutique of socks!

50 Your Hometown Magazine



Thank you to Rhea Lana for your generous donation of clothing to the Foster Care Boutique!

Needed Items for the Foster Care Boutique: • Baby Shampoo • Hair Brushes

• Volunteers to sort (no need to call for appointment, just stop by the Searcy Living office during volunteer hours between 1pm and 5pm.)

SearcyLiving.com 51

Thank you Bikers 4 Foster Kids for the donation of socks and underwear for the Foster Boutique!

Addison and Barrett Buckwalter Addison made the blankets with some help from mom.

Dennie Jones and Letona Pickens Chapel E.H.C

Camera Shy Donors: Sofie Gomez Kids First Kerry Hanna Kix Robinson

52 Your Hometown Magazine

SearcyLiving.com 53

Today By Debra L. Elgen

doesn’t come until you decide it does. Tragedy blows through your life like a tornado, uprooting everything. Creating chaos. You wait for the dust to settle and then you choose. You can live in the wreckage and pretend it’s still the mansion you remember. Or you can crawl from the rubble and slowly rebuild. ~ Veronica Mars

I am very proud to speak as a beneficiary of the White County Chapter of the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund as we honor Gov. Beebe’s mother, Louise Beebe, and establish a scholarship in her honor. Thank you to Dan Newsom and members of the board for granting me this honor. Like Governor Beebe, I, too, was raised in a single-parent household. My mother quit school in the 10th grade and was divorced after 15 years of marriage, left with three daughters to raise on her own. She worked long, hard hours and was trapped in dead-end jobs by employers who knew that the only choice she had was take it or leave it. My sisters and I worked part time jobs during the school year and full time jobs during the summers to help make ends meet. Watching our mother’s struggle gave each of us the desire to pursue our education and not remain in the cycle of poverty. I started college in the Fall of 1981 at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. But the desire to earn a steady pay check became stronger than the desire to remain a full time student. I began working full time – I had an interesting job with good benefits, my own place to live, a decent car, I was able to travel… what more did I need? I’d been working at a bank for a couple of years when a similar position became available at the corporate level. I knew I was qualified for the job… no one else in the company did what I did. I was dismayed to learn a recent MBA graduate received the position I wanted – and it was my task to train her. Corporate level positions required advanced degrees, and my experience coupled with my stunted bachelor’s degree left me unqualified for advancement opportunities. In time, I married and began a family. Moving from Michigan to California, then to Illinois, I was able to secure suitable jobs with Merrill Lynch, Paine Webber and Dean Witter. Each position offered something new… more money, additional benefits, but I never broke beyond “mid-level.” The absence of a college degree limited my career path. After the birth of my daughter, Alyssa, our family moved to Bald Knob, Arkansas, my husband’s hometown. I was used to moving, making new friends, finding a new job… but this was different. 15 years of banking and finance experience, and I couldn’t get hired on as a teller in the hometown bank. I worked as a substitute in the 54 Your Hometown Magazine

local library, I delivered flowers, and I subbed at the daycare and the elementary school, all the while continuously sending out resumes and hoping to receive a call for an interview. That call never came. Technology was rapidly changing, and I decided to enroll in a couple of classes at Foothills Tech to brush up on my computer skills. I was hired as a marketing coordinator for a non-profit association in Little Rock. If just a couple of classes could increase my employability, how far could I reach with a degree? My husband’s company, Weyerhaeuser, closed and we moved closer to Memphis for his new position with Box USA. That company closed a few years later and we moved back to White County. The closing of Smurfit Stone meant the possibility of another move for us. I didn’t want my daughters changing schools again; I wanted them to have some continuity. I was getting tired of quitting jobs and looking for new ones. Job hunting isn’t easy, and certainly not when your work history is chopped up into bits and pieces. The question each prospective employer would ask, “Do you have a degree?” was always answered the same, “No, but I’d like to finish some day.” I wanted to go back to school, I wanted to get out of this cycle of dead-end jobs, but it seemed the timing was never right. We were living on Fisher Street in Beebe, directly across from the Student Center on the ASU-Beebe campus. After yet another job transition, I looked out my window at the campus and wondered how my life might be different if I had finished school so very long ago. Could it be possible to go back to school after 30 years and finish my degree? Maybe someday, when the timing was right, I could try. This is what I’ve discovered: SOMEDAY doesn’t come until you decide it does. C.S. Lewis writes, “If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work. The only people who achieve much -- are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come.” Three years ago I found myself raising my two teenaged daughters on my own after 20 years of marriage. I was at the mercy of an employer who cut hours at will and eliminated all benefits. I never knew how many hours I was going to work or even if I was going to have a job. While I was helping my daughter Katie complete college applications, I decided NOW was the time to go back to school. The fear of living in poverty and not being able to provide for my family was REAL. How could I encourage my daughters to finish their education if their mother never bothered with hers? I’d like to say that everything fell right into place. Standing here

at this podium, I can tell you that this journey has not been without its share of stumbling blocks. You have to stay focused on the big picture and not become discouraged. Attitude isn’t everything, but it is a difference maker. A couple of weeks into my first semester I began to seek out additional sources of funding for school. I want to thank Sherry Organ and the Career Pathways initiative for their support. Their organization loaned textbooks to help keep my expenses down. I met Dan Newsom during a school function and was given a flyer for the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund. I completed the application, went through the interview process, and became a grateful recipient. Thank you for your timely gift. There are no restrictions on this scholarship; recipients can spend the funds as needed: gas for the car or a much needed oil change, groceries, doctor visits & prescriptions, other living expenses … the list is as varied as the need. Having to juggle family, work and school is truly a balancing act. There is sacrifice on everyone’s behalf. At times I held 3 jobs and carried 15 credit hours. My daughters worked to cover their expenses. The three of us would study late into the night, and wake up early the next day for school. There were certainly days when it would have been very easy to just give up. But I haven’t, and neither have they. I made a commitment to complete my education. One of the questions asked during the interview process for this scholarship is, “What would prevent you from finishing school?” My answer was “a catastrophic event.” My children are witness to both my struggle and my victory, and they know that a college education is NOT out of their reach. What we accomplish is a result of putting our intentions out there and then preparing ourselves for things to happen.

At the banquet with her daughter and Gov. Beebe

is a result of putting our intentions out there and then preparing ourselves for things to happen. In April, I graduated from ASU-Beebe with my Associates of Liberal Arts. I am currently taking additional classes over the summer, and in the fall I begin my program of study to complete my bachelor’s degree. I look forward to reaching out to communities and helping individuals. With my degree, I know I will find a position where I can make a positive impact. I want to express my sincere appreciation to the White County Single Parent Scholarship Fund. You make a commitment to stand behind your students, and you honor it. You believe in the success of your recipients. You understand that by investing in us, you are investing in our communities, in our state and in our children. This scholarship is much needed and much appreciated. This scholarship enables single parents to focus on their education, and relieves some of their financial burden. God has blessed me, and I am so grateful to Him. I share information about this scholarship with other parents who are faced with the challenge of raising children on their own, and encourage them to take that leap of faith, to take that first step. I am a single parent, but thanks to this foundation and its donors, I am not on this journey alone. I stand tall on the shoulders of past recipients; reaching farther than I ever thought possible. As a result of your generous donations, I can continue to encourage and lift up future recipients. 4 Debra L. Elgen Louise Beebe Endowed Scholarship Dinner, White County Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Inc. Harding University, Searcy, Arkansas

Larry & Janet Crain

SearcyLiving.com 55

Little Known Facts About People and the City of Searcy response to our call for photographs and had more than enough. The following “facts” were collected from various sources. We appreciate everybody’s help and hope you are enjoying your book. If you don’t have a copy yet, they are available at Stotts Drug Store, The Bible House Bookstore, Heart and Soul, Hospital Gift Shops, Hastings, and from the authors. Patsy Pipkin

Coach Irene Jones, a graduate of the Searcy Female Academy, coached a boys basketball team that won the State Championship in 1921. Afterwards she became Dean of Bethel Women’s College in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. (Raymond Lee Muncy, Ph.D’s book, A Frontier Town Grows up with America.

Elwin “Preacher” Roe, played baseball for Harding College before joining the St. Louis Cardinals in 1938. The left-handed pitcher went on to play ball for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Brooklyn Dodgers. He pitched Game Two in the World Series against the New York Yankees in 1949, shutting out the Yankees. Alas, the Yankees won the series. (Courtesy of WCHS.)

2. In 1942, Onita Shouse of Searcy was one of the 86,000 WAVES serving in World War II. In April 2008, the White County Historical Society’s Newsletter featured a story about her by Anita Hart Fuller, which included several photos of her in uniform. Onita was married to Luther Fry. (Courtesy of WCHS.) 3.

Betty Grable’s (Yes! The movie Star!) father, Conn Grable, purchased the Searcy Water Works in 1927 for $19,500 and received a 50 year franchise on the condition that he, or his successors, would build a modern plant. The Articles of Incorporation for the Searcy Water Company file in St. Louis listed Searcy’s Harry Neely as President, Conn Grable as Vice president, and Mrs. M. J. Lawrence as secretary-treasurer. (Courtesy of Eloise Muncy.)

56 Your Hometown Magazine

Mrs. George Booth became the first woman to make a hole-in-one at the Searcy Country Club on June 5, 1931. (Dr. Ray Muncy’s book.)

6. Margarete Neel of Searcy became famous during World War II as the Red Cross Poster Girl. Someone in the U.S. Army Signal Corps made a snapshot of her pushing a wounded GI in a wheelchair. The picture, 1,400,000 copies, became the symbol of the American Red Cross‘ war work and the focal point of its fund-raising effort after the war. (Dr. Muncy’s book.)

Courtesy of the American Red Cross

There was no room in the new book Searcy (in the Images of America Series, released February 1, by Arcadia Press), which Carolyn Boyles and I worked on all last year, for this list of Little Known Facts about people and the City of Searcy. We would like to share the list with readers of Searcy Living Magazine. We collected this information in case we didn’t have enough photographs to fill the book. We appreciate the overwhelming

Luther G. Presley was inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Mr. Presley wrote more than 1,000 songs, including “When The Saints Go Marching In.” (A well-known fact!)

Emmet Snipes, Mayor from 1894 to 1896, and local druggist, promoted the powers of Wine of Cordui for “women’s relief.” The Ladies Birthday Almanac, 1907, advertised both Wine of Cardui and Black Draught. With its 38-proof alcoholic content, the makers of Cordui were pleased when men started taking it, too. (White County Historical Society.)

9. In 1947, Searcy High School’s “swing band” directed by W.E. (Bill) Laas, included: Sammie Benton, Walter “Punkie” Caldwell, Darol Bell, Herman Van Patten, Charles Thompson, Carthel Webb, Frank Bestal, Billy Hendrix, A.J. Sullivan, Tommy Joe Ward, John Paul Huddleston, Gene Hightower and Luther “Bo” Coward. April 1, 1949 was “Bill Laas Day” in honor of the director, who also played with the Arkansas Symphony and was in the Navy band during WWII. The SHS band won “Best Band” in 1949 and 1950 at the Northeast Arkansas Band Festival, and received the Best Band Trophy at the Gaebale Festival at the University of Arkansas. (WCHS.)

10. Searcy men found employment in the 1960s when six missiles, with hydrogen bombs atop, were planted in White County. Some residents feared that the missile silos would make the area a prime target of an attack by the Soviet Union, others thought it good for business. Many watched as a truck carrying a giant Titan II missile navigated Searcy streets on the way to the site north of town. Fifty-three civilians working at a launch-site eleven miles from Searcy were killed in an explosion in the silo in 1965. (WCHS) 11. Acclaimed Artist Lee Watts, whose paintings sometimes made the cover of The Saturday Evening Post, lived in Searcy for many years. (Dr. Muncy’s book.) 12. “Gold was discovered in Searcy in 1887, but just a little bit. Samples were reported to be worth from $60 to $80 a ton.” (Claude E. Johnson, The Humorous History of White County, Arkansas.) 13. Perrin Jones, The Daily Citizen Publisher and Editor Emeritus, was named Outstanding Young Man of the Year in Arkansas by the State Chamber of Commerce in 1965. (WCHS)

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14.

Baseball great, Bill Dickey, born William Malcolm Dickey in Louisiana, attended grammar school in nearby Kensett and graduated from Searcy High School in the 1920s. He played baseball with the Arkansas Travelers before joining the New York Yankees where he played for nineteen years, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954. In 1943, he had a role in Metro-Goldwyn Mayer’s “Pride of the Yankees.” (Courtesy of the Internet and a nosey writer.)

15. According to Cutter’s Guide to the Springs of Arkansas in 1885, “Visitors find the social pleasures of Searcy unsurpassed in the state, for no town can boast of more refinement and moral society than Searcy.” (Quote from The Daily Citizen 1986.) 16. The Charter members of the White County Historical Society who lived in Searcy were: Inez Bishop, Mary Britt, Helen Harrison, Mr. and Mrs. Loyd Henry, Ellen Key, Claude Johnson, Buford Maddox, Mrs. Leister Presley, Ivan Quattlebaum, Esther Smith, Odus Smith, Oran Vaughan, Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Welch, and Jim Wiseman. There were many other charter members from throughout the county. (WCHS.) 17. Rumor has it that the first White County Courthouse built in Searcy in 1838 cost $138.50. It was made of logs. (From The Humorous History of White County by Claude E. Johnson). 18. George (Skeeter/Skeets) Dickey was a major league baseball catcher who played for the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox from 1935 until 1947. His brother, Bill, was a major league Hall of Fame player, and both were great supporters of Junior Deputy Baseball. The brothers were graduates of Searcy High School. (Dr. Muncy’s book.) 19. Hazel English, local business woman and Searcy Woman Business Owner of

the Year in 1992 was also named Arkansas Woman Business Owner of the Year the same year. She was the first woman president of the United Way of White County in 1994, and in 1997, she continued to be recognized when she became the first woman to be named Chairman of the Board of the Searcy Chamber of Commerce.(SRCC)

20. Kellie Ann Kelso was Governor of Girl’s State in 1962. Later she served as National President of the Women’s Auxiliary to the Student Medical Association. (SRCC) 21.

The U.S. Senate adopted a resolution honoring John Hanson Yingling of Searcy, who served on the Banking and Currency Committee for six years, and also became Chief Clerk of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee under the chairman, Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright. (Dr. Muncy’s Book)

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22.

Dr. James D. Bales was the author of 50 books on religion, and Dr. L.C. Sears wrote the biography of James A. Harding, for whom Harding University is named. (Dr. Muncy’s book)

23. Terry Williams, Al Garrett, and Jimmy Ross had one of Searcy’s first art galleries when they opened the Brown Bag in the 1960s. Williams had the distinction of having his painting entitled “View from the Blind” selected by Ducks Unlimited for use on the duck stamps in 2000. Two of his other paintings were also selected for the stamps in 2008 and 2009. (Dr. Muncy’s book)

24. Searcy has hosted the White County Fair each year since August 19, 1939 when the Young Business Men’s Club, the Fair Association and Agriculture workers in the county formulated plans for a county-wide fair. Agriculture was the leading industry in the State at that time. Since there were no major manufacturing operations in any of the towns, the area’s prosperity depended on farm people. The first fair grounds were located in downtown Searcy. (WCHS) 25. The first Boy Scout Troop west of the Mississippi was organized by Richard Deener at the Episcopal Church in 1910-1912. One of the main things the troop did was hike to Bee Rock. Searcy troops now have a record number of Eagle Scouts. (Dr. Muncy’s book)

26.

Lonnie Glosson’s mother taught him to play the harmonica when he was a child, and he played it all his life. He began his radio career on KLRA in Little Rock, moved to KMOX in St. Louis, and played with groups such as the Country Gentlemen orchestra and the Cumberland Ridge Runners. Those who heard him said his harmonica could talk! (WCHS)

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By Andrea Collom, CVT

Honey Hill Animal Hospital

Microchip Implants and Your Furry Friend Our furry friends are no longer pets that we have acquired, but are becoming more and more like family. These new family members are a constant source of companionship through happy and sorrowful times. Because of our adoration for our beloved pets, veterinary medicine has evolved to include pet recovery aids. The most popular and widely used recovery aid is a microchip implant. The microchip is implanted just under the skin at the base of the neck. It is about the size of a grain of rice, and is implanted with a sterile needle. The implantation procedure is much like your pet receiving an injection. The microchip is coded with a specialized number that is linked with the owner’s information, and has been responsible for numerous pet / owner reunions. Microchip implantation is just another way responsible pet ownership can help return lost or stolen pets, including dogs, cats, and ferrets. Dr. Chad Towns of Honey Hill Animal Hospital recalls a very special reunion that he was able to be a part of while he was practicing in Auburn, Nebraska. The story all started with a smoky gray cat named Shadow who began his life in Topeka, Kansas. Shadow was a beloved part of the family, and could often be found relaxing under the family’s RV. Shadow’s owner loaned his RV to his brother in late August one year to take to a construction job site in Auburn, NE (100 miles from Topeka). Little did he know that while he was packing the RV, a little gray stowaway jumped aboard. When he arrived at the campsite and opened the door, Shadow jumped out of the RV and ran into the woods. The owner’s brother put up fliers and looked for Shadow for over a month, to no avail.

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One of Dr. Town’s clients happened across a very hungry and cold Shadow in December, a full 4 months after he had gone missing. When the client brought their new found pal into the clinic for an exam, everyone was surprised when he was scanned and a microchip was found. After calling the company the chip was registered with, and doing some sleuth work to find an updated phone number, Dr. Town’s staff located Shadow’s people. Shadow’s owners were overjoyed to have him back in their lives. At last report, Shadow was doing well and enjoying the good life. To learn more about micro implants, contact your local veterinarian or visit www.homeagain.com. 4

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Show your support for life and help raise money at the same time! Purchase an Official Choose Life Arkansas License Plate for the rear of your car. You can obtain one through direct purchase from the Department of Finance and Administration. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s make the readership of Searcy Living the BIGGEST supporters for life in the state!

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“A joy shared is a joy doubled.” —Unknown

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Searcy ALLSTARS

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The Storm 02 Team, Southeast Regionals Runners Up in the Silver Division at the 3v3 Live Soccer Tour in Decatur, Alabama. Send us your sports photos at searcylivingphotos@yahoo.com

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by Gabby Marcellini

Wednesday, August 1, 2012, will be a day that we here at Chick-fil-A will never forget. When Mike Huckabee announced that day to be Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day the week before, we immediately began to work to stock up the store. We were expecting a crowd similar to that of our Grand Opening back in January of 2011. However, nothing could have prepared us for the overwhelming amount of people that arrived to show their support throughout the entire day. We are convinced that what made that day such a success was the high spirits of our Team Members, as well as the customers. We were inundated with kind words and patience from guests that waited over an hour just to order their food. There were also random acts of kindness scattered throughout the day. On countless occasions we had customers in the drive-thru paying for their meals as well as for the meals of those behind them. One gentleman gave one of our Team Members at the register $300 to cover as many cars behind him as that possibly could. Another example would be

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the manager from the Holiday Inn Express, who came over and handed out free bottles of water to those standing in line outside our doors. To add to our highly active week, we had our Winshape Kids Camp going on at the same time over at Riverview High School. Chick-fil-Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Winshape camps offer a camp experience for children that focuses on developing them both physically as well as spiritually. They are camps that challenge each camper to grow his or her character in relationships and faith, and this year we had over 170 kids in attendance, as well as over 40 volunteers. We are so proud to be a part of this community. It is our goal to have a positive influence on all with whom we come in contact. We strive to treat all of our customers with honor, dignity, and respect. We appreciate every one of our customers and are extremely blessed to be part of such an incredible community. 4

â&#x20AC;&#x153;One gentleman gave one of our Team Members at the register $300 to cover as many cars behind him as that possibly could. â&#x20AC;?

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By Audrey Chandler Elementary Principal Spring Hill Elementary School

got to cut it. They climbed in my car and one caught me while the other proceeded to cut my seatbelt. They kept me alert by asking me about my family. I’ve been told by several people that where I our Hawaii vacation to celebrate our ten year anniversary. The went off in the curve was like going off a cliff. A few years ago a morning of Thursday, February 16th our lives were changed. It family went off in that same curve and were not found for several had started raining and it was extremely foggy. I fed everyone days because the location is hidden by several trees. NorthStar breakfast, everyone was getting along, we were not rushed or EMS made it to the scene extremely fast and they are truly angels stressed. It was a great morning at the Chandler house! I dropped among us on a daily basis! I was Griffin and Addison off at their very lucky to have God and angels normal time. I think I was even around me that day. ahead of schedule that morning. I could not have made a My passion has always complete recovery without my been to educate children and I friends and family. My parents was going to work at Des Arc stepped in and took care of my Elementary School. I loved being children from February-June the elementary principal where it without a single complaint. I was truly a family atmosphere. I was in and out of hospitals and was talking to my husband on my physical therapy units, but I was cell phone telling him about the not going to give up! I had a smile kids’ morning. It was so foggy, on my face 99% of the time and I but luckily the rain had stopped. was determined to go to school in I came around a curve and I hit my wheel chair during the months a slick spot. I told Drew (my of April and May. I missed my husband) “Oh I’m skidding!” birthday, my son’s birthday, my Then, I began to scream. I am daughter’s birthday and my ten sure this is a husband’s worst year anniversary trip to Hawaii. nightmare! Today, I can say, after 7 broken I hit 2 signs, 2 trees and then my “I could not have made a complete recovery bones, 6 surgeries, a shattered Camry flipped on its side. I could ball and socket, internal injuries see my cell phone in the grass. without my and .” w/my large intestine and colon, My husband called back at least and 16 weeks in the wheel chair ten times, but I couldn’t reach my that I am now walking one to two phone. My first thought was, “I’m okay! I need to think of a plan.” miles a day, swimming laps in my swimming pool and chasing 2 I tried several times to reach my phone, but I just could not. As I little kids. I am truly blessed to be here for all the many birthdays looked around, I noticed that all of the glass in my car was shattered and anniversaries to come! I thank God each and every day and I except for the glass in the door of my driver’s side. I was hanging always remember that angels are among us! 4 from my seat belt and telling myself, “I’m okay!” I looked at my hands and they were covered in glass. Then all of a sudden (maybe 30 seconds after the crash) I heard the sweetest voice say, “Are you okay? Can you hear me?” I said, “Yes, I’m okay. I may have a broken leg but I’m fine.” “How is your head? You are bleeding from the side of your face.” Mrs. Charlotte Stephens was my angel and she proceeded to grab my cell phone and helped me. I told her, “I really think I’m okay. I will go get checked out and I’m sure I will be at my school by noon.” Robert Hale and his friend stopped and I believe they were 2 more angels sent to help and comfort me. He said, “We can’t leave you hanging from your seatbelt, we’ve

It was a normal day in February. My kids had enjoyed their Valentine’s Day parties and my husband and I had just planned

friends

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family

Fluffy Bunny Shea Butter Hand Cream

Agave Nectar Ageless Body Oil

Pajama Paste - Yogurt, Oat & Honey Face Mask

219 W. Market Ave. Downtown Searcy (501) 279-2544

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By Austin Hayes I wrote “It Only Gets Better” in November of 2011. In April 2011, terrible storms rolled through the South. A young six-year-old boy named Devon was killed when a tree fell into his house. I could not believe someone had died only a mile away from my home. He was so young, yet he had left our world. I did not personally know Devon, but I wrote “It Only Gets Better” based on his story. As you may notice, Devon is a boy and the child in my poem is a girl. However, I wanted to capture the fact that we all lose the ones we hold close to our hearts. Family members may die young, and that is a very tragic event to go through in life. Although losing loved ones is very heart-wrenching, we should smile knowing that they get to spend eternity in their Father’s warming embrace in heaven. We will be united with them again. It may seem to take forever; we may live a long life before we die. Once we do die, we will rise and meet our loved ones again. Oh mighty oak tree branching wide and high Seeming to scrape the fabric of the sky I lied beneath your branches many years ago Now our meeting seems to deliver several accounts of woe Seeking refuge in your shade from the scorching sun I could have never imagined the injustice that would be done Resting on one dreary day with my sister Only eight years of age With the power of a twister Winds blew in and shook the limbs falling to earth searching for men A single, heavy branch landed on her head Profusely it seemed She bled and bled I grasped her hand as life left her she said softly, “It only gets better.” Here she laughed Here she cried Here she whispered Here she died

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Asking why she died so young Remembering the happiness she had brung I wonder when I shall see her again maybe on the golden horizon The years have passed and I am old My hair has grayed My personality bold I went to sleep and fell in a daze Soon I felt myself drifting in space I see her now my heart lifted of weights Standing behind the pearly, white gates I run forward to clasp her hand In speechless awe of the Promised Land A whimper of joy escapes my throat Barely in time before she boasts, “It only gets better.”

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Summertime Frozen Cocoa

I realize this recipe should have been available all during this incredibly hot summer, but I just recently came up with it. Shame on me! I’d been pondering the idea of ice milk but I didn’t want to make something that would be as hard as an iceberg once frozen; I did, however want to skip the addition of heavy cream. I think you’ll appreciate and love this as much as my family and our houseguest did when I served it

this week. Don’t skip the straining step because it makes it super smooth. Oh, and a Cuisinart tabletop model ice cream maker works well for this recipe; if you make it in a full-blown churn style freezer you can double the recipe (and thank me later!).

Combine 3 cups 2% milk (I use organic) 1/4 tsp sea salt

In a heavy medium saucepan combine the listed ingredients, stir well, and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, whisking often, until the mixture thickens a bit.

strain

5 egg yolks

Pour mixture through a wire mesh strainer into a metal or heat proof glass bowl (you’ll see flecks of cooked egg caught in the strainer; removing them makes it nice and smooth).

2 cups Ghirardelli 65% cacao dark chocolate chips

chill

1/2 c. sugar (I use raw sugar but it is considerably sweeter than white sugar)

Place the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice so the mixture can chill quickly. Once the mixture has chilled (it will resemble chocolate pudding) place it in the fridge until you are ready to process it in the ice cream maker. Chilling it in the fridge a few hours is a good idea.

process

Process according to ice cream maker instructions and enjoy the taste of ice cream without all the fat from heavy cream. I’m warning you now... You’ll wish summer would last even longer!

Tanya Turner Leckie’s cookbook Cartwheels In The Kitchen, is available at Wear It’s At, Midnight Oil Coffee House, Harding University Bookstore, on eBay, and by contacting her at lazydaygourmet@sbcglobal.net

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pecan pie PREHEAT

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 3 eggs, beaten

mix

In order, mix together: eggs, sugar, corn syrup, salt, vanilla and butter.

bake

Line pie crust with pecans. Gently pour filling over pecans. Bake one hour. Allow to cool prior to serving.

½ cup sugar 1 cup light corn syrup ¼ tsp. Salt 1 tsp. Vanilla ¼ cup butter, melted 1 cup pecan halves 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Savory Catering and Event Planning is a mother-daughter venture of cooking and entertaining that began in early 2012 after bouncing around ideas of opening a business around one of our favorite things – Food! We desire to take the hassle out of entertaining and bring the enjoyment back. ~Belinda LaForce and Lauren LaForce Brown

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ACROSS 3. “Cole Vanaman of Beebe, a _______ at Arkansas State University-Beebe” 6. WCMC’s associate of the quarter. 8. Karen Churchwell wrote this article. 10. The Living In Searcy article features the home of _______ and _______.

DOWN 1. Winner of the Foster Care Boutique Diaper Drive. 2. This gift was the power of ________. 4. Executive Director of the White County Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Inc. 5. “All He asks of us is that we ________.” 7. “I could not have made a complete recovery without my friends and family.” This quote was in which article? 9. How many egg yolks did Tanya Leckie use for her “Summertime Frozen Cocoa?” (Spell out the number.)

STUMPED?

Riddles What grows down when it grows up?

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Get the answers, play games, download wallpaper and tons more online at SearcyLiving.com!

What is so fragile even saying its name can break it?

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