April 14, 2022 - THROW BACK THURSDAY - MAIN STREET AT NIGHT, 1956 - Plus Class News
GOOD TIMES by Jerry Dean, formerly with AR DemGaz
I sure like this page's title photo -- my hometown's Main Street at night, 1956, when I was 11. That's the year William Holden starred in "Toward the Unknown," movie touted on the Center Theatre's marquee. I especially like seeing again that enormous, elaborate neon sign, landmark set atop Walgreen's Pharmacy, SE corner of Capitol Avenue and Main. Finkbeiner Packing Co. (whose president Chris ran for governor) advertised both Arkansas Maid meats and Capitol Pride frankfurters/wieners/hot dogs, using an imposing red-white-blue State Capitol logo. Walgreen's soda fountain/dinette served, as its everyday special, 79-cent roast turkey dinners with dressing, cranberry sauce and all trimmings. Sign above door's entrance proclaimed the pharmacy "Where Arkansas Meets." It was, in fact, city's lone bus-transfer point for Twin City Transit buses, trolleys, 1950s. So riders flocked there daily, and many bought afternoon Democrats (5 cents!) off nearby streets from a cadre of paper boys hawking them to passersby! Final Editions were on the street by 5 p.m. so newsboys hawked them, often by selling them through windows of buses stopped for street lights! Here's view west on Capitol Avenue from Walgreen's and Exchange Building....
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Good times! AMEN, Jerry Dean, WE JUST DIDN'T REALIZE HOW GOOD THOSE TIMES WERE!!!!
1956 CLASS NEWS
Send some loving thoughts to Bobby Stewart and his wife, Bea. Their daughter, Melissa, is hospitalized after heart surgery. They have already lost one daughter, so this time is very stressful for them. In addition, Bea is still in rehab, months later and over 100 miles from home. Bobby isn't in the best of shape either. Fortunately two daughters live in the same town where Bea is in rehab and one of them checks on her at least once a day, sometimes twice.
If any of you were close friends with Warner St. John and have some interesting stories or information on his early background, his daughter and I would love to receive them ASAP. Thanks!
Responses from story about plane crash in 1960 in Little Rock.
I remember that crash vividly! About 3 days after, I drove over to one place where part of the plane created the gulley and I was told that one of the crew and his seat crashed into one house that was totally destroyed. I was able to walk into the yard and see a row of Jonquils blooming, undisturbed, only 6 ft away from the hole. Nothing was roped off. And, there was a great pile of debris, but I couldn't see a piece that was larger than a dime. There were pieces of wire, metals, charred pieces, and insulation (maybe from the house). I'm assuming there had already been a major cleanup crew there to retrieve larger pieces of evidence. It was a profound feeling of sadness to see that. I'll never forget it. - Carolyn Cubbins Starr
Thanks Marylou, as I recall our outfit was flying from Ft. Bragg, N.C. to make a parachute assault near Ft. Kobe in the Panama Canal area. The squad equipment bag I jumped with far outweighed any of the girls I dated at the Greensboro Women's College. Good memories, good friends. - David Hudiburgh
Jimmy Martin's sister, Mary Bentley:
I remember this very well. That plane flew right over our house. The loud rumbling woke me up, seems like it was 6:30-7:00. I ran downstairs and mother and I stood at the front door and saw the big ball of fire when the plane crashed just 3 blocks away on Summit St. The windows were shaking and mother and I could see pieces of the plane falling as it came down. When it hit, the house just shook. I thought it was a bomb. We started praying.
**They lived at 908 Dennison and 3 blocks away on Schiller was where they found a lot of debris.
I was living at my parents home at 207 Lynwood court about 1 block from PHJRHigh school when this USAforce Jet crashed- WOW what noise - Big day in my parents life - Gaylon Mulkey
April Birthdays:
4 Jack Dell 14 Dale Pflug - Happy Birthday, Dale!!!!
5 Ronnie Smith 15 James Kee
6 Annette Brown 16 Carolyn Oates
11 Mary Jo Bryant 19 Charles Carter
13 Howard Rowland, Evalene Stringfield 29 Louise Moore
30 James Voland Jones
1955 CLASS NEWS
My husband, Warren Rees Horney, checked out in B47 year before 1959. . We were in Tucson at that time. This was very interesting to me. Rees retired a Col. In 1981. We stayed where we were. But I never forgot my wonderful friends and the most beautiful school in Little Rock. Thank you for all the wonderful news you write. - Pat Maness Horney - '55
Jan and I were living in the Park Hill area, I was almost knocked out of the bed. We had moved from Maryland and Summit a few months before this tragic event. We will never forget about this terrible plane crash. - Gilbert and Jan Rainey
1955 April Birthdays:
12 - Dorthea Blankenship
20 - Jack Stanley 1937
25 - Hoyte Pyle
ML
