Oral History

Bill Walmsley
11/12/2023

An Oral History Interview of Bill Walmsley by Twyla Wright

Table Of Contents
  • Birth and family in Bald Knob, AR 0:00
  • Education through Arkansas College and Law School 5:30
  • First Marriage 7:32
  • Arkansas College mentor and law school 8:19
  • Sons and Family 10:10
  • Janice McSpadden, her work and their marriage 12:30
  • Vo-Tech school amendment to become UACCB 14:50
  • Start law practice in 1966 17:44
  • Court of Appeals 20:50
  • Election to Arkansas Senate 1971 21:50
  • Fair Trade Liquor Law and removal of Sen. Mutt Jones 24:50
  • More about UACCB Amendment 33:18
  • Escheat Law about abandoned property 37:35
  • Arkansas AM&N consolidation into ARU at Pine Bluff 40:31
  • Against Apiary Board Revenue for honey 45:28
  • Sponsored 56 Bills in AR Senate 47:23
  • Chiropractic Amendment To add on auto insurance 49:10
  • Gov. Dale Bumpers and poultry industry 50:02
  • Independence County Library board and development 54:00
  • Church in Bill's life 1:00:00
  • Woodlawn Board 1:3:20
  • President of Arkansas Horseman's Benevolent Protective Association 1:4:11
  • Awards 1:6:01
Charles "Bob" Smith
09/04/2024

An Oral History of Charles "Bob" Smith by Vicky Crouch

Table Of Contents
  • Early years/family :15
  • California years/working with Apple 6:22
  • Developing photography 10:06
  • National Geographic Expeditions 14:00
  • Favorite country 18:45
  • Colorado and photography 20:30
  • Plans for the future/retirement 22:40
  • Scariest Encounter 25:40
Dale Cole
10/10/2023

An Oral History Interview of Dale Cole by Twyla Wright

Table Of Contents
  • Born in 1948 in Texas 0:00
  • Education 7:00
  • Marriage 10:00
  • Early banking experience 12:00
  • Why and how Cole started First Community Bank 17:00
  • Developing bank leadership 26:00
  • Expanding bank into 35 branches 31:00
  • Personal Strength 48:00
  • Commitment to Community 52:00
  • Earliest Memory 57:00
  • Proudest Moment 1:00:00
  • Advice 1:01:00
Danny Dozier
26/06/2024

An Oral History Interview of Danny Dozier by Vicky Crouch

Table Of Contents
  • Parents, Grandparents, Early Life :20
  • Early Interest in Guitars 5:13
  • High School/College Bands 11:52
  • Moving/Jobs/Bands- early adulthood 15:25
  • Cathy/marriage 19:23
  • Moving/Jobs/focus on music 21:37
  • Gary Cloud/Charlie Sandage- "Country Music Story" 29:45
  • Grandpa and Ramona Jones/Mountain View Dinner Theater 31:45
  • Jerry Hopper- Mountain Home 35:00
  • Merle Travis Guitar Contest 36:00
  • The Raiders/"At Home in the Country" Radio Show 39:40
  • Thumb Injury 45:30
  • Coffee House- The Depot Diner 48:00
  • The Lockhouse Restaurant 51:45
  • First Presbyterian Sexton/living on Boswell St. 53:52
  • The Lockhouse Orchestra 56:32
  • Friends in Great Places- UACCB 58:00
  • Downtown Revitalization/Main Street Batesville 59:40
  • Maxfield Family- Mrs. Anne Strahl/Maxfield Park 1:04:00
David Blair
23/03/2023

An Oral History Interview of H. David Blair by Twyla Wright

Table Of Contents
  • Birth, parents 0:00
  • Mother: Ruth Griffin Blair 1:17
  • Great grandfather (Keith) Sears Roebuck catalog house- Ruddell Hill 3:39
  • Early family history: Griffins/Blairs 5:06
  • Jim Blair, parents employment/descriptions of 8:50
  • Parents' education, David's education through law school 15:40
  • Marriage to Suzanne Evans Blair and son, Jeffery 21:47
  • World Travels 26:24
  • Law partnerships and work 30:45
  • US Supreme Court Case 2006 34:46
  • Auto racing business 40:15
  • History of White River Hospital 44:18
  • small town living 56:00
  • Not on recording: David Blair served on the AR Supreme Court committees 1974-1997
Debra Frazier
19/10/2023

An Oral History Interview of Debra Frazier by Twyla Wright

Table Of Contents
  • Early Life with Family - 1:00
  • College - 14:00
  • Church and Wisdom - 16:00
  • Marriage and Children - 21:00
  • Teaching and Changes at Gateway Vocational School - 26:00
  • Visiting Eastern Europe - 31:00
  • Became Assistant Chancellor at UACCB - 44:00
  • Served as Chancellor at UACCB from 2007-2021 - 50:00
  • After Retirement and World Travel - 59:00
  • Religion, Awards and Service on Boards - 64:00
Doreen Kamoga
12/04/2024

An Oral History Interview of Doreen Kamoga by Twyla Wright

Table Of Contents
  • Birth in 1981 in Uganda, Africa, parent and family .01
  • Description of childhood home, family gatherings, recreation 8:00
  • Hard times, crops, food preservation 12:14
  • School in Uganda 15:41
  • Subjects she enjoyed and why 22:27
  • Politics in Uganda and America, past and present 27:06
  • Family members work, her tailoring 29:30
  • Dating and marriage to Roy Kamoga 34:57
  • Episcopal (Church of Uganda) 41:57
  • Birth of daughters 43:00
  • Reason for moving to America 44:27
  • Medical speciality in Public Health and teaching; Move to Arkansas; specialty in Internal Medicine; heart for holistic medicine 47:20
  • Medical practice challenges 53:25
  • Medical service/business changes 57:03
  • Personal recreation 1:01:58
  • Life Advice 1:03:56
Dr Roberta Buston
10/04/2023

An Oral History Interview of Dr. Roberta Buston by Dr Bruce Johnston

Table Of Contents
  • Growing up on a farm 1:00
  • Attending school in Bald Knob, AR 3:00
  • Education at Arkansas College 3:50
  • Education at the University of Arkansas 6:00
  • Education at KU and LSU 8:45
  • Research work with NASA 11:30
  • Work in the mission field- Sun Valley, AZ 14:30
  • Work in the mission field- Romania 18:28
  • Challenge of learning a second language as an adult 29:00
  • Transition from teacher to pastor 34:00
  • Retirement in Batesville, AR 43:30
  • Continued work for the Nazarene Church 51:30
  • Diet in Romania 54:17
  • Advice to aspiring missionaries 56:43
  • Next steps in life 1:03:19
James "Skip" Rutherford
06/09/2024

An Oral History Interview of James "Skip" Rutherford by Twyla Wright

Table Of Contents
  • Birth to parents Kathleen and James Rutherford; history of name "Skip" :15
  • Childhood in Batesville, AR/Jennie McCurn's care- story of shaping Skip's advocacy: 2:22
  • Batesville- America's best hometown: 7:50
  • Batesville High School/student presidency 10:48
  • U of A - Fayetteville, studies and mentor Ernie Deane: 11:53
  • marriage and children: 13:50
  • Move to Little Rock/jobs/Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods Firm: 17:20
  • Directed David Pryor's office; Pryor campaign: 18:20
  • Key advisor on Bill Clinton Campaign:1992/Cranford Johnson: 20:45
  • Creation of Clinton's Presidential Library and opening in 2004: 25:20
  • People whom Skip admires: 28:40
  • Teaching at universities/colleges for free; "paying back" Earnie Dean: 34:44
  • First President of the Clinton Foundation, Dean of the U of A Clinton School of Public Service; now emeritus: 39:20
  • Active on several boards- Children's Hospital, Lyon College...: 41:50
  • Involved in Little Rock development: tourism, hotels, River Market: 42:25
  • Leadership style: empowering people: 46:20
  • Advice and encouragement to older people: 48:15
  • Skip's grandmother, Betty Rutherford, lived to be 110 in Batesville: 55:05
James Wheeler
01/05/2024

An Oral History of James Wheeler by Twyla Wright

Table Of Contents
  • Birth/Family/First Memory :30
  • Childhood in Desha with parents and grandparents 3:58
  • Father learning to repair shoes by Al Heuer 9:28
  • Early life in Desha 11:30
  • Changes in Desha and grandfather's gas station 18:45
  • School attendance, farm work 22:54
  • Father working shoe repair in Cam's Shoe Repair 31:13
  • Joined US Air Force 35:00
  • In Nebraska: marriage/kids 38:30
  • Move back to Desha, finish learning shoe repair 43:27
  • Opened his shoe repair business in present location 1972 - 44:17
  • Most rewarding shoe repair work/most difficult 45:48
  • Square dancing/locations 51:15
  • Becoming a licensed Methodist preacher 52:55
  • How shoe repair has changed 1:01:54
Kenneth Rorie
30/11/2024
An Oral History Interview of Kenneth Rorie by Vicky Crouch
Table Of Contents
  • Growing up/childhood/family history :30
  • Graddy home place/relatives 3:09
  • Father's family history/Jimmy Driftwood story 7:00
  • Stone County Folklore Festival/Grandmother- Lucinda Morrison/Great Grandmother- Sarah Rorie Tilly 10:00
  • Great Grandfather Morrison/Bushwhackers 12:00
  • Stone County/Frank Rorie- early 1900s 14:50
  • Family moved to Jamestown (Independence County) 18:44
  • Dad and mom meeting/ 4 year old Kenneth story at Caney Creek 21:27
  • 7 year old Kenneth- brother and sister family stories (1950) 23:13
  • More family stories/ siblings/grandfather 24:34
  • Brother to service in Japan 27:14
  • Anderson Bros story- Sacramento, CA to AR 28:25
  • Story of Kenneth, his dad and the hog pen 30:28
  • Story of visitors and his dad 32:45
  • father's jobs 33:40
  • Manganese ore mine stories 34:57
  • Working in Shirley, Indiana w/ parents (1950-1952) 41:28
  • Move to Sacramento, CA after graduating from Southside/2 years in college 52:52
  • 2 years of college at ASU Jonesboro, AR 55:50
  • Married to Linda 56:36
  • First job- Mammoth Spring, AR/story about Tessie Harper- student/actress 57:42
Lucy Yeager
06/03/2023

An Oral History Interview of Lucy Jeffery Yeager by Sarah M Jones

Table Of Contents
  • Early years of Independence County 0:00
  • Family Tree- Heritage in Independence County 4:20
  • Book published/written by Lucy and her mother, Virginia Jeffery 5:34
  • 1950's home setting/growing up in Batesville, AR 9:55
  • Neighbors on Main Street, Batesville, AR 14:48
  • High School in Batesville, AR early 60's 19:11
  • Fitzhugh Park Batesville, AR 21:20
  • Arkansas College- education and experiences as a "Lassie" international performances 22:07
  • Marriage, employment, children 39:10
  • Living on Main Street in Batesville, AR 50:10
  • Incentives for young people to come back home to Batesville 52:36

  • Hours of Operation

  • |
  • Sunday CLOSED
  • |
  • Monday - Thursday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm 
  • |
  • Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm  
  • |
  • Saturday - 9:00 am to 4:00 pm 
  •