Four States Living Magazine April 2024

ITHE WAY I SEE IT ...

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

Robin Rogers, Ed.D.

f it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.

There are certain things that you can set your watch to, and my daughter’s weekly schedule is one. She’s the modern-day Norm from the TV sitcom Cheers. At all of her regular haunts, everyone knows her name, the day and time she’s coming, and her lunch order—because she literally orders the same meals every single week. Mondays are for grilled shrimp at Flying Burger. On Tuesdays, she goes to Tacos 4 Life (because it’s “Taco Tuesday”). Wednesdays belong to Julie’s Deli and in particular the chicken spaghetti special. Thursdays are for pimento cheese sandwiches at Newk’s, and you can find her ordering a cheeseburger at TLC on Fridays. She attends choir practice on Monday, PT on Therapy Thursday, and her volunteer shift at TRAHC on Friday. She rarely deviates. She is a creature of habit.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Emily gets her routine-orientation from me. We like things to be the same, and change makes us nervous.

This afternoon, like most third Thursdays of the month, Emily and I were at the nail salon after work. I don’t talk much while the nail drills are buzzing, letting my mind drift off to tasks and lists while my hands are held captive. Occasionally, I scan the room and imagine what the other people do for a living or where they are going once their fingers and toes are shiny and sparkly. Sometimes, I make up stories in my head about a date-night or prom or mother-daughter salon appointment, but today, nothing too exciting was going on at the nail shop.

A young girl was sitting next to me, and her friend was across the room. At first, I wasn’t sure of her age—she could have been 13 or 23—but then I noticed her arm, which had blue and red ink handwriting down the forearm. If the handwriting had been cleaner, I might have thought it was a tattoo (and thus an older girl), but the penmanship was clearly that of a doodling schoolgirl. She had written, “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” The words “challenge” and “change” were in red ink, and the other words were in blue. I smiled at the memories of writing with BIC ballpoints on my jeans, book covers, tennis shoes, and notebooks, but my mother would’ve scolded me good for writing on my skin (I’m not sure why; maybe she just thought it was tacky).

INSPIRE THE PESSIMIST

ELEVATE THE OPTIMIST

STIR THE MIND

ENTERTAIN THE SOUL

FOUR STATES LIVING MAGAZINE

PUBLISHER Dr. Robin Rogers

INTERIM EDITOR

Ellen Orr

GRAPHIC

Shane Darby

SALES

Victoria Herman EDITORIAL

Phoebe Warren

I was impressed with the words my nail neighbor had written, and my mind wandered down a rabbit hole.

“If it doesn’t challenge you”? Gosh, I have become so ridiculously routine. Three years ago, I paid off my house. For the first time in my adult life, I had no house payment, so I pushed myself to pay off my automobile. At the end of last year, I pulled that off and now have no car payment, either. My kids are out of college, everything seems to be going fine at work, I’m 53 years old, and I’m officially out of debt. Knock on wood over and over and over again because I have worked and prayed and hoped and scrimped for this freedom. I feel like I have been challenged for many years to get to this point in life, but how am I feeling now that I’m here? Six months into this new life of no debt, and “Operation: Save More for Retirement” has begun—though I’m nowhere near ready to retire.

I have a good friend who started talking about retirement in her 40s. I always knew that she would be happier the day she hung up her work badge, and not because she hated her job. She just always wanted to stay at home and cook and travel and be present for her family. I respect that—and I know I, personally, am a better and happier person when I challenge myself with new ideas at work or as a volunteer in the community. There’s that word: challenge. If it’s not a challenge, I won’t change. And I need change. Despite the sameness I seek in my meals and manicure appointments, monotony doesn’t help me grow. (My daughter Emily needs change, too, and this editorial is going to spur me to light a fire under her wheels.)

The thing I wanted for so many years—to be debt-free—finally happened, and six months later, it is time to get busy with another challenge. I want to keep changing, and I mean in more ways than just my nail color.

When we got home this evening, I was still thinking about that saying. Then, I read cover-to-cover the very magazine you’re now holding. I proofread every issue, usually about the same day of every month, the night before we go to press, right before I write my editorial. I always hope to be stirred by the stories so that I can tie a bow on the issue with an inspired op-ed piece. Tonight, I was stuck on the challenge/change idea as I read through these stories. This month, we chose to feature people who are doing cool things after age 60, for the betterment of society or themselves or their families. What I realized is that I want to take a lesson from their playbooks: to be more involved, change it up, take some more chances, and show up more for the things I care about, because doing so will make me a better and happier person. As it turns out, happiness doesn’t come automatically if you pay off your house or your car. It doesn’t come with a particular age, either, although I am pretty stoked about senior discounts. Rewards come from risks and challenging oneself in different ways, over and over again throughout life. The only time we should stop changing is at death, and I don’t plan on dying any time soon, so the challenges need to start presenting! Every person we featured in this issue is meeting new challenges head-on, whether societal, financial, athletic, academic, artistic, or personal. They are my heroes and the people I want to emulate in life.

I wish I had asked the girl at the nail salon why she wrote that on her arm. She’s much wiser than her age. Maybe she’ll read this and know that she jump-started Year 54 of my life.

I hope you love these stories as much as I did, and as always, thanks for reading FSLM

Shane

Chloe Sanders

Louie Avery

Ellen Orr

Robin Proctor

Madeline Smallwood

Sarah Vammen

Phoebe Warren

Four States Living Magazine is published the first business day of every month. © Copyright 2024 by Four States Living Magazine. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. Four States Living Magazine is distributed free of charge. Direct mail subscriptions are $40.00 per year. Reader correspondence and editorial submissions are welcome. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material contributed.

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Dolly and Paul Henley, who work daily for the residents of Hempstead County, are a political power couple in Washington . . . Washington, Arkansas, that is.

See There’s No Slowing Down on page 24.

Under the leadership of Neil Jones, the annual Talimena Rally Cruisin’ for St. Jude motorcycle rally has raised over $500,000 for childhood cancer research.

Read about Neil on page 12.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

SCENE ABOUT TOWN

THE CHRISTUS ST. MICHAEL FOUNDATION GALA WAS HELD AT THE TEXARKANA CONVENTION CENTER ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD.

Pam Beck, Mary Catherine Haynes, Suki O’Neal, Cindy Porter, and Sheree Potter

Jamie Rommel and Theresa Hebert

Vickers and Whitney Fuqua

Susan Landreaux and Lindy Landreaux

Mignon and Van Alexander

Mike Richardson and Dr. Betty Feir

Jaimie Alexander and Madeline Robbins

Terri and Greg Giles

Dr. Ermias Abebe and Dr. Loren Robinson

Susan Robbins and Janis Robbins

Robert and Suzy Irwin

Dr. William and Morgan Bennett

Jason and Jennifer Adams

Names Greg and Lauren Francis

Susan Landreaux, Mary Catherine Haynes, Jesse Buchanan, Francine Francis, and Suki O’Neal

Phillip and Margaret Mobley

Pam Beck with Michala and Jon Robert Beck

Yulin and Jerry Brewer

CRUISIN’ FOR A CAUSE

by TONY BASSO

Under Neil Jones’ leadership, the Talimena Rally Cruisin’ for St. Jude motorcycle rally has raised half a million dollars

photo by SHANE DARBY

After decades of labor, toil, and careful planning, many Americans spend their golden years in leisure. Some migrate to a beach, others to the mountains, while some stay close to family and friends. And then there are those who dedicate their newfound free time to improving the world, people like Neil Jones.

A native of Hooks, Texas, Neil retired from Coca-Cola after spending 25 years with the company. He spends his time chasing his 11 grandkids, enjoying the scenery and sunshine from his home on Lake Hamilton, and organizing Talimena Rally Cruisin’ for St. Jude, an annual motorcycle rally dedicated to raising funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The idea for the benefit rally, held annually over Memorial Day weekend in Talimena, Arkansas, originally came to Neil when he passed through the area on a charity ride organized by a local motorcycle club.

“In 2001, a motorcycle charity ride advocating for children in Texarkana hosted by Players Bar and Grill was formed. The ride was organized by the late R.J. Johnson and Players Bar and Grill owner Tony Welch,” Neil said. “I belonged to a club in Waskom, Texas, and we joined them on a ride through Talimena. After seeing the beauty of the area, it dawned on me that I could organize a rally of my own to help children in need.”

Later that year, Neil held the inaugural Talimena Rally to benefit local children. With just a few dozen people in attendance, this gathering sparked a fire that would eventually unite people nationwide to support a greater cause.

“In 2012, I saw a commercial for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and decided to rebrand the rally for their benefit,” he said. “It was then that the rally became Talimena Rally Cruisin’ for St. Jude. Since then, our rally has hosted thousands of people from across the nation and raised over $500,000. This rally started with 30 people riding through the mountains and eating cold pizza after a long day of riding and grew into a three-day, two-night event with catered meals, live entertainment, and police-escorted rides.”

2023 was a record year for Neil and crew. In just three days, they hosted over 400 people and raised over $80,000. Jones never expected the financial impact produced.

“You know, it amazes me. It shocks me. I never would have thought it would get this big”, Neil admitted. “I mean, if you stop and think—we raised that much money in just three days? Who could imagine that? I don’t set any goals for the rally; the sky’s the limit. The more money we raise, the more we can give the kids, and that is where every penny goes.”

Talimena Rally Cruisin’ for St. Jude would not be possible without the help of many volunteers, including Neil’s wife, Carol Jones.

“My wife has been a godsend,” he said. “I make the calls and connections, and then she takes over. She handles the registrations, food, and whatever has to be done to make it a success. We could not have done any of this without her

or the many men and women who show up each year ready to help.”

Over the years, Neil has had the opportunity to visit families and children under treatment at St. Jude, and he holds each encounter close to his heart.

“Years ago, a kid joined us at one of our rallies. He had cancer all over his body and was not given much of a chance,” Neil recalled. “Through God and St. Jude, he rode his own bike two years ago in our rally and shared his story with us all—this time cancer-free. There was not a dry eye around, and we were all so thankful for him joining us.”

Despite spending immeasurable time organizing Talimena Rally Cruisin’ for St. Jude, Neil and his wife still find time to pursue other passions.

“I love to umpire local baseball games, just to help the kids,” Neil said. “Some of the athletes have never played the game before, so it is great to help out where I can. My passions center around children. To tell the truth, I’m just a big kid myself. I have always tried to enjoy my life, and I get to do just that. When we are not at ball games, we spend time with our 11 grandkids and take our boat out on Lake Hamilton to enjoy nature.”

Neil and Carol have dubbed the 2024 rally “The Last Ride,” as they have decided to step away from the event as organizers. Their successors are in place, however, and the rally is set to continue in 2025 and beyond.

“I would love to see it grow in numbers and donations to continue supporting this cause,” he said. “When you get my age, you can look back at a full life. The kids we are helping have not even had the chance to begin life. That keeps me going, and I hope this rally will continue for years to come.”

Those interested can find more information in the Cruisin’ for St. Jude group on Facebook. Register for the rally using the QR code below.

HEART AND SOUL OF HOSPICE

Cindy Marsh has devoted over three decades to Hospice of Texarkana

by DR. JENNY M c CORMACK WALKER

Cindy Marsh is a world traveler and a world-class hostess, and for more than 30 years, she has made Texarkana a better place for dying people and their loved ones as the executive director of Hospice of Texarkana.

As a world traveler, Cindy spent time last fall soaking up the European culture in Provence, France, and exploring the Mediterranean.

“Who knew that the Mediterranean Ocean was a cobalt blue or that French people really did wear a lot of light blue, were amazingly trim, and actually said, ‘ooh la la’?!” she said. “I am still confused over the lack of washcloths and top sheets, but the oysters on the half-shell, served just two blocks from the Mediterranean, made up for those shortcomings. And greeting someone with ‘bonjour’ paved the way for a pleasant interaction.”

Although she loved her time in the South of France, she also loved coming home. Cindy’s home is not only the place she considers her refuge but is also a place she shares with her friends and family.

“I absolutely love to entertain friends in my home,” she said. “My house is constantly in a state of change as new finds are made at consignment stores in Shreveport, treasures appear at estate sales, and the perfect piece is discovered at Haven Homes Resale Shop.”

When she entertains, she said, she loves to cook and “shamelessly” posts pictures online of meals she has made and the formal tables she has set. Though she delights in having her friends over, her favorite dinner guests are her sons, Brandon and Tony, and her “daughterin-love,” Ashley. They are a close-knit family and enjoy cooking, attending concerts, and traveling to Texas Ranger baseball games together.

Her love of family also spills into her work at Hospice of Texarkana, an organization she leads with purpose.

“I am surrounded by team members who have the same commitment and motivation, 13 of whom have served

Cindy with her late mother, Sharon Washam.

In 2014, Hospice of Texarkana broke ground on their Inpatient Care Center.

photo by CHLOE SANDERS

here for decades,” Cindy said. “The mission and impact of Hospice of Texarkana is so significant. It motivates me each day. We are allowed to participate in the lives of others at such a poignant time.”

She deeply understands the importance of this mission as a professional and also from personal experience, as her own mother used Hospice of Texarkana’s services before she passed away last year.

“Her final months were full of peace, dignity, and comfort,” Cindy said. “This allowed her to interact with and enjoy family and friends. She made her own funeral arrangements and gave items to special people in her life. This gave her a sense of control, when it is possible to feel quite out-of-control.”

Cindy got her start at the non-profit after working at a local insurance agency and managing the Hospice of Texarkana account.

their census doubled, and they were able to expand their services to include additional grief services to the Texarkana community at no charge, like the Good Grief Club for children.

Although Hospice care is very heavy work, the organization works hard to find balance. One way they do that is through their annual Jeans & Bling event. The fundraiser is a Texarkana tradition that helps to increase awareness of Hospice of Texarkana’s services while also building the financial support needed to cover costs of their inpatient facility—the only inpatient hospice facility in the area.

The mission and impact of Hospice of Texarkana is so significant. “ ”

“In 1992, the executive director gave notice and recommended me for the position,” Cindy said. “Someone else was hired, but that person gave notice after only a few months. I was called back for a second interview and landed my position in September of that same year. It was a struggle, and we had to borrow money twice before the end of the year to cover payroll, but we managed to develop the stability necessary for Hospice of Texarkana to begin growing and thriving.”

Since then, the organization has grown exponentially, especially after Hospice of Texarkana took over the services once provided by CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospice in 2000. At that pont, Cindy said,

“Jeans & Bling’s beginning was more of a grassroots event, hosted by Brent and Cindy Ramage at their Ramage Farms Weddings venue,” Cindy said. This year’s event will be held on October 5th and will have the theme “Jeans & Bling at Studio 54.” “It will be a fun-packed evening with a great funk band, dancing, good food, a large silent auction, a live auction, and the famous lip sync battle,” she said.

The Jeans & Bling fundraiser celebrates its 15th year this year. It has become one of many long-standing Texarkana traditions, enjoyed by the more than 400 people who attend each year.

“We have such an excellent lifestyle in our community,” Cindy said. “For anyone who would utter the words, ‘There is nothing to do in Texarkana,’ you only need to look around a bit. Every week is full of fun and affordable entertainment. We are truly blessed. I am truly blessed.”

SCENE ABOUT TOWN

TEMPLE MEMORIAL PEDIATRIC CENTER HELD ITS ANNUAL DANCING WITH OUR STARS AT NORTHRIDGE COUNTRY CLUB ON SATURDAY, MARCH 2ND.

Gina Parish and Kelli Mayo Marshall and Lyndsey Craig

Paul and Stacy Hensel Levi and Allison Ponder

Amber Adams and Davis McDaniel

Pete and Mike Mankins

Sandy Varner and Gina Parish

Jessica Perryman, Candace Jackson, and Amanda Raney

Kyle Hanes, Caroline Duke, and Sarah Carpenter

Madeline and Stephen Robbins

Brooks and Sarah Langdon

Kyle and Eden White

Torin and Michaelyn Marracino

Jasmine Bruce and Austin Cree

Nick and Collins Cockerell

David and Ashley Allday

Jordan Liles and Candace Davis

NEVER TOO LATE FOR A FRESH START

by SARAH VAMMEN

Mike Ingram succeeds in a second career

photo by SHANE DARBY

Mike Ingram can say something many people in their 60s cannot: “I love coming to work every day, and I have no plans for retirement,” he said. At 64 years old, Mike is happy, excelling professionally, and making the most out of life.

Mike is a lifelong Texarkana resident and a 1977 graduate of Texas High School. “My parents even taught at Texas High,” he said. “My dad, Bob, was the band director, and my mom, Wanda, was the art teacher.” After high school, Mike attended The University of Texas at Arlington. He is married to Sylvia and has two daughters, Catherine Lawrence (married to Lawson Lawrence) and Megan Harrison.

In their spare time, Mike and Sylvia enjoy seeing the world and experiencing other cultures through their taste buds. “Sylvia and I love to travel,” Mike said. “We were in Italy and France last year and are heading off to Greece in September. We love to find those special fancy restaurants when we’re traveling.”

Mike is also thriving in a successful second career as a real estate agent. “My previous career was with the E-Z Mart Corporation,” he said. “I began my career with E-Z Mart in 1999 and filled the role of director for a few different departments. Then, I was the real estate director for 20 years, until the company was sold in 2017.”

After leaving E-Z Mart, Mike took some time to determine what he should do next. “I knew I wasn’t ready for retirement,” he said. After prayers, consideration, and encouragement from Sylvia, Mike decided it wasn’t too late for a new start. “I decided to enroll in the Champions Real Estate School in Dallas to earn my commercial real estate license. It was much like going back to college except that I was the oldest—or most seasoned—student there,” he joked.

Mike’s new career and passion for real estate began immediately after obtaining his license. He started work for Yulin and Jerry Brewer with NAI/American Realty. “Since I previously dealt with commercial real estate matters, this was a very smooth transition and has been very successful for me due to great clients and support from the Texarkana community,” he said.

Many people would feel daunted at the idea of changing careers at this stage of life, but Mike is a testament to taking a

submitted photo

Mike with his wife, Sylvia, on a trip to Key West.

leap of faith. “I feel like you’re never too old to make a professional change in your life,” he said. “The saying is so true that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Mike’s new career has taken off more than he could have imagined. “I sold my first hotel recently, which was very exciting,” he said. While transitioning from a corporate environment of nearly 3,000 employees to an office of six was a big adjustment, Mike loves having the ability to focus on each of his client’s individual needs. “I work hard every day and will always answer the phone at night or on weekends,” he said. Mike even makes sales while on vacation. “I always sell something when I’m on vacation. I even made a sale while sitting in a beach chair in Sandestin, Florida, and another in Cabo, Mexico.”

When he is not traveling or selling real estate (or doing both simultaneously), Mike devotes his time to improving the community. He currently serves on the boards of directors for the CHRISTUS St. Michael Foundation, Harvest Regional Food Bank, City of Texarkana Texas Zoning Adjustments, and Four States Fair and Rodeo. He is also a proud member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

“I’m really enjoying this phase of my life,” Mike said. “I think my family and friends would say I love being happy and keeping a positive attitude. I know there will always be issues, but it’s how you handle those issues that will make you successful.”

Mike enjoys fishing on the White River where he caught this trout.

submitted photo

THERE’S NO SLOWING DOWN

by PHOEBE WARREN

Action is perhaps the most definite sign of a great leader. One can speak of change endlessly, but only a special individual will act to create that change. If action is our barometer of spectacular leadership, Dolly and Paul Henley of Hempstead County undeniably fit the bill.

Paul grew up in Hope, Arkansas, while Dolly was born and raised in Prescott. They didn’t meet until adulthood, when Paul was working for the City of Hope as the Parks and Tourism director. After Dolly applied for a job in the parks department, the two met and found they had a lot in common.

“We had previous lives,” Dolly explained. “We were both married before. And I think we just had a lot of the same interests and understood the sacrifice that it took to do those jobs—working with the public and in parks and recreation, working long hours and all the weekends. So we had a special relationship because of our understanding of the hard part of the job.”

Paul and Dolly married in 1993, on Valentine’s Day. Through 31 years of marriage, they have supported each other throughout their respective careers, leadership roles, and volunteerism.

Paul worked for the City of Hope for 50 years. He said that, after Hope native Bill Clinton’s presidency put Hope on the map, tourism opportunities blossomed. Boosting tourism was “the fun part” of his job, he said, especially working to hold the annual Hope Watermelon Festival. For a time, Dolly handled the recreation aspect of their work together, as the city’s recreation director, until she was hired by the City of Nashville, Arkansas, to serve as their Parks and Recreation director in 1988.

“It had fallen into disrepair over the years,” Paul said. “The house was in such bad shape that we had to take it down. But the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives is here in Washington, so we went down there, and they had a complete set of blueprints for this house, drawn in 1948. We got the blueprints and built it back just like it was. We’ve been living there for 30-some years.”

After living in their home in Washington for about six months, Paul was invited by Dub Pinegar, the mayor at the time, to a city board meeting. When Paul attended the meeting, Dub resigned as mayor, and the board appointed Paul to the position. Washington has what is described as a mayor-council form of government, with a mayor and four council members. The mayor must run four-year terms. Paul became mayor in 1994 and has run every four-year term since, with only one other opponent ever challenging the position. “Mainly, I don’t think anyone else wanted to do it,” Paul said with a laugh. “But I enjoy it.”

Paul has led the City of Washington well, even with its unique challenges. The Historic Washington State Park is a separate entity from the City of Washington, even though the park comprises about three-fourths of the town. The park pays no property tax and has more access to funding than the rest of the city. Paul works with Washington State Park to secure funding assistance for areas of need in the community, such as the fire department and the water system. He also works to secure grants to help with city funding and just three years ago passed a tourism tax to benefit the city.

Because Paul was working in Hope and Dolly in Nashville, it made sense for the two to have a home in Washington, Arkansas, a good location between the two cities. They purchased a dilapidated house built by Daniel Webster Jones, who was the governor of Arkansas in 1898.

Dolly, too, is a passionate leader and community advocate. She served Nashvillians for over 20 years before becoming the director of advancement at the University of Arkansas Hope–Texarkana (UAHT) in 2008 and then the director of Hempstead Hall at UAHT in 2013. This year, Dolly is running to be an Arkansas State Representative for District 88—a role she believes she is well suited for based on her

Dolly and Paul Henley continue to serve Hempstead County through leadership and volunteerism

submitted photo

Dolly and Paul with their grandchildren.

“ ”

I’ve had a really long life of figuring out what’s best and what’s good for the community.

— Dolly Henley

photo by SHANE DARBY

many years of leadership and service. “I’ve had a really long life of figuring out what’s best and what’s good for the community,” she said. (No candidate received a majority of votes in the preferential primary. The runoff election will be held on April 2nd.)

Outside of their governmental careers, Paul and Dolly are involved in a multitude of volunteer efforts, both independently and together. Paul is the southwest-area chair for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense office. He also serves as the executive director of Hope in Action, a nonprofit organization that provides food and shelter for unhoused people in Hope, Arkansas.

Dolly currently serves as a board member for several different organizations, including Southwest Arkansas Counseling and Mental Health (past president), the UAHT Foundation Board, and the Texarkana Symphony Board. She volunteers with the Historic Washington Foundation and Hope in Action. She is also the chairperson for James Black’s Bowie Heritage Festival and vice president of the Washington Fire Auxiliary.

Together, the Henleys donate their time to the Arkansas Great Southwest Regional Tourism Association. Dolly serves as vicepresident, and Paul serves as the secretary/treasurer. This organization helps families find attractions and events in Southwest Arkansas.

Though they have more than earned it, Paul and Dolly don’t foresee retiring any time soon. “We’re not gonna slow down,” Dolly said.

Together, Dolly and Paul Henley have proven to be great leaders who serve their community and take action whenever they are needed. They are a force, ceaselessly striving to create positive change.

SCENE ABOUT TOWN

THE TEXARKANA MUSEUMS SYSTEM HELD TOURS OF THE NEW LOFTS AT THE GRIM ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22ND.

Rhonda Allen, Diana Davis, Bobbie Guillot, and Stina Brown Barry Bullard, Les Minor, and Larry Oxford

Dr. Emily Cutrer, Camellia Jackson, and Karen Walker

Becky and Cliff Robertson Richard Reynolds and Emily Tarr

Chris Thomas, Louise Tausch, Betty Griffin, and Mary Matthews

Gabe Tarr and Carter Adams Laura Johnston and Claudia Snow

Jerry and Sherri Thomas with Joan and Jack Carter

Bill and Lon Waters

Alicia Taylor, Tiffany Ramage, and Carley Buxton

Jill and Ted Capeheart Federico Morales, Edith Thomas, Dawn Martin, Dusty Baker, and Tika Rowe

Brooke Marshall, Kyndel Griffith, and Amy Tankersley

Karey Parker, Billy McAnally, and Brent Hobbs

LIFELONG LEARNER

A varied life led Dr. Thomas Cutrer to his current work as the Texarkana Museums System’s volunteer archivist

by ELLEN ORR

Dr. Thomas Cutrer says he’s on “Act 73” of his life. He is a Louisiana native, Vietnam veteran, historian, professor, published writer of over ten books, husband, father, hunter, volunteer, archivist, and—perhaps especially—a lifelong learner.

As a child, Tom was imbued with a love for the American South. His father died when he was only five years old, and he thus spent a lot of time on his grandmother’s remote farm in Tangipahoa Parish. “As we said: the Grand Ole Opry didn’t get there ‘til Monday morning,” Tom laughed. “It was pretty far back in the sticks. It was kid heaven. I had a dog, a .22 rifle, and my uncle’s boat, and I had free rein in the woods all day.”

Tom and his friends were enamored with the military, especially the Civil War. A dozen of Tom’s forebears had served in the Confederate Army, and, influenced by family lore and early reading, he became enamored of the idea of military glory.

Tom attended Louisiana State University, where he was an ROTC cadet colonel, and graduated with a history degree in 1969. He then was commissioned in the Air Force, acting as an intelligence officer in Vietnam. His time in Southeast Asia was life-changing and harrowing. From what he experienced, he determined that “we were not the good guys,” he recalled. “I went to the war as a hawk and came home as a dove.”

that I hunt and fish with are ‘good ole boys,’ and I love them dearly. And my faculty colleagues have been MacArthur Genius Award winners.”

While his many friends and colleagues contribute a great deal to Tom’s life, his greatest influence is a former classmate—”a gorgeous little Texas girl” who’d sat across from him at a seminar table at UT. “Emily was hard to pin down, but I was persistent, and we married in 1978,” Tom said. “Our daughter [Kate] was born in ’80, and our son [Will] in ’85.”

When Tom returned to the States, he set out to “get that taste [of war] out of my mouth,” he said. His passion for military history was justifiably soured, but he continued to be deeply interested in the South. Southern literature of the era was of the utmost importance to him.

“This was, of course, in the Civil Rights Era, and I was looking for things to make me proud of my region at a time when lynchings and burnings were a daily presence on the six-o’clock news,” Tom recalled. He devoured the writings of William Faulkner, Robert Penn Warren, Eudora Welty, and other writers of the so-called Southern Literary Renaissance, “the generation of southern writers who, like me, loved the place, and hated it, and wanted to tell the truth about it,” he said. “They were writing about me and my home. [Studying their works] was a way to appreciate the South, warts and all.”

To this end, Tom returned to LSU to pursue a master’s degree in English literature. At the time, Cleanth Brooks (the preeminent Southern literature critic and cofounder with Robert Penn Warren of The Southern Review) was retired from Yale and teaching for one semester only at LSU. As luck would have it, Tom nabbed a spot in Brooks’ class, and in him he gained a mentor. “He took me under his wing,” Tom said, “and I worshiped him.”

Following his master’s degree, Tom pursued a PhD in American studies at The University of Texas, for which he wrote the dissertation that would become his first published book: Parnassus on the Mississippi [LSU Press, 1984]. The book tells of the magical period when Baton Rouge was arguably the epicenter of American literary criticism. Writing this history would have been impossible without Brooks, who literally saved the Southern Review’s files from the dumpster where they were deposited upon the journal’s shuttering.

“At UT, so many of my classmates had degrees from Ivy League colleges, and I had my little degree from LSU—so I was a good deal intimidated,” Tom reflected. “But [having my dissertation published] gave me confidence that . . . I wasn’t just a dilettante. I could be a professional scholar.”

His success, he realized, would be earned not in spite of his background but in part because of it. “I have a foot in two worlds,” he said. “Mark Twain said that he was half border-ruffian from Missouri and a gentleman from Connecticut, and that is the best combination of things. I mean, the guys

The young couple, freshly hooded, foresaw a straightforward life ahead: “I’m thinking, ‘Okay, we’re going to find a little college to teach our classes, write our books, and live happily ever after,” Tom recalled. They were both hired at Arizona State University, seemingly according to plan—except . . .

“Except Emily was a take-charge kind of girl,” Tom laughed. “I turned around, and she was my department chair. And the next thing I knew, she was my dean. Then Cal State–San Marcos made her provost, while I was still teaching at Arizona State, so I became a practicing bi-localist, driving back between Phoenix and San Diego every week.”

Then, in 2013, Emily was offered the presidency at Texas A&M University–Texarkana. “She asked, ‘Would you go to Texarkana with me?’” Tom relayed. “I said, ‘Would you buy me a new truck?’ She did, and we lived happily ever after.” Tom was hired as an adjunct in the history department.

In the winter of 2022, after a successful ten-year tenure in her role as president, Emily announced that she would be retiring mid-2023. Around that time, Tom retired as well and began filling his newly vacant Thursdays volunteering at the Museum of Regional History, indexing 19th-century Texarkana newspapers. Then, in late 2023, he transitioned into his current role, as volunteer archivist for the Texarkana Museums System. He works at the museum four days per week, sorting through innumerable documents bestowed to the museum. When he began, boxes were stacked wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling in many rooms. “Sadly, there was more stuff than the staff could take care of, so there were literally hundreds of boxes, and opening every one of them was like Christmas,” he explained. “A lot of it, frankly, was trash—but a lot of it has been just wonderful.

Tom describes himself as a person content with solitude. “I’m something of a hermit,” he said. “I was an only child, and I spent a lot of time as a child alone, so I’m not uncomfortable with that. I sit down here for hours at a time and don’t see anybody and just go through papers, and I find enjoyment in that.”

Though he may not speak to another person for hours at a time, Tom still spends his days in intimate (if one-sided) relationship with others, though these others are Texarkanans who have been deceased for many years. Through rediscovered letters, diaries, and various other documents, Tom has gotten to know countless individuals. For instance, he has gotten to know Rachel Moores, one of the founding residents of Texarkana, through her letters and journals discovered in someone’s attic. He transcribed, edited, and compiled these into a book, which is currently in press.

Though he may be content convening only with those long past, that is not to say that he doesn’t delight in his daily interactions with the living. “[TMS Executive Director] Emily Tarr is a delightful woman and a good friend; everyone on the staff here is fun, the people who come in to do research are fun, and I do get a chance to meet people and talk about Texarkana history—and that’s fun, too,” he said. “But I’m learning, and that’s primarily what I’m about.”

photoS by SHANE DARBY

THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE

Through work, volunteerism, and writing, funeral director Vicki Parks cares for others

by DR. ROBIN ROGERS

Some people act with a servant’s heart their entire lives, continually sharing their gifts with others. Vicki Parks, aged 69, is a shining example of this generosity of spirit.

A lifetime resident of Texarkana, Ms. Vicki Parks is in the middle of her third career. After 20 years with her first job working at a telephone company, Vicki went to work for the Texarkana Independent School District. After working for 25 years as an administrative assistant at TISD, she retired from education—but true “retirement” was never really an option for Vicki, and soon, she was working as a funeral director, a career she maintains today.

“I didn’t just wake up one day and want to [be a funeral director],” she said. “I was at my church, and the spirit came over me. Jonathan Stewart, who is my boss now, was speaking. After the service, I told him, ‘If y’all ever need some help, I just want you to know that my heart is in it.’ And I honestly believed that. God just placed me in that profession.”

Vicki took college classes at UACCH (now UAHT) and earned her funeral director license in both Texas and Arkansas. She was hired at Jones Stuart Mortuary, where she serves families at their greatest time of need: when a loved one has passed.

<< Vicki won the 2023 Wilbur Award for outstanding community leadership.

Only during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic did Vicki ever question her calling.

“When COVID was making the news, I must admit that I was petrified for many months,” she said. “Of course, the funeral business could not shut down. Funerals became graveside-mandatory. Even when churches reopened, it was a few weeks before I put my anxiety at bay.”

During that time, Vicki prayed regularly for God to watch over her and her colleagues while they helped others deal with the pandemic. On top of her prayers, she was covered up with masks and full of vitamins “A to Zinc,” she laughed.

Outside of work, Vicki has a rich family life. Her biggest and most challenging job has been raising three daughters. “I’m proud of the job I have done parenting,” she said. “I was a divorced parent twice, you know, and I raised three beautiful, successful, educated daughters, and now they’re all self-sufficient, and that is what I am most proud of. I received emotional support from my family,” she continued, “and sometimes a little bit financially, but not a lot. I did everything for my kids as a school secretary.”

“I love my family. My daughters are the light of my life, and my sisters are my role models,” Vicki said. “I have two older sisters: Marsha Marks and Deidra James; and I have one, younger sister, Regina Houff.”

Vicki said her daughters are “the light of [her] life.”

Vicki stays busy with work, family, and volunteerism. Personal relaxation, she said, comes when she is volunteering for others in the community. But, after six years of volunteering as the activities coordinator for the senior citizens of the Sandflat Neighborhood Center, she recently took a hiatus from that responsibility to spend more time pursuing another passion: writing devotionals and stories.

Vicki caught the writing bug as a senior in high school, under the tutelage of English teacher Jeanie Nutter. It began with a writing assignment based on The Grapes of Wrath

“I tried to compare this family moving across the country to a young man I knew from church who moved to California and got on drugs on

I imagine always wanting to do my part to help families. “ ”

photo by SHANE DARBY

his journey,” Vicki recalled. “My parallel from church was what I knew, and I earned an A-plus on that paper, and that grade really amazed me. Then, when one of my friends, who came behind me in school and also had Mrs. Nutter, told me that the teacher read my essay to her students as an example, and I was so proud. I have been writing ever since.”

Currently, Vicki has published inspirational devotionals in Hymns Family Devotionals, 50 Days of Intentional Discipleship, and Daughters of Promise— God’s Assurance on the Cross for our Crown. In addition to devotionals and short stories, Vicki enjoys writing plays and skits for special occasions at her church, Miles Chapel. Recently, during Black History Month, Vicki created and performed monologues of individual Black Americans at church, Sandflat, and Arkansas Middle School.

Vicki has served as the Youth and Children’s Ministries director at Miles Chapel Church, and writing and teaching Sunday school lessons has always ignited her creativity. One of her favorite childhood Sunday school stories is the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–20). “I want to use [the talents] God has given me,” she said.

There are no rocking chairs in Vicki’s future; even looking a mere ten years ahead, she said that she will “absolutely” still be working in the funeral industry. While she admitted that, at 79, she may not be able to lift caskets and load them into the hearses, she could still make arrangements with the families.

“I imagine always wanting to do my part to help families,” Vicki said.

To this end, Vicki also hopes to publish her own book of stories and devotionals—writing that uplifts people in times of need. With humility and a joyous attitude, Vicki serves people through her profession, volunteerism, and writing, meeting many in their darkest hour—just when they need a Vicki Parks the most.

This February, Vicki performed a monologue she wrote about Mae Jemison, the first Black American female astronaut, for the Texarkana Arkansas Parks and Recreation Department.

submitted photo

SCENE ABOUT TOWN

HARVEST REGIONAL FOOD BANK HELD ITS WINE & JAZZ GALA AT SILVERMOON ON BROAD ON FRIDAY, MARCH 8TH.

Jo Kahler, Laura Kimpfbeck, Eddie Lamb, and Randy Kimpfbeck

Keely Bledsoe, Cara Cook, and Susan Robbins

Rosie Dornan and Ann Nicholas Callie Buckley and Michael Collins

Michelle and Ken Crane

Kelly Mitchell and Mike Smith

Sonny Malone, Cindy Marsh, Leigh Davis, and Caroline Woodward

Tiffany and Matt Ramage with Brent and Cindy Ramage

Justin Watkins, Christina Duhon, Chris Roberts, and Bobby Duhon

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

by PHOEBE WARREN

Texarkana native Josh Morriss continues to serve his community by contributing to downtown

There are generally two different perspectives on what a hometown means. Some view their hometown as merely a starting point, a place they are born and will grow until they are ready to travel outwards and experience new cultures. Others view their hometown as a project of love, to which they commit to serve. Proud Texarkanan Josh Morriss has worked to improve his hometown all his life.

When Josh’s maternal grandfather, Judge Isaac Newton Williams, was elected as a justice of the civil appeals court, the family moved to Texarkana. It was there that Josh’s mother, Martha, met Josh Jr., and the rest is history. Josh III was born October 16th, 1950. He earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business at Southern Methodist University before going on to obtain his law degree at The University of Texas.

Josh practiced law privately in Texarkana, Texas, for 26 years before continuing his grandfather’s legacy when he was appointed to the court of appeals in 2002. “I loved the work and the people,” Josh enthused. “For my entire adult life practicing law, there were time pressures, but on the court, the mindset was the enjoyable, ‘Let’s think about it and get it right.’ What a joy. I also found that I was built to judge cases at the appellate level, rather than to argue cases as a lawyer.” Josh retired from court in December of 2022.

Josh hasn’t only contributed to the Texarkana community through his judicial career. The slow decay of downtown Texarkana weighed heavily on him. He and his wife, Diana, thought about how they could improve the area, convinced that the beautification of downtown was something

that God was calling them to do. They took a leap of faith and bought real estate downtown in 2009. “[The buildings] were nothing but a liability,” Josh remembered. “Dead, dangerous, ugly. In the process of collapsing. It was a challenge and a financial sinkhole.”

The process of renovating these buildings proved to be expensive and challenging, but Josh also recalls the feeling of satisfaction involved with this labor of love. Over the course of two years, he and Diana transformed the ground floor of the side-by-side buildings into Silvermoon on Broad, an events space and children’s theater. “There were few event spaces [in Texarkana], and this place just wanted to be one,” Josh said.

The transformed space was unveiled in September 2011 with the presentation of “Texarkana! The Musical,” written by Josh Morriss himself, with music by Dr. Brian Billings of Texas A&M University–Texarkana. Silvermoon has been life-changing for the Morrisses. “It’s

photo by SHANE DARBY

DARBY

photo by SHANE

been a joy to serve people and to be something of a catalyst to help downtown Texarkana [come] back to life,” Josh expressed. “And it is definitely on its way back!”

The upper floors of the Broad Street property are still being renovated, but the end is in sight. The Morriss couple plans to reside on the third floor once the transformation is complete.

“

It’s been a joy to serve people and to be something of a catalyst to help downtown Texarkana [come] back to life.

Even in the midst of maintaining the event venue downtown and overseeing renovations, Josh finds time to volunteer at Fellowship Bible Church and with the Wilbur Smith Rotary Club. His three daughters, Meredith, Susannah, and Marjorie, work together to run the children’s theater, and Josh helps his daughters’ efforts by constructing some of their set pieces. Last year, Josh was on the TXK 150 committee, which was responsible for planning and carrying out tremendous sesquicentennial celebrations throughout 2023. Among the events were the unearthing of a time capsule, the burial of a new one, a gala ball, the debut of a light sculpture at the downtown courthouse and post office, and a grand finale concert and multimedia experience at the Perot Theatre.

It takes all types of individuals to make the world go ‘round, but there is a special spot for those who believe their hometown can always grow and improve with a little time and care. Texarkana is fortunate indeed to have Josh Morriss, who continues to show pride in his beloved hometown.

photo by CHLOE SANDERS

A LESSON IN PERSPECTIVE

Longtime children’s art teacher Judy McKinney now offers lessons to fellow residents at Holiday Cowhorn Creek Estates

by ELLEN ORR

When Judy McKinney’s eldest grandchild, Katie, asked her for help with drawing a snout, Judy pulled scrap paper and a pencil from her apron pocket and got to work. Standing behind her seated granddaughter, then age six, Judy studied the object of the piece—a small stuffed animal —and drew the shapes of the animal’s threedimensional nose. “Katie looked at my sketch and said, ‘Mimi, that’s wrong. You’re up there. I’m down here.’ So I had to get down, get my eyes on her level, and then sketch it again.”

This anecdote encapsulates one of Judy’s greatest gifts as an artist, a teacher, and a person: she values varied perspectives. She believes that people of all ages, educational levels, and backgrounds have unique insights and lessons she can learn, as long as she is open to them.

As a child, Judy attended Liberty-Eylau School District, where she became one of the (if not the) district’s first-ever National Merit Scholarship finalists. “I was a tomboy who turned into a nerd,” Judy said. “I was the one people came to when they needed help with their homework, when there was a concept they couldn’t get from the teacher, and I could always explain it. So the teaching thing—that goes way back.”

Many people in Judy’s life encouraged her not to waste her exceptional intellect and academic potential. She knew there would be no waste: she said she was going to raise brilliant children. “My doctor just said, ‘You’ve got the brains—you need to go to medical school,’” Judy recalled. “And I said, ‘Think about it this way: I’ll raise children and ‘multiply’ myself in the world.’ And that’s exactly what I did.”

Judy and her husband, Bill, met when Judy was 18 and Bill was 22. They met by happenstance through mutual friends one Friday night and spent the rest of the weekend together. “Our chemistry was just incredible,” Judy said. “By Sunday night, we were trying to figure out how to tell our families that we were getting married.” The following Wednesday, Bill asked for Judy’s father’s blessing. The two were married five months later, “as soon as we could get the budget to balance,” she recalled.

Kids soon followed, and before long, Judy was a 27-yearold stay-at-home parent with three children under the age of five. One day, a friend invited Judy to join a weekly tole painting class. (“Tole painting” is the folk art of painting on everyday household items.) “You didn’t have to do any kind of drawing,” she said. “There were books, and you traced things onto recipe boxes, lap desks, plaques for the wall.” Judy, who had always been intimidated by drawing, decided to give tole painting a shot.

The second class, scheduled to fall on July 4th, was canceled, and in the intervening two weeks between Judy’s first class and the next, she practiced every day on her own. She had unlocked a hidden talent, and she was hooked.

Word of Judy’s abilities spread, and commission requests came flooding in. As the asks became more and more detailed, Judy was pushed to grow and improve. She purchased “how to draw” books on various subjects and found that a step-by-step method made sense to her. The more she practiced, the more easily she could derive the steps herself. Bill taught her how to perform reductions and enlargements, a skill he had learned in a woodworking course, enabling Judy to paint her images onto objects of all sizes.

Judy remembered. The class was a huge hit, with all of the students completing a piece they were proud of. Other teachers took notice and asked Judy to visit their classes as well, until one teacher finally asked, “Why aren’t you teaching [private] art lessons?”

At her home on Kennedy Lane, Judy began offering afterschool classes, using the step-bystep method to empower children as capable artists. At “Studio 2211” (in reference to her house number), Judy taught countless artists over a 40-year career. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Judy retired—or so she thought.

In early 2023, Judy began experiencing severe mobility issues. She lived alone—as she had for the last three decades, since her husband’s untimely death—so her adult children, none of whom were living in Texarkana, began looking into places for her to move nearer to them. And then, the burglary happened.

The owner of a children’s dress shop in Hooks, after seeing one of Judy’s works in the wild, started stocking Judy’s pieces in her store and acting as a go-between for customers who wanted custom pieces. After a lucrative Christmas season, she urged Judy to try painting on canvas. One landscape on canvas later, Judy began to see herself as a formal artist.

In her early 30s, Judy was asked to visit the school to teach an art lesson to one of her children’s classes. In preparation, she chose an image for the class to recreate and then broke it into shapes that she knew the kids could handle. “‘Can you draw a letter C? Can you draw a letter U? Can you turn it upside down?’ And I went through eight basic shapes, and [the students] agreed, ‘Yeah, we can do that,’”

One summer night, with Judy asleep in her bed, someone broke into her home, stole her purse and car keys, which they used to steal her car. The police told Judy that the perpetrator had likely been watching her for weeks through her always-open blinds and that she needed to keep them closed. “Once I lowered the blinds, it was like, ‘Oh, get me out of here,’” she recalled. “It didn’t even feel like the same house.”

Though her children—living in Austin, San Marcos, and Denver— lobbied for her to move to one of their cities, Judy had her mind set on Holiday Cowhorn Creek Estates. She had visited the property multiple times with her garden club and to visit friends who were residents. She felt confident that she could be happy there.

In July 2023, her eldest, Donna, flew in from Colorado to get Judy moved and unpacked. Once settled in, Judy made it her mission to get to know as many fellow residents as she could. “I decided I wouldn’t be happy eating dinner in a dining room full of strangers every day, so I started learning people’s names on purpose,” she said. “It became a hobby. I now know 70 or 75 names.”

Throughout her 40-year career, Judy taught innumerable lessons in art and life.

By September, the activities director convinced Judy to teach a seasonal class for interested residents. After a month of painting pumpkins, Judy’s new students experienced the same epiphany Judy herself had experienced 50 years prior: they could make art.

“They started telling each other, ‘Oh, you can do it; the way she teaches it, you can do it,’” Judy said. “It just took off from there.”

Now Judy offers regular lessons for her fellow residents. Her thirdfloor corner apartment, in addition to her living spaces, boasts a large room, with windows overlooking woods and the creek, which serves as her studio.

Though her Kennedy Lane house, where she lived for 50 years, will always hold a piece of her heart, Judy says she loves living at Cowhorn Creek. When she is not teaching classes or creating art of her own,

she can be found spending time with her neighbors-turned-friends, reading, and participating in her book club. She especially loves visits from her children (Donna Souder Hodge, PhD.; Mac McKinney; and Tommy McKinney) and grandchildren (Jack, Chloe, Katie, and Lily), all of whom inspire great pride—and from whom Judy loves to learn.

“When Tommy [my youngest child] was still a toddler, he was my best critic,” Judy recalled. “He would look at my work and give his opinion, and it would really help me because he would notice things that I might not have noticed.”

Now, Tommy’s daughter Lily (13) is the youngest McKinney, and she too inspires her Mimi artistically. “Lily draws this little dinosaur, with his hand sticking up and jagged teeth on both edges,” Judy described with a smile. “I can see her making it into a cartoon.”

SCENE ABOUT TOWN

THE TEACHERS SUPPORT TEACHERS FUNDRAISING GALA WAS HELD AT THE TEXARKANA CONVENTION CENTER ON SATURDAY, MARCH 2ND.

Genita Harris, Virginia Harris, and Juanita Harris

Kari Valentine, Cynthia Tyous, and Pam Warren

Rae Thigpen Parks, Dr. Beverly Webb, and Frederick Webb Sr.

Andy and Nikki Johnson with Whitney and Jeremy Boykin

Stephanie Gibson, Natasha Hamilton, and Whittney Brown

Amy Momsen, Kishina Shaw, Bhavin Pastakia, Mark Ahrens, Allanna Henton, and Julie Bradford

Back row: Athenia Dodds, Gaila Easter, and Talitha VanHook ; front row: Donna Jean, Allanna Henton, and Brandi Soils

Candace Williams and Arkadia Armour

Derrick Hamilton and Juanita Harris

Cynthia Tyous, Lashundra Bradley, Shasta Richard, and PaQuita Davenport

Whitney Bunn and Ashley Franklin

Dwight and Allanna Henton Jessica and Bhavin Pastakia

GOLD ON THE GREEN

Texarkanan Chuck Gardner is the top senior amateur golfer in Texas

by LOUIE AVERY

Sports-minded individuals would probably love to say they have walked in 68-year-old champion golfer Chuck Gardner’s shoes. Fans, we’re talking steel cleats and soft spikes.

A 1973 graduate of Texas High, Chuck grew up in Wake Village, Texas, dreaming of playing Major League Baseball like many other youngsters in Texarkana. He came closer than most. He watched the New York Yankees and their superstar Mickey Mantle on television every week and listened to the St. Louis Cardinals on the radio.

“I thought it was the coolest thing to watch those guys on TV,” reminisced Chuck. “My first memory was playing pee wee ball. There was no t-ball or coach-pitch in those days. I was six years old and pitching.”

Looking back, Chuck said that he didn’t really learn a lot about baseball those first seasons. Once he reached Little League, things got serious. The manager and assistants stressed fundamentals and winning.

It took me a year or so, but playing golf came natural for me because of my hand-eye coordination.

Kenny Gardner, Chuck’s father, supported from the bleachers, while other fathers might have duties on the field. The elder Gardner was less of an athlete and more of an outdoorsman. Busy working two jobs, he was educated on the game at work by the late George Dobson.

Chuck’s mom, Pat, on the other hand, was a baseball fan. She was often overheard encouraging Chuck to take his time at the plate.

Chuck was a gifted athlete, but he was not blessed with size and strength. With a wooden bat in hand, the 145-pounder never hit a home run in high school. On the other hand, his glove and defensive play would eventually earn him a scholarship to John Brown University, where he played for legendary coach Wally Moon. Also an all-district basketball player at Texas High, coaches from Ouachita Baptist University and Southern State (now Southern Arkansas) University wanted Chuck for his ball-handling and shooting skills. Chuck picked John Brown because Moon had mapped out a route for him to the pros.

“Coach Moon told me there were things I could work on to make the next level,” Chuck said. “One of those things was to get stronger, which I did. I actually became a pretty good hitter in college with the aluminum bats. I even hit a couple of home runs and batted .425 my junior year.”

That was a terrible day for Chuck. After baseball, he was asking himself, “What can I do now?”

He tried working in insurance and didn’t like it. He went to work for the Texarkana Gazette and later Cooper Tire. It was the latter job that sent him to Austin, where he was employed for 16 years as a sales rep.

While in Austin, Chuck’s 13-year marriage ended, and he discovered solace and success playing golf in the Texas Amateur Golf Association. It was his debut as a serious amateur player.

After that baseball season, Chuck was drafted in the 13th round by the Houston Astros. A New York Mets scout had compared the Astros’ prize to the Mets’ veteran Bud Harrelson. Reaching double-A ball in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organization at San Antonio was to be Gardner’s Waterloo. Once again, his performances at the plate with a wooden bat let him down.

The handwriting was on the dugout wall, and he asked to be traded. It seemed nobody was interested, and he asked to be released.

“It took me a year or so, but playing golf came natural for me because of my hand-eye coordination,” said Chuck. “I was the Texas Amateur of the Year in 2002, having won the midamateur match play.” That same year, he placed second in the mid-amateur stroke play and fourth in the Texas State Amateur.

Over two decades later, Chuck is still a strong competitor. In fact, in 2022, he won his first individual state championship in his career playing with the Texas Golf Association. And last year, he was named the Texas Super Senior Amateur Player of the Year.

Chuck now lives in Texarkana. His 38-year-old son, Patrick, still resides in Austin and is planning a trip to Texarkana to play golf with his father, for whom golf remains a passion, although his life is now focused on his beautiful lady, Cathy.

“Cathy is the love of my life,” Chuck said. “I’m a lucky man. A mutual friend got us together. It’s sort of ironic. She was a cheerleader at Arkansas High but didn’t read the sports pages and didn’t know me. She would work the crossword puzzles, which were on the back of the sports pages. Cathy is my biggest supporter on the golf course.”

So, what’s next? Chuck hopes to qualify later this year for the U.S Senior Amateur.

photos courtesy of THE TEXAS GOLF ASSOCIATION

SCENE ABOUT TOWN

FOUR STATES LIVING MAGAZINE’S 2024 BEST OF TEXARKANA WINNERS

Four States Living Magazine recently presented plaques to the winners in the Best of Texarkana™ Readers’ Choice Awards to congratulate them for being selected for this honor. Ballots were filled out at www.fourstatesliving.com then the top five finalists in each of the 51 categories were listed online. Participants then voted online for their choices, and the winners were named. Congratulations to all finalists and winners!

Dr. Rachel King

Shelby Lloyd, Marion Criddle, Cindy Pankey, Shane Woodruff, Melissa Douglass, Danny Carroll, Rebekah Smith, and Amanda Henderson

Kendal Dockery

Dustin Young, Kristen Sojo, Joy Johnson, Amy Tankersley, Brooke Marshall, Dr. Matt Young, Tina Starkey, Brytni Jamison, and Kyndel Griffith

Darlene Taylor Patricia Cunningham

Amber Satterfield, Vickie McClanahand, and Tiffany O’Neal Eagle Dental Center

Missy Davison, Misty Honea, and Jenny Crow

Back row: Samantha Stokes, April Yeager, Ashley Allday, and Brandi Rhodes

Front row: Sundas Riaz, Taylor Callaway , Shanna Gosa Not pictured: Aimee Houff

Becca Turner, Miranda Mikkelsen, Samantha Harris, Nina Howeth, and Kaylie Stephens

Brent Freeman and Meagan Freeman

Tavo Cruz, Coco Morales, Teresa Leyva, Marta Rodriguez, Rolando Yanes, and Claudia Yanes George Gawrieh

Jeremy Nienkamp

Ava Patterson, Anna Syzmanski, Landon Evans, Angel Smithers, Antonio Harris, and Haylee Gerber Kerry and Jason Eppinette Alfonso Sanchez

Gina Dante, Morgan Holmes, Brandy Swift, and Larry Thompson

Jordan Felker, LVN, Sydney Smith, Elizabeth Jacobsen, FNP-BC, Meshia Luvene-Fairrow, and Alexus Hart, RN

Back row: Allison Thomas, Lori Rochelle, Madison Williams, Laurie Booker, Kayla King, Elesia Hyman, Brenda Thomas, Blanca Diaz, and Hilary Stovall; Center: Blair Bowden, Jessica Henson, Teresa Scrivner, and Pollyanna Ferguson; Front row: Michelle Madrid, Lorie Son, and Sarah Hall

Farmers Bank and Trust

Kellie Ashbrook

Lauren Callaway Hunter Stanton

Naaman Neaves

CHRISTUS St. Michael Healthcare System Rehabilitation Hospital

CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System

Roger and Debbie Sheppard

Reagan McDaniel, Ashley Hensley, and Lydia Whitehead

Glenn Bingham

Teresa Liepman and the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Infinity Team

Kaydee Waren

Caden Grisham

Carla Ward and Lauree Tyson

Emilye White, Josefina Ortiz, Ciara Brookover, Emily Anderson, Ariell Hopkins, and Jordan Walraven

Randy and Haley Roeser and Terrie Arnold

Jennifer Tanner, Hannah Allison, Lauren Lathrop, and Julie Furlow

Nate Price, Edward Lang, and Billy Lee

Haley Stokes, Delaney LaRose, and Caitlin Clingan

Jeff Loving

Lucas Sullivan

STRONG OOTS

A FAMILY AFFAIR

by ROBIN PROCTOR

Get creative! Vintage wheelbarrows and bicycle baskets make wonderful planters.

Spring has sprung, and Mother Nature is having a field day taunting us with warmer days filled with sunshine. Hopefully the days and nights will no longer dip down to freezing temperatures. Dad always adhered to planting after Easter. He was usually correct, based on years of goosebumps on our arms and legs at Sunday morning Easter services. Yes, I know—a very scientific method used to plan a garden. Right or wrong, it’s time to move forward. Sly and the Family Stone couldn’t have said it better when they sang “It’s a Family Affair.” Granted, they probably weren’t singing about gardening, but you never know.

As a parent, one of my many goals for my children and grandchildren is that they grow up with fond and lasting memories of their childhood, memories that they will tell their own about with laughter or tears. These memories don’t necessarily have to come with large price tags but instead require quality time well spent as a family. I can clearly remember digging potatoes with my dad as a child as though it were yesterday. He would unearth the potatoes and toss them to me to put in the basket. He was quite a practical joker, so without breaking his rhythm he tossed a stinky, mushy, rotten potato to me. Screams and shrieks prevailed from me, which of course was followed by uncontrollable laughter on his part. As I reminisce, this memory still brings a smile to my face. Now is the perfect opportunity to make these memories and learn lifelong skills as a bonus—of course, minus the rotten potato. So put down your phones, turn off the tablets, shut off the televisions, and take the earbuds out. Let’s talk about how to make gardening a family affair!

The goal of this family project is to make it fun while laying the groundwork for healthy eating habits. Start by taking inventory of what you might already have in your possession that could be transformed into an above-ground garden. Channel your inner MacGyver! A wheelbarrow, plastic storage containers, a sand box, and, my favorite, a plastic child’s wading pool are all perfect for a small gardening project. Another option is to visit your local hardware store and purchase a raised garden bed. Going this direction doesn’t require the equipment that is necessary for an in-ground garden, such as a tiller or tractor. My husband and I recently decided to build our own raised garden bed. A quick trip to Home Depot where we purchased four two-by-sixes, nails, a small can of exterior paint, and landscape cloth—and voilà! An hour later, we had a planter box as well as the satisfaction that we had built it ourselves. (Of course, now he wants to build another one.)

Once you have decided on the type of container, it’s time to move on to the next fun step. When choosing your plants, it’s very important to keep in mind the amount of space you have available. This is an opportunity to talk about what new veggies your littles might be willing to try. Peppers, cherry tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, onions, strawberries, and herbs are all excellent choices for small planting areas. Texarkana is fortunate to have wonderful locally-owned nurseries to buy quality products. Two of my favorites are Three Chicks Feed and Seed in Genoa and The Little Country Greenhouse in New Boston. My grandson still talks about the free-ranging pet turkey, goats, and baby chickens at Three

Chicks. The Little Country Greenhouse has delicious handdipped ice cream and an incredible butterfly habitat, as well as a large variety of plants to choose from. Once you have your container and plants selected, it’s time for the final step before planting.

Soil selection is critical for success when planting. My favorite all-around choice is Happy Frog Potting Soil from H&N Landscaping, another wonderful locally-owned nursery. Before placing the soil in your planter, make sure it has sufficient drainage. In the wise words of my dad, “Plants like to get their feet wet, but they don’t like them to stay wet!” If you have decided to use something unconventional, you will need to add drain holes.

Once the planter is filled with your choice of soil, you are ready to plant. Your children or grandchildren will love this part of the process; after all, it’s fun to get your hands in the dirt. After your crew has placed the plants you selected in the dirt, give them a good soaking. This is to remove the air pockets around the root system. Now we wait. In this day and age of instant gratification, take this opportunity to talk about the importance of caring for your plants. There is a direct relationship to the amount of attention given to the reward received. (See, I told you there was a life lesson hidden in that garden.) You could even have a little fun and tell them that gardens love to be serenaded; just have your video camera ready. Wonderful memories are guaranteed to be made. Take pictures of the smiles, soak in all the laughter, and savor the time spent together as a family. After all, it’s a family affair.

Robin Choate Proctor was born and raised in Texarkana, Texas. After graduating from Texas High School, she pursued a music career which eventually led her to Nashville, Tennessee. Robin returned to Texarkana and completed her degree in education at Texas A&M–Texarkana. Robin is married to Danny Proctor and has one son Chase Proctor along with three beautiful grandchildren. As an amateur homesteader, Robin enjoys sharing her ideas and experiences about her time in her garden, greenhouse, chicken coop, and kitchen.

Bobby Choate (Robin’s father), Danny Proctor (Robin’s husband), and Townsend Proctor (Robin’s oldest grandson) working in the garden together.

MITZI QUINN

by MADELINE SMALLWOOD

The sounds of rustling papers, meticulous scratching of a red pen, and keyboard clacking make up a familiar soundscape for Pleasant Grove English teacher Mitzi Quinn.

“I started teaching in the fall of 1980, so 44 years [ago],” Mitzi said. “I’ve always taught English, but I have taught some journalism and leadership classes [too]. I’ve taught grades 7–12, but currently I’m teaching juniors and seniors.”

Many people struggle to find a career that they can put their whole being into, but Mitzi easily chose teaching. “[I’ve always wanted to be a teacher] from the time I was a little girl and would line my baby dolls up and make them listen to me teach,” Mitzi shared. “I think I wanted to be a teacher because I had such excellent teachers, and I think I have continued to enjoy being a teacher because of the relationships I’ve built with my students.”

While grading papers and lecturing are a part of teaching, those aren’t the things that necessarily make an impression on students. Mitzi cares for her students and shows it in many ways. “I send them off with little goodie bags of snacks on game days. I put up things on my board that they published in the newspaper. I’m feeding the girls soccer team tonight, and I feed the football team every year. It’s just my way of saying thank you to my students for making this such a wonderful environment,” she said.

Love and respect form the foundation of Mitzi’s teaching philosophy, fostering an environment where students feel loved and supported. “[My favorite part of teaching is] getting to be with [my students], and when we talk about stories, I get to see [their] minds and how they’re working,” she reflected.

Creating a safe space for exploration and expression is one of Mitzi’s top priorities in the classroom. ‘[I get to see] what wonderful concepts [students] have and provide a safe space for [them] to talk about that without fear of being told that’s the wrong answer,” she explained. “I think one of the joys of being an English teacher is that I am able to allow students to explore feelings and ideas.”

Through tireless efforts, Mitzi ensures that her students are not only academically equipped but also empowered when they leave her classroom. “I want to make sure that, when they leave me, they are prepared for whatever step comes next,” she shared. “Right now, that’s college. So I want to make sure that they have all the tools in their little toolbox. I don’t want them to struggle.”

In Mitzi Quinn’s classroom, it’s not just about the lessons in books but also the lessons in life, love, and respect. “What I want [my students] to remember most is that I respect them and I love them,” she said.

Madeline Smallwood is a junior at Pleasant Grove High School. She is a writer for The Edge newspaper and a staff photographer. Her greatest love is sports photojournalism, and she hopes to one day capture the highs and lows of NFL football.

photo by SHANE DARBY

EXQUISITE INTERIORS

STATELY. BOLD. MASCULINE.

Lara and Chris Court have personified their Georgian-style house with the name “Beauregard.”

“The only thing missing is an old guy in a white suit with a straw hat, sitting in a rocking chair and drinking a mint julep, saying, ‘Well, I declare,’” Chris said laughingly. “If that guy had a name, it would be Beauregard, so the house became Beauregard to us and our friends.”

The Courts bought the stately red-brick, two-story house in July 2022. They knew they wanted new hardwood floors installed before moving in, but one change led to another, and they were soon overflowing with renovation ideas. So, they contacted Jason Eppinette of Eppinette Construction.

“Jason is wonderful to work with,” Chris said, “and he always answered my calls and facilitated our ideas. It has been a pleasure watching our house become our home.”

Besides new flooring throughout (including an animal-print carpet runner on the stairs), the entire interior was repainted in white—a hue Lara chose so the couple’s bold art collection would pop in contrast.

“I wanted the house to be whatever Lara wanted,” Chris said, “and while I may have seen a creamy green color somewhere, if Lara wanted white, we went with white, and I’m glad we did. She was right.”

While most of the walls are white, the Courts didn’t shy away from color in other aspects of the house. You can’t miss the industrial-red kitchen cabinets, for example. Bold choices are risky, but with great risk comes great reward.

“Lara and I both have colorful, artistic styles,” Chris explained. “We like Bohemian, loud colors, so we knew we needed to pull ourselves back some with our choices, but the kitchen was definite: it had to be industrial red.” The gold floral hardware, coordinating Smeg appliances, and maximized storage space work together to create a funky and functional kitchen for the couple, who enjoy hosting family events and holidays.

The primary en-suite bathroom, also completely redone, is a highlight of the home with its spa-like style. Green subway tiles create the large walk-in shower, with dual-sided fixtures and a stand alone bathtub.

One of Chris’ favorite rooms in the house is his study, a masculine enclave decorated with eclectic Japanese art, a Zebra skin on the floor, and a collection of World War II artifacts. The walls are a specific shade of teal.

“When we were deciding on the color of the study, we took a pair of Lara’s pants to the paint store and said, ‘This is the color we want—the color of her pants,’ and they made it happen,” Chris recalled.

Lara and Chris made so many distinct, personal choices to transform this house into their dream space. But, just when one project concludes, another begins: they are planning to add on another garage and extend the kitchen.

SCENE ABOUT TOWN

THE TEXARKANA, TX, COUNCIL OF GARDEN CLUBS LED BY PRESIDENT BETH PESEK HOSTED THEIR 5TH ANNUAL BOUQUET OF GARDENS LUNCHEON AT THE TRUMAN ARNOLD CENTER ON MARCH 8TH. Members of local garden clubs attended. An excellent program was presented by Aaron Harding, master gardener, Cass County. Texas High Rosebuds assisted in serving tables for the luncheon.

Janella Garrett and Yulin Brewer

Front row- Andrea Worley and Pat Nance Back row- Beverly Tye, Alice McMillan, and Bobbye Lemmerhirt

Sylvia Ingram and Becky Bunch

Roberta McMahon, Judith White, and Pat Arnold

Paula Hall, Vara Hart, and Carolyn Folse

Nancy Robbins, Dr. Carol Hodgson, and Beth Pesek

Dr. Charlotte Hueter, Dr. Betty Feir, and Charlotte Nyman

Judge Sherry Hawkins, Mary Scott Smith, and Becky Phillips

Jennifer Guffey and Sandra Tipton

Debra Tucker, Devona Cowling, and Beverly Adler

Lon Waters, Suzy Heath, and Nancy Biggar

Martha Beasley, Carolyn Duke, and Greta Alexander

Chayta Mills, Linda Clem , Judy Davis, and Janice Stringfellow

THE DAILY PLANET

by KLARK KENT

My beloved maternal grandmother lived into her 90s. Her golden years were filled with family involvement, stopping at every yard sale in the Ark-La-Tex, and bossing her grown children daily. She was no doubt the matriarch of the family, and although quiet as a mouse, given her Cherokee heritage, she undoubtably had something to say about everything. Full of wisdom and zero filter. We all miss her very much. Actually, I can’t even visit my favorite restaurant, TaMolly’s, without thinking of her. I remember years before her death, as she left the restaurant, we noticed Grandma had taken a York Peppermint Pattie from the bowl and walked toward the exit. As you’re probably aware, it’s not obviously marked that they cost 25 cents each, so we assumed Grandma thought they were free. We quickly said, “Grandma, those cost a quarter.” Now, we were confident that Grandma was not aware, so imagine our surprise when she quickly spun around and said, “I just paid $20 for my meal, and I’ve been taking them for years, and I’ve never had to pay before,” and she continued to casually stroll out the door towards the parking lot. Was she a thief? Absolutely not. A rebel at heart? Absolutely.

You see, my maternal grandmother was born at a time when “everyone was poor,”

and if Destiny’s Child had an alternate artwork for their single “Independent Woman,” my Lene-Lene would be it. She was widowed in her mid 30s with four young children. She worked very hard to survive and flourish, forcefully carving a way for her success while giving her kids the best life, full of love, in a time when independent single moms were not as valued in American workplace society. She was a hero, to say the least.

I was blessed with two very different sets of grandparents. My paternal grandmother is still alive and will not spend a dollar on herself for anything. Although she may have more money than King Solomon in her bank account, it would be of zero surprise to any of us if we caught her secretly trying to pee in jugs if her plumbing backed up in her house because she would not want to pay for a plumber to come investigate. Her reasoning would undoubtably be, “Their cost is absolutely shameful, and they should be ashamed of themselves for charging that much.” She keeps her A/C on 92°, not because she likes it hot in the summertime but because she believes the cost of electricity is “plum shameful compared to what it was years ago.” She grows all of her own vegetables in her garden because “produce at the store

is way too high-dollar.” She refuses to splurge and buy herself Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies, so we bring her a pack monthly, and she complains about how much they cost, telling us, “You shouldn’t have spent so much money on me.” Literally the only things she ever buys from the grocery store are milk and flour. She will make the rest herself. I’m 100% confident that if I asked her to give me $500,000 cash, she would immediately get in the car and say, “Drive me to the bank, honey, and I’ll get it for you today.” She would also refuse to let me repay her. She would say something like, “Don’t you steal my blessing, honey.” She would also simultaneously be refusing to wear the new clothes we continually buy for her because she looks at the price tag and is appalled we would do such a thing. No, she will continue to wear her 1970s clothes that are “perfectly fine” in her opinion, even though she literally has duct taped the sleeves on her garden clothes, which she wears daily. I know what you may be thinking, and the answer is no, she does not have any form of dementia. She’s sharp as a tack and has been this way her whole life.

When my grandfather was alive, he would buy her a new car, and she would let it sit for over a month until she absolutely had to drive it, in protest that he spent money on a new vehicle. I’m telling you, just like old Chevy trucks, they don’t make ‘em like they used to.

My dad tells a story of how, when he was a kid, he begged for the “deluxe” crayon set but only received the “ROY. G BIV” version because—you guessed it—cost.

All this to say: truly, over the past 20 years, we have all lost so many of our favorites from what Tom Brokaw called the greatest generation. The fierce tenacity and grit that exuberated throughout that generation was paramount in developing most of the boomers. Yes indeed, the world truly was a better place with them here. I wish my grandfather were still alive; he wouldn’t be ashamed to take the majority of these politicians out on the street and teach them a lesson about integrity and statesmanship.

Many of you baby boomers still live in the shadows of your preceding generation’s legacy. You are unsure of how to capitalize on your namesake for future generations. Well, from the perspective of a millennial, I would suggest that you live out the remainder of your life fighting to secure American values, just as the generation before laid their lives on the line for continued freedoms. Yes, enjoy your “golden years,” but by golly, voice your opinion more in a setting where it can influence real change. Sitting amongst yourselves in Sunday school with like-minded people is great, but if you don’t carry the light outside that room, little influence is had on the world. The younger generation needs you more than you realize. What if your elder generation would have hushed their voice about the atrocities of Hitler? No; they saw the injustice, rose to the occasion, and sacrificed their lives to ensure that outcome would not befall their future generations.

Until next time: be wise, be kind to all persons, and read a book.

Originally from Tom, Oklahoma, Klark Kent earned his master’s of science in engineering at Louisiana Tech University and his PA at The University of Toledo Medical Center. He currently works as a physician assistant (PA-C FM/D) at Texarkana Care Clinic. Husband to Alex and father to Keller and Kix, Klark cherishes his family and enjoys writing (often humorously) about his personal experiences, life, and medicine.

SCENE ABOUT TOWN

THE GRACE HOUSE GALA WAS HELD AT THE CANVAS SPECIAL EVENTS CENTER ON FRIDAY, MARCH 15TH.

Ron and Marie Newton with Tracy and Randy Penny

Kaycee Lomax, Megan Smith, Cale Attaway, and Jackie Arellano

Michael and Michelle Thurston

Sarah Yeldell and Heather Barnette Kaitlyn and Warren McDaniel

Joseph Johnson with Susan and Greg Taylor

Amanda Barr and Whitney Jackson

Haley Raney and Dee Page

Karen and Ardie Rayfield

Nathan and Abigail Reeves

APRIL 2024

APRIL 4–8

SCT’s Little Shop of Horrors

Silvermoon Children’s Theatre is presenting the iconic Little Shop of Horrors. This show, which is rated PG-13 for subject matter, will run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. For tickets and more information, go to silvermoonkids.com/springshow24.

APRIL 5

Food Truck Friday

Grab lunch from a food truck at the State Line Federal Courthouse and Post Office from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Pat Green Concert

Enjoy a performance from the legendary country star at Crossties. Lane Bricker will open. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on outhousetickets.com.

APRIL 5, 7, 8

Perot Theatre Tours

Nita Fran Hutchinson will be leading immersive tours of the historic theatre and landmark. Friday’s tour will begin at 12 p.m. Sunday’s tour will begin at 2 p.m. Monday’s tour will begin at 10 a.m. To register, visit perottheatre.org.

APRIL 5–14

Four States Fair & Rodeo

The 79th annual Four States Fair & Rodeo will be at the fairgrounds for nine days. For more information, visit fourstatesfair.com.

APRIL 6

TSO and Jeans ‘n Classics present The Dark Side of the Moon

The celebrated Canadian-based touring act Jeans ’n Classics brings you the music of Pink Floyd, arranged with precision for the rock band, vocalists, and the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra. The show begins at 7 p.m. at the Perot Theatre. Tickets can be purchased at perottheatre.org.

Southern Soul and Blues Concert

You won’t want to miss this soul and blues lineup at Crossties. Enjoy the musical stylings of Magic One, Cecily Wilborn, and J Lake with DJ Godfather. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 8:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on outhousetickets.com.

APRIL 7

Opportunities, Inc.’s Sunday Funday

Opportunities, Icc. presents its third annual Sunday Funday, featuring live entertainment, barbecue, and a bag-toss tournament. All proceeds benefit people with disabilities in our community. The event will run from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Crossties. For tickets and more information, go to oppinc.org.

Sunset Sinners at the Loading Dock Stage

The Sunset Sinners will be performing at the Front Street Festival Plaza. The Jesse Jenkins Band will open. The gates will open at 5 p.m., and the performance begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased through outhousetickets.com.

APRIL 8

Partial Eclipse Begins

The partial eclipse will begin at 12:28 p.m.

Emerald City Band

The Emerald City Band will perform at the State Line Federal Courthouse and Post Office, beginning at 1 p.m.

Moment of Totality

Totality will occur at 1:46 p.m.

Kinfaux

Kinfaux will perform at the State Line Federal Courthouse and Post Office, beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Veteran Solar Eclipse BBQ at the VA

Cornerstone Caregiving is hosting a barbeque party to celebrate veterans. The event will be held at the Texarkana VA Clinic from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. To RSVP, text 430-200-5475.

APRIL 10

TRAHC TYA: 1, 2, 3, Andrés!

TRAHC’s Theater for Young Audiences presents a performance by musical duo 123 Andrés, the 2024 GRAMMY winners for Best Children’s Album. The performances will be at the Perot Theatre, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Individual tickets can be purchased the day of the show, but large groups should reserve their tickets in advance by contacting Hannah at hannahr@trahc.org or 903-792-8681.

APRIL 11

Farmers Bank Foundation’s Distinguished Speaker Series Farmers Bank Foundation will present Sugar Ray Leonard during its Distinguished Speaker Series. A private cocktail reception will be held at 5 p.m. at the Farmers Bank & Trust at 2900 St. Michael Drive. A dinner and lecture will be held at 7 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Texarkana Convention Center. All proceeds will benefit transfer scholarships. For more information, go to TAMUT.edu/Farmers.

APRIL 13

Kennel Club of Texarkana Fast CAT

Texarkana’s first official Fast CAT (Coursing Ability Test) is open for

registration through April 3rd. The American Kennel Club’s Fast CAT is a timed 100-yard dash where individual dogs run, chasing a lure. All breeds and mixed breeds are welcome. There will be vendors selling goods, food trucks, and photographers on site. The event begins at 8 a.m. and will be held at 7070 West 7th Street. For more information, visit the Muttworks Dog Training Facebook page. Register your pup at dogshow.com.

APRIL 18

TexRep Annual Party

TexRep cordially invites everyone to join them at the Silvermoon on Broad for a fun evening as they celebrate the company, appreciate their members, and reveal their 33rd season. This event is free and open to the public. The event will run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. For details, visit texrep.org.

Gladys Morriss Stone Soup Luncheon

Join the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary of Texarkana to raise funds for the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of Texarkana and the Center of Hope Shelter Services and Projects. Members are selling tickets, but you can also call the office at 870-774-2701 to purchase. The event begins at 11 a.m. and will be held at the First United Methodist Church.

APRIL 20

James Black’s Bowie Heritage Festival

The city of Washington, Arkansas, in partnership with the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana Foundation and Historic Washington State Park, will host the third annual James Black’s Bowie Heritage Festival from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 870-6485084 or visit facebook.com/VisitWashingtonAR.

CASA & TCAC Colorful 5K

CASA & TCAC’s Colorful 5K & Family Fun Run will take place at Trinity Baptist Church. On-site registration begins at 8 a.m. The children’s run begins at 8:30 a.m., and the adult run begins at 9 a.m. Register by April 5th to be guaranteed a t-shirt. The cost is $30 for adults and $10 for children. All proceeds benefit CASA & the Texarkana Children’s Advocacy Center. Register online at runsignup. com/casacac5k.

TRAHC’s 31st Student Juried Exhibition

TRAHC’s 31st annual Student Juried Exhibition opens on April 20th with the People’s Choice Awards and runs through June 1st. Entry is free to the public. The exhibit is located at the Regional Arts Center. For more information, visit trahc.org.

APRIL 26

Junior League of Texarkana’s

Clubs & Bugs Fore a Cause Golf Tournament

Join JLT for their fifth annual Clubs & Bugs Fore a Cause Golf Tournament, beginning at 9 a.m. at Texarkana Golf Ranch. Registration will start at 8 a.m. For tickets and more information, go to the Clubs & Bugs Golf Tournament event page on Facebook.

APRIL 27

Whatever Floats Your Boat

Communities Unlimited is hosting a cardboard boat race to raise money for the Texarkana Arkansas Parks Department’s new inclusive playground. The race will be held at the pavilion at Bobby Ferguson Park beginning at 10 a.m. Register on Eventbrite.

APRIL 28

Walking for Williams

This family-focused event will take place outdoors on the church grounds at Williams Memorial United Methodist Church. The afternoon will consist of a family warmup and walk for all ages, live music, carnival-style games for kids, and food and refreshments. The event begins at 3 p.m. Call the Williams School office at 903-8389517 to register your family.