Arkansas Publisher Weekly: January 5, 2023

Guest Column:

it

By Scott Loftis

Publisher Weekly

Former Southern Standard newspaper offices in Clark County now serve as unofficial “May Museum”

When history buff Joe May decided that the newspaper industry would be his best career path, he never lost his love of collecting “old things.”

As a teenager, May’s first stint in local news was writing a weekly history column for the Arkadelphia Daily Siftings Herald. That award-winning rural newspaper, however, was closed by Gatehouse Media in September 2018 after serving as a regional hub for the former national media group.

“I had no real intention of going into newspapering — I was going to be a high school history teacher. But I got out in the classroom in college and decided, ‘No, that’s not going to happen,’” recalled May. “Then I got hired by a weekly newspaper to be editor on a part-time basis, and I realized I can do this.”

That inauspicious beginning as a part-time editor led May to soon launch his own weekly newspaper shortly after graduating from Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) in the Clark County community of Amity, which sits about halfway between Arkadelphia and Hot Springs if you take the least traveled route.

Founded in February 1996, the locally-owned Southern Standard covers news and events in Clark, Pike, and Hot Spring counties. With May serving as editor and publisher and his wife Teresa handling subscriptions, distribution and other administrative roles, the tri-county weekly in the early years struck a deal with the Hope Star in Hempstead to handle the printing duties.

After remaining at the same location for nearly 27 years, the southwest Arkansas newspaper moved in April 2022 from its original tightly spaced, one-room building into a new and larger office next door.

It was only after that move did May realize how vast his collection of historical items had grown. Since then, as word of his prized collection has begun to spread across

Publisher Joe May of the Southern Standard

A small sampling of the treasures at the May Museum.

By Wesley Brown

Former Southern Standard newspaper offices in Clark

County now serve as unofficial “May Museum”

the Ouachita Mountain region, locals and passersby have begun making regular stops at this 700-person Arkansas hamlet to admire the growing history exhibit.

“There is no way I can make money off of history like I would like to, but as the newspaper grew and I had a little savings, I started collecting old things and one thing led to another,” May said laughing. “I woke up one day and I got my desk in the corner and the rest is the stuff I can’t keep at the house. I started having people come by saying, ‘We want to look at your stuff.’”

Today, what May has collected in the 24 by 40-foot building really has to be seen to get an authentic feel of its breadth and significance.

“We went from a couple of rented spaces to a converted storage shed to building a new office in 2002 and now, earlier this year, we built another new and much nicer office for the newspaper and converted the old office into a historical museum which is gaining popularity with the locals,” said May.

Among many things, the unofficial museum features a vast political collection with signs, cards, advertising knick-knacks and other items related to local, state and national politics. One of May’s favorites is the state’s most infamous rocking chair where the former Arkansas lieutenant governor, state lawmaker and longtime OBU Professor Dr. Bob Riley sat for his official portrait as Arkansas’s governor in early 1975.

According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Riley served two terms as lieutenant governor under Gov. Dale Bumpers, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in the November 1974 election. However, Bumpers resigned as governor before his term ended, leaving Riley in charge of the state eleven days before the inauguration of former Gov. David Pryor in January 1975.

May said he came into possession of Riley’s chair after the Arkadelphia native notoriously commissioned a gubernatorial portrait for his brief stint as the state’s chief executive. In the painting, Riley has a big grin as he sits chin-in-hand, wearing his trademark black eyepatch sustained from a World War II injury. “That’s one of the coolest things that I’ve got. I call this a footnote in Arkansas history. He decided that he would milk that eleven days as governor for all he could,” May said jokingly of Riley, a former Arkadelphia mayor in the late 1960s.

Other notable relics among May’s vast political collection include items related to former Clark County Judge Randall Mathis, who mounted a brief gubernatorial campaign only to step aside to allow then-Attorney General Bill Clinton to run for the office in 1978. In exchange for his allegiance to the former Arkansas governor and future president of the United States, Mathis got a plum position as a director of the state Department of Pollution Control & Ecology, a post he held until his retirement, said May. May’s “political collection” also includes items related to former President James Garfield, the 20th occupant of the White House and the only preacher to ever serve in the nation’s highest office. There is a pre-Civil War campaign ribbon from Henry Clay’s losing race to be president and a personal letter sent to May by

The south Arkansas newspaperman also boasts an extensive assortment of Civil War mementos that he calls his “War Between the States” collection. That display features a small pot used by the Confederate Army to obtain salt from Saline Bayou near Arkadelphia, a “loyalty oath” to the Union government by a former Alpine resident, and a letter from a Confederate soldier stationed at Arkadelphia who kept locks of hair from family members or sweethearts.

Other interesting souvenirs include a wallet carried by a Civil War soldier from the 1840s up to World War II, and a certificate on display detailing the appointment of a “carpetbagger mayor” in Arkadelphia. There is also a print from a tintype photo showing the Hempstead Rifles mustering at what is now Fifth and Main Streets in Arkadelphia. “In the photo can be seen a black man in a Confederate uniform who actually appears to be better dressed than some of the white soldiers around him,” May said.

The Clark County Civil War collection also features many of the weapons of the past, each with its own story that May is eager to share. He explains there is an 1840s French Import sword, like those carried by former Confederate Gen. Bedford Forrest, along with a Union bayonet found locally and two Springfield rifle clones, likely made by workers in Confederate ordnance works. Cannonballs and bullets and a bleeder carried by a soldier from Hollywood are also part of the war display, said the Clark County publisher.

As word of the historical collection grows, May said he has not yet sought any official museum designations or certifications.

former Alabama Gov. George Wallace detailing the time he spent in Arkadelphia as a World War II military cadet.

May’s collection of political memorabilia is bipartisan.

Jones named publisher at Dumas Clarion

Seyler returns to Arkansas as The Saline Courier’s managing editor

Seyler most recently served as editor of the Georgetown Times in South Carolina. He previously was managing editor of The Courier in Russellville, the Jonesboro Sun and the El Dorado News-Times. He has also worked at newspapers in New Mexico and Florida.

Seyler holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Arkansas State University. He began his journalism career in 1986 at the Berryville Star Progress and the Eureka Springs Times-Echo. His first editor’s position was with the Dumas Clarion, where he worked with legendary newspaper editor, publisher and state representative Charlotte Schexnayder

“Having a managing editor with Randal’s experience in Benton and Bryant is a true asset to The Saline Courier and its readers,” said Rhonda Overbey, regional publisher and advertising director, in an article announcing Seyler’s position. “He has a heart for community news and laying out the facts in a clear, concise manner.”

Jones holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. She began her career at the Clarion in 2009 as an intern. She joined the staff full-time in 2016 and has since worked in every aspect of the newspaper, including composition, advertising and editorial.

“I am honored to be named publisher of the Dumas Clarion,” Jones said in a press release announcing the promotion. “I look forward to building relationships and serving the Dumas and Desha County community.”

America is a country of inventors, and the greatest of inventors are the newspaper men.

–Alexander Graham Bell

Edwards returns to The Daily Record as managing editor

Jay Edwards has returned to The Daily Record in Little Rock as managing editor.

Edwards, a former member of the APA Board of Directors, served as editor in chief of the Central Arkansas legal, business and real estate newspaper for 14 years before taking a break in 2017 to pursue other interests.

In addition, former APA Administrative Assistant Kathy Edwards has joined the newspaper as copy editor.

“Kathy and I are both pleased to be back in the publishing business and looking forward to getting reacquainted with our old friends,” Edwards said.

The Dumas Clarion has announced the promotion of Linna Jones to publisher, effective January 1.

Linna Jones

Randal Seyler has returned to Arkansas to join the staff of The Saline Courier as managing editor.

Randal Seyler

Jay Edwards and Kathy Edwards

Former Southern Standard newspaper offices in Clark

County now serve as unofficial “May Museum”

However, the Clark County native intends to develop a historical village to house all the museum items from the various structures he has been gifted or purchased over the past few decades. Currently, both the newspaper offices and the museum sit side by side with false log cabin fronts that give the Amity location a homesteader’s feel.

“Soon, our office will be in the midst of a historical townsite as people have given or sold us various structures over the years such as an 1874 jail with two cells, a well shed from a former school, a log cabin and a one-room schoolhouse from 1907,” said May. “The jail and school are awaiting moving and the cabin has to be put together, but we also have a new large barn to hold agriculture-related items.”

Whatever the future holds, the 49-year-old nostalgia collector said his goal is to make sure that the “May Museum” lives on for past and future generations to reminisce and learn about notable events and people from bygone days. “What I don’t want, when I am gone, is for someone to come in here with an auctioneer and sell everything,” he said. “I have many things that belong together, and the thought I have in my mind is, ‘how do I may this self-perpetuating and that it doesn’t end with me.’”

Free and open to the public, May said those who visit his unofficial museum and roadside attraction can touch and learn the back story that goes with many of his unusual and conversation-starting items.

May has many items of local interest.

Little River Journal applies for APA membership

The Little River Journal, a weekly newspaper covering Ashdown and Little River County, has applied for full membership to the Arkansas Press Association. The APA Constitution and Bylaws require three notifications of the application to APA membership. This is the first of those three notifications.

The Little River Journal is owned and published by Mark Keith. It was first printed in January 2021 and publishes on Thursdays. The newspaper, having now been published weekly for more than two years, is eligible for full APA membership.

Any APA member who objects to the Little River Journal’s membership in APA may provide a written letter of objection to APA Executive Director Ashley Kemp Wimberley, 411 S. Victory St., Little Rock AR 72201 or email info@arkansaspress.

“This is not a money maker, and I don’t charge anything for it. I love history, and I surround myself with it, and this is an outgrowth of my love for the past,” he said. “Hopefully, this museum and those like it can show people, there’s a whole lot more to history than what we were ever taught in school. There’s always more to any story, and more stories to be told.”

Paul Mosley

Paul Author Mosley of Texarkana died on December 21, 2022, one day shy of his 90th birthday.

A son of the late Arthur and Grace Mosley of Texarkana, Mosley worked as a pressman. He began his career in 1951 at the Texarkana Gazette, and also worked at the Houston Chronicle and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, in addition to serving in the Army during the Korean War.

Mosley was preceded in death by his wife Clarene Mosley and daughter Sharon Culpepper. He is survived by his daughter, Paula Plum and her husband Patrick of Bentonville, five grandchildren and their spouses and 14 great-grandchildren.

Services were held December 27 in Texarkana.

Flora Jean Clifton Elledge of Cabot died on December 11, 2022 after a brief illness. She was 96.

A native of Brinkley, she was a daughter of Mason William Clifton, owner of the Brinkley Argus, and Myrtle Jeannette Stafford Clifton. After graduating from Brinkley High School in 1944, she

attended Mississippi State College for Women, and in 1947 married Franklin Hoover Elledge. The couple settled in Brinkley, where they both worked for her father at the Argus. They later became the owners and publishers of the Brinkley Argus and the Monroe County Sun, where she was an integral part of the dayto-day operations of the newspapers until retirement.

Elledge was a Charter member of the Order of the Eastern Star, a member of the Coterie Music Club, Gli Amica and the Chamber of Commerce in Brinkley.

She was preceded in death by her husband, daughter Pamela Jeanette Elledge, sister Elma Frances Clifton Harper and brother Mason W. “Buddy” Clifton, Jr. She is survived by sons Steven W. Elledge (Elmire) of New Iberia, La. and Richard W. Elledge (Tracey) of Cabot, daughter Judith A. Hauth of Higden, sister-in-law Betty Clifton of Cabot, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Services were held December 17 in Brinkley.

Slimp to host Adobe Illustrator training webinar on Thursday of next week

Well-known tech instructor Kevin Slimp of Newspaper Academy will offer a live webinar featuring Adobe Illustrator tips and tricks on Thursday, January 12.

“Let’s face it, you’ve got Illustrator in your Applications folder,” Slimp said. “It’s time to learn to create ads and more using Adobe Illustrator. It’s much better for designing logos, Illustrations, and other artwork than either InDesign or Photoshop, and it has a lot in common with InDesign, so with a little training you can immediately begin creating artwork.”

The webinar will start at 2 p.m. Central time and last 70 minutes. A recording will be available after the webinar is over. For more information, or to register, visit newspaperacademy.com/webinar/illustrator23/

Paul Mosley

Flora Jean Ellege

Be it resolved

By Scott Loftis

As 2023 begins, it’s a time to look forward and think about some of the things we’d like to accomplish in the next 365 days. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of my New Year’s Resolutions, in no particular order. Some of them are more serious than others, but I’ll leave that for you to judge.

1. Spend more time with my sons and grandsons. And my daughters-in-law, too.

2. Go to bed a little earlier.

3. Get to work a little earlier, too.

4. Not climb Mount Everest. This is a perennial on my list, and so far it’s a resolution I’ve managed to keep despite a close call in 1996.

5. Eat more steak.

6. Eat less fast food.

7. Spend more time watching baseball on TV.

8. Get out of the house and watch a little

10. Take advantage of Berryville’s outstanding community center more.

11. Spend more time enjoying the natural beauty of Eureka Springs and the rest of Carroll County.

12. Spend less time paying attention to people bashing our newspaper.

13. Keep in mind that some of the loudest bashers have a personal axe to grind.

14. Bring home our sixth plaque in seven years for first place in general excellence at the Arkansas Press Association’s annual newspaper contest and match the 32 individual awards that our staff won in 2022. That’s right. Bash that.

15. Continue to produce a quality newspaper for the people of Carroll County so they can be informed about what’s going on in their communities.

16. Not spend one minute rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals. Maybe the easiest resolution on this list.

there is something I despise more than the Cardinals. This is one resolution I will ace.

21. Go fishing 20 times in 2023.

22. Check out Crystal Bridges.

23. Do something about that savings account.

24. Go to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field with my family.

25. Spend more time outside.

26. Absolutely, under no circumstances text and drive.

27. Put those clean clothes away.

28. Spend a weekend at an Arkansas state park.

29. Watch the Arkansas basketball team make a serious run in the NCAA Tournament.

30. Continue to enjoy and appreciate the fact that I get to live in a beautiful place and come to work every day with people

Scott Loftis is editor and publisher of the