From the Charles A. Williams Jr. collection:

Charles A. Williams Jr. collection
MSS.05.29

Charles A. Williams Jr. was born in Louisiana in 1916, to Charles A. Williams Sr. and Oma Seahorn Williams. The family moved to North Little Rock, Arkansas, in the early 1920s, where his father worked as a carpenter. He joined the Arkansas National Guard in the 1930s and served in Battery A of the 206th Coast Artillery, a unit based in Little Rock. He served with the 206th through its deployment to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, from 1941 until March 1944. Learn more about the 206th time in Alaska and the "Williwaw War" at the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

Pencil drawing of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, signed "Little," 10x6 on light weight paper, ca. 1942
Box 1, File 11

World War II diary, Sergeant Charles A. Williams Jr., December 1941-January 1942
Box 1, File 10

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Holiday Hours

Just a reminder: The Arkansas Studies Institute will be closed Wednesday, January 1 for New Years. Regular hours will resume on Thursday, January 2.

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Festive Finds

These gems are from the Arkansas Forestry Commission Collection (currently being processed by Butler Center archival staff).

Click to enlarge.

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From the Clifton Hull photograph collections:

Governor Bill Clinton in "Paddy Wagon" during parade, Heber Springs, Ark., October 1979
5 x 5, black and white with negative

PHO.37.C Clifton Hull photograph collection - other locations
Box 1, Item 9

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New entries on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Check out what's new on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas:
Abortion
Adona (Perry County)
Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference
Biscoe (Prairie County)
Caldwell (St. Francis County)
Carthage (Dallas County)
Folk Music
Grubbs (Jackson County)
Haskell (Saline County)
Higginson (White County)
Home Demonstration Clubs
Knoxville (Johnson County)
Ledbetter, Calvin Reville (Cal), Jr.
Meriwether, John Thompson (Jack)
Ozark Industrial College and School of Theology
Phillips County Penal Farm Historic District
Prattsville (Grant County)
Rondo (Lee County)
Segraves, Warren Dennis
Socialist Party
Springdale Poultry Industry Historic District
Tinsman (Calhoun County)
Titan II ICBM Launch Complex Sites

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Holiday Hours

The Arkansas Studies Institute will be closed Tuesday, December 24 and Wednesday, December 25 for the Christmas holiday. Regular hours will resume on Thursday, December 26.

Additionally, we will be closed Wednesday, January 1 for New Years.

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News from the Butler Center

New Year's Resolution: Reconnect with Family History
It's a new year, and it's a great time for families to reconnect with their roots. Anyone can learn more about genealogy and family history at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, which offers access to numerous databases, city directories, and county records. Many of these resources may be used online with a Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) library card, and all may be accessed on the second floor of the Arkansas Studies Institute (ASI) building, 401 President Clinton Ave.

People who are just starting out with their family research are invited to attend Finding Family Facts, a free beginners' genealogy class held on the second Monday of each month at 3:30-5 p.m. in Room 204 of the ASI building. Participants are shown how to use online databases and to archive family documents. The class is taught by Rhonda Stewart, the Butler Center's local history and genealogy expert. For more information, call 918-3033.

View Unusual Portraits at Butler Center Galleries
Explorations in portraiture by two accomplished Little Rock artists will be displayed at the Butler Center Galleries, 401 President Clinton Ave., beginning Friday, January 10. An opening reception will be held as part of Second Friday Art Night from 5-8 p.m. Unusual Portraits: New Works by Michael Warrick and David O'Brien features sculpture and two-dimensional works. The exhibition will be displayed through March 22, 2014. Second Friday Art Night is a free, once-a-month opportunity to visit downtown Little Rock's galleries, museums, and businesses after hours.

Admission to the Butler Center Galleries is free and open to the public. Butler Center Galleries are open 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, contact 918-3033.

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New entries on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Check out what's new on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas:
Crittenden County Courthouse
Hutson, Donald (Don)
Jones Mills (Hot Spring County)
Lewis, Kristin
Sanders, Theodore Marcus
Scott, Ralph Downing, Sr.Yancey v. Faubus

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CALS sets Food for Fines dates

Shed unwanted library fines this holiday season. The Central Arkansas Library System is continuing its annual tradition of helping those in need by holding its annual Food for Fines week beginning Monday, December 16 and continuing through Sunday, December 22.

The Food for Fines program gives patrons an opportunity to help others in central Arkansas while offsetting fines for overdue library materials. Patrons may donate non-perishable food items when returning overdue materials to erase the fine for that item as well as any other existing overdue fines. Each non-perishable food item brought represents one dollar. Patrons may donate up to ten food items to cancel up to ten dollars of fines. Food donations may not be used to waive charges for items that are lost or were previously billed to patrons. We encourage patrons to bring additional food items to help with the food drive.

Food collected during the drive will be donated to Arkansas Rice Depot, which has been working to alleviate hunger in Arkansas for more than 25 years. Donations will also be used to support Rice Depot's Food for Kids program, which operates during the school year providing backpacks of "kid-friendly" food children can take home to eat during the weekend. Items needed for Food for Kids are ravioli, peanut butter, tuna, canned fruit, pudding cups, cereal and granola bars.

CALS libraries in Little Rock include: Main Library, 100 Rock Street; Hillary Rodham Clinton Children's Library and Learning Center, 4800 W. 10th Street, Dee Brown Library, 6325 Baseline Road; Fletcher Library, 823 North Buchanan Street; McMath Library, 2100 John Barrow Road, Oley E. Rooker Library, 11 Otter Creek Court; Terry Library, 2015 Napa Valley Drive; Thompson Library, 38 Rahling Circle; and Williams Library, 1800 Chester Street. CALS libraries in surrounding communities include: Max Milam Library, 609 Aplin Avenue, Perryville; Maumelle Library, 10 Lake Pointe Drive, Maumelle; Esther D. Nixon Library, 703 W. Main Street, Jacksonville; Amy Sanders Library, 31 Shelby Drive, Sherwood; and Millie M. Brooks Library, 13024 Hwy. 365 S., Wrightsville.

For more information contact 918-3000.

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