Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, Wednesday, December 3

State Fair's History Explored at Legacies & Lunch

Fun rides, fried foods, and farm animals-the Arkansas State Fair is a treasured fall tradition. Its history will be the topic of Legacies & Lunch on Wednesday, December 3, at noon-1 p.m. in the Main Library's Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street. Dr. Jim Ross, professor of history at University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and Deb Crow, museum and archive director for the Arkansas State Fair, will share details about the fair's rich history, including rare photographs.

Numerous state fairs and livestock shows have been held in Arkansas since the 1860s, and the Arkansas Livestock Show Association has existed for 75 years. While early fairs promoted agriculture and tourism, these events struggled financially. Following the social upheaval caused by the Great Depression, a group of businessmen, farmers, and educators led by oilman T.H. Barton envisioned a new Arkansas economy not dependent on cotton farming. This foundation and its progression to today's state fair will be discussed at Legacies & Lunch.

Legacies & Lunch is the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies' monthly lecture series, held on the first Wednesday of each month. This program is free, open to the public, and sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided. For more information, call 501-918-3033.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, November 5

The Trail of Tears is not a single trail, but rather a series of routes traveled in the 1830s by Native Americans from the southeast, through Arkansas, to present-day Oklahoma. At Legacies and Lunch, Troy Wayne Poteete, executive director of the National Trail of Tears Association and a justice of the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court, will offer a glimpse of how modern Cherokees draw inspiration from their ancestors' experience, on Wednesday, November 5, at noon, in the Central Arkansas Library System's (CALS) Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Avenue. This program is co-hosted by the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies and the Clinton School of Public Service.

In his lecture, Poteete will speak from over 20 years of experience in tribal government to illuminate current threats to Cherokee sovereignty and illustrate analogies to the political environment which precipitated the forced removal. He will share how lessons from history guide the efforts of tribal leaders to protect the Cherokee Nation and preserve it as a distinct cultural and political entity for future generations.

Legacies & Lunch is free, open to the public, and sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided. The theater will open at 11:30 a.m. to allow attendees to eat lunch in the lobby prior to the program. For more information, call 501-918-3033.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, October 1

Arkansas's Hattie Caraway, the first woman elected to serve in the U.S. Senate, is the topic of Dr. Nancy Hendricks' talk at Legacies & Lunch, the Butler Center's monthly history lecture, on Wednesday, October 1, at noon in the Main Library's Darragh Center. Copies of Hendricks' book, Hattie Caraway: An Arkansas Legacy, will be available for sale; Hendricks will sign books after her talk.

Dr. Nancy Hendricks holds a doctorate in education and is a professional actor as well as an award-winning author. She has appeared as Hattie Caraway in the AETN film, Hattie Caraway: The Silent Woman. Hendricks has received the Pryor Award for Arkansas Women's History, the Arkansas Governor's Arts Award, and the White House Millennium Award for her writing.

Legacies & Lunch is free, open to the public, and sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Attendees may bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, September 3

Rockabilly great Sonny Burgess, of Newport, Arkansas, and his band the Legendary Pacers are the topic of We Wanna Boogie, a new release from Butler Center Books by Marvin Schwarz, who will speak at Legacies & Lunch, the Butler Center's monthly lecture series, on Wednesday, September 3, at noon in the Main Library's Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street. Books will be available for purchase; Schwartz, Burgess, and band members Jim Aldridge, Fred Douglas, Bobby Crafford, and Kern Kennedy will sign copies after the talk.

In We Wanna Boogie, Burgess and his band members tell of their original recordings for Sun Records in the 1950s and their shows with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and others. Burgess, whose music evolved in the Silver Moon and other clubs around the Arkansas delta, has influenced rock and roll music internationally and has led the contemporary rockabilly revival in the U.S. and overseas. The book also tells the history of a once prominent and high spirited delta community of extensive agricultural wealth. Newport was home to numerous music clubs, which often housed both performances by national artists and illicit back-room gambling.

Legacies & Lunch is free, open to the public, and sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Attendees may bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided. For more information, contact 501-918-3033.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, August 6

Frank Sata

Wednesday, August 6, noon-1pm

CALS Ron Robinson Theater

100 River Market Ave.

As a young boy, Frank Sata was one of thousands of Japanese Americans who spent time in Arkansas during World War II, imprisoned by their own country merely because of their ancestry. He was eight years old when his family was shipped from their home in California to Jerome, where one of two Arkansas internment camps for Japanese Americans was built by the War Relocation Authority. Mr. Sata's father, J.T. Sata, was an accomplished artist who documented his family's time in camps in Arkansas and Arizona in a series of remarkable oil paintings and charcoal drawings. Much of that art is currently on display in Concordia Hall of Butler Center Galleries, as part of Drawn In: New Art from WWII Camps at Rohwer and Jerome, and will remain in the Butler Center's collection following the closing of the exhibition on August 23, 2014.

Mr. Sata, who lives in Pasadena, California, went on to become an architect. His own work was influenced by his experience of the World War II camps, his father's art and photography, and famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright's fascination with Asian architecture. He will discuss the internment experience, his father's art, and the ways his work as an architect reflects his memories of his years in Arkansas.

Despite the sadness embedded in the injustice of the World War II camps, Mr. Sata says, "I have since developed a sense of comfort and place for Arkansas." He says, "Sometimes words do not come easily for me to describe that special meaning, but he is an eloquent interpreter of the power of a harsh experience visited upon a country's citizens by wartime frenzy and the healing power of creativity to overcome anger and bitterness.

Mr. Sata will be the speaker at Legacies & Lunch on August 6, from noon-1 p.m. This special program will be held in the CALS Ron Robinson Theater and is co-hosted by the Clinton School of Public Service.

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Arkansas Home Demonstration Clubs: A Legacy of Self Sufficient Women

Arkansas Home Demonstration Clubs have been an outlet for strong, self-sufficient women in our state for over one hundred years. This history is detailed in A Splendid Piece of Work by Elizabeth Griffin Hill, who will speak at Legacies & Lunch on Wednesday, July 2, at noon, in the Central Arkansas Library System's (CALS) Main Library's Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street. Copies of the book will be available for sale, and Hill will sign books after her talk.

Excerpts of A Splendid Piece of Work will also be included in an exhibition entitled Arkansas Homemakers, which opens at Butler Center Galleries, 401 President Clinton Ave., on Friday, July 11, from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. as part of Second Friday Art Night. Arkansas Homemakers will also present photographs of the home demonstration clubs' history from the Arkansas History Commission and paintings by Katherine Strause.

Home demonstration clubs have worked to support and improve homemaking efforts in Arkansas since 1912, and these groups have a long history of serving their communities by providing canned foods to those in need, such as people affected by the Flood of 1927 and residents of Arkansas Children's Home and Hospital during the Great Depression. Over 350 home demonstration clubs continue their work today statewide through community service and education on topics such as health and money management.

Legacies & Lunch is the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies' monthly lecture series, held on the first Wednesday of each month. This program is free, open to the public, and sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided.

Second Friday Art Night is a free, monthly opportunity to visit downtown Little Rock's businesses, museums, and galleries for an after-hours gallery walk.

For more information, visit www.butlercenter.org or call 501-918-3033.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, June 4

Charles Witsell and Gordon Wittenberg, retired principals of Little Rock architecture firms and co-authors of the newly released Architects of Little Rock: 1833-1950, will discuss Little Rock's architectural history at Legacies & Lunch on Wednesday, June 4, noon-1 p.m. in the CALS Main Library's Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street.

Witsell and Wittenberg are retired principals of WER Architects/Planners (Witsell, Evans and Rasco) and WD&D (Wittenberg, Delony and Davidson). Architects of Little Rock: 1833-1950 profiles thirty-five architects, including George R. Mann, Thomas Harding, Charles L. Thompson, and more. Famous buildings such as the Arkansas State Capitol, St. Andrews Cathedral, the Pulaski County Court House, Central High School, and Robinson Auditorium are showcased as well. Copies of the book will be available for purchase; Wittenberg and Witsell will sign copies after their talk.

Legacies & Lunch, the Butler Center’s monthly lecture series, is free, open to the public, and supported in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Programs are held from noon-1 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided. For more information, contact 918-3033.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, May 7

Wednesday, May 7
Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Main Library, Darragh Center
100 Rock St.
Mark Christ, outreach director for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program at the Department of Arkansas Heritage and winner of the 2013 Booker Worthen prize, will discuss This Day We Marched Again: A Union Soldier's Account of War in Arkansas and the Trans-Mississippi, a new release from Butler Center Books which Christ edited. It is the diary of Jacob Haas, a German immigrant from Wisconsin who saw some of the war's most savage combat in the west, including heated battles at Newtonia, Missouri and Jenkins' Ferry, Arkansas. Though Haas's health was ruined by war, he voiced no regrets for the price he paid to fight for his adopted country.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase; Christ will sign books after the program. Legacies & Lunch is sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Please bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, January 8

Slave Resistance in Arkansas Examined at Legacies & Lunch
Slave resistance in Arkansas is the topic of Legacies & Lunch on Wednesday, January 8, at noon in the Main Library's Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street. Kelly Houston Jones, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, will present "A Rough, Saucy Set of Hands to Manage," a discussion of her research on slavery in Arkansas. Legacies & Lunch is free and open to the public.

In her research, Jones "seeks to recover the slave point of view in examining explicit resistance." Her work has been featured in numerous academic journals, including the Arkansas Historical Quarterly and the Pulaski County Historical Review. Jones has researched legal documents, oral histories, and other resources, and she has found that "slaves' resistance in Arkansas seems to have had more to do with making their lives a little easier than with a continuing, self-conscious effort to undermine the slave regime."

Legacies & Lunch is supported in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Programs are held from noon-1 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and desert are provided. For more information, contact 918-3033.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, November 6

Wednesday, November 6, noon
Darragh Center, Main Library
Kay C. Goss, an educator and long-time aide to President Clinton in the Governor's Office and at the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, will discuss her biography of Arkansas's longest-serving congressman, Mr. Chairman: The Life and Legacy of Wilbur D. Mills. The book covers the entirety of Mills's life (1909-1992), including his work on fiscal issues and his relationships with the eight presidents under whom he worked. Goss's work also delves into Mills's personal battle with alcoholism, his successful recovery, and his legacy of supporting substance abuse treatment.

Legacies & Lunch is free, open to the public, and supported in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. The program is held from noon-1 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month in the Main Library's Darragh Center. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert will be provided.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, March 5

Wednesday, March 6, noon
Darragh Center, Main Library
Arkansas women faced monumental challenges during the Civil War. To commemorate Women's History Month, Rebecca Howard will speak about women during the Civil War era for the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies' Legacies and Lunch program on Wednesday, March 6, at noon in the Main Library's Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street.

Howard's presentation will focus on the stories of northwest Arkansas women who faced hardships including starvation, displacement, and harassment. She uses diaries, newspaper articles, government claims, and service and pension records to illustrate the experience of a variety of northwest Arkansas women, from the perspectives of Union and Confederate, rich and poor, black and white.

Howard is currently a PhD candidate in History at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She completed her undergraduate work at Texas A&M. A northwest Arkansas native, Howard is focusing her dissertation work on that region during and after the Civil War.

The Butler Center's Legacies & Lunch program is free and open to the public and supported in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert will be provided.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, Nov. 7

Wednesday, November 7, noon
Darragh Center, Main Library
John Deering, Chief Editorial Cartoonist for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, will discuss the history and importance of cartoons created by George Fisher. Fisher was a political cartoonist for more than 50 years whose work influenced and helped define Arkansas politics for a generation.

Legacies & Lunch is sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, Oct.3

Wednesday, October 3, 12 to 1 p.m.
Darragh Center, Main Library
Roy Reed, a native Arkansan who became a reporter for the New York Times, begins his memoir with tales of his formative years growing up in Arkansas and the start of his writing career at the legendary Arkansas Gazette. The book Beware of Limbo Dancers will be for sale at the event, and the author will sign copies after the lecture.

Legacies & Lunch is sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, Sept. 5

Wednesday, September 5, 12 to 1 p.m.
Darragh Center, Main Library
In conjunction with the upcoming Arkansas Sounds Music Festival, musician Kevin Kerby will talk with the Butler Center's Nathania Sawyer about the ups and downs of the music business and what it is like to be part of a nationally recognized band.

For more information about the Festival, click here.

Legacies & Lunch is sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, June 13

Wednesday, June 13, 12 to 1 p.m.
Darragh Center, Main Library
James Willis will discuss the history of Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia.

Legacies & Lunch is sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, May 2

Wednesday, May 2, 12 to 1 p.m.
Darragh Center, Main Library
Rex Nelson – writer, reporter, and expert on Southern culture – will speak as part of our Arkansas Autobiographies series.

Legacies & Lunch is sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, April 3

Wednesday, April 4, 12 to 1 p.m.
Darragh Center, Main Library
Author Steven Teske has rummaged through Arkansas's colorful past to find some of the state's most controversial figures for his new book, Unvarnished Arkansas: The Naked Truth about Nine Famous Arkansans. Join us at Legacies & Lunch as Teske discusses the intriguing figures profiled in the book.

Legacies & Lunch is sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, February 1

Wednesday, February 1, 2012, 12 to 1 p.m.
Darragh Center, Main Library
Dr. Jeannie Whayne will discuss her latest book, Delta Empire: Lee Wilson and the Transformation of Agriculture in the New South.

Legacies & Lunch is sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council and the Clinton School of Public Service. Bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (501) 320-5717.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, January 4

Wednesday, January 4, 2012, 12 to 1 p.m.
Darragh Center, Main Library
Ark in the Dark – Join Ron Robinson at Legacies & Lunch as he discusses Ark in the Dark: An Exhibition of Vintage Movie Posters about Arkansas. The 35 movie posters on display for Ark in the Dark, on view in the Butler Center's Concordia Hall through February 25, are from Robinson's personal collection.

Legacies & Lunch is sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council and the Clinton School of Public Service. Bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (501) 320-5717.

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Event Reminder: Legacies and Lunch, December 7

Wednesday, December 7, 2011, 12 to 1 p.m.
Darragh Center, Main Library
A History of Ouachita Baptist University – Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) is an independent, residential institution in the liberal arts tradition associated with the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. Founded on April 8, 1886, it capped a longstanding interest among Arkansas Baptists in making higher learning more readily available to more people, providing an educated ministry and educated lay leadership, strengthening denominational loyalty, and extending denominational influence. This year, the school celebrates its 125th anniversary. Join Trennis Henderson as he discusses the anniversary theme, “Ouachita Baptist University: Making a Difference since 1886.”

Legacies & Lunch is sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (501) 320-5717.

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