M
artin Luther King Day Celebration
Serving Arkansas County, Arkansas Since 1882
(USPS156-140) Vol. 133, Number 4 DeWitt, AR 72042 • 16 Pages • 2 Sections • 75 cents
AROUND THE COUNTY By Terrye Seamon
Story and Photos on Page A8
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Best of DeWitt: Employer of the Year
DEWITT CHAMBER BANQUET
The DeWitt Chamber of Commerce “Best of DeWitt” Awards Banquet will be held January 29th at 6:30 pm at the DeWitt High School Cafeteria. The guest speaker will be Steve “Wildman” Wilson, who is the Public Affairs Coordinator with Arkansas Game & Fish. Tickets are $15 and available from Chamber members, local banks, and at the door. For more information contact Scarlett at PCCUA 946-3506 ext. 1620
E VANGELIST JAMIE COULTER COMING TO CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD
Everyone is invited to join us at, The Church of The Living God. Location: Gander Street in Gillett, AR. Time and Date: January 24, 2015 at 6:00 p.m.
TOWN MEETING ON LEAF BURNING
There will be a town meeting January 26th at 6:00 p.m. at the Community Center to discuss the issue of leaf burning.
ST. LUKE’S LUTHERAN CHURCH SPAGHETTI SUPPER
St. Luke’s Lutheran Church will hold its 54th Annual Spaghetti Supper on Saturday, January 24 from 4:30-7:30 p.m. The supper is a drive-thru or dine-in affair. Tickets are $8 in advance or at the door.
41ST ANNUAL OYSTER SUPPER
The DeWitt-St. Charles American Legion is hosting their annual Oyster Supper on Friday, February 20, 2015 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Camp Doughboy. Tickets are $25. Contact any Legionnaire or Johnny Purdy at 830-7618 or Perry Simpson at 509-3262.
Best of DeWitt Employer of the Year Arkansas County Bank
Some things stand the test of time and become a permanent fixture in a town’s history, and when DeWitt comes to mind, Arkansas County Bank, the Best of DeWitt Employer of the Year, is one of those icons. Originally known as the First National Bank of DeWitt, the bank first opened its doors in 1912 on the Court Square where Gallery G is now located. It relocated to West Cross in 1962 and now offers services in DeWitt as well as Stuttgart and Lockesburg. “We are the oldest bank in Arkansas County, and in my opinion, we are the strongest,” Warren Jennings, Sr., Arkansas County Bank’s chairman of the board said. Jennings, who has been at the bank
By Terrye Seamon
since 1969 and has served as a past president, said the bank is home to 57 employees, some of whom have been there for 40 plus years. Diane Greenhill, who is one of those 40-years-plus employees said, “I love my job and the people I work with. They are a great group of people to work with and for.” Pam Castaneda, who has been a member of the Arkansas County Bank family for 41 years, said the bank has seen a lot of changes through the years, from posting machines to debit cards and internet banking. Accounts were originally organized by names, and Castaneda recalls when the bank transitioned to referencing accounts by numbers in 1977.
Best of DeWitt: Employee of the Year
Some things are a perfect match and seem to be made for each other: peanut butter and jelly, Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers, Bogey and Bacall and this year’s Best of DeWitt Employee of the Year and the Best of DeWitt Employer of the Year, Flora Sisemore and Arkansas County Bank. Born on July 17, 1943, in St. Charles, Sisemore and her three sisters grew up on a rice farm in Point Deluce and attended a one-room schoolhouse. “She [Sisemore] learned to drive a tractor, chop and pick cotton, shovel rice levees and do all those other chores that you do on a farm,” Sisemore’s sister, Mary Snook, said. Due to the fact that she was ahead of her class, Snook said that Sisemore graduated high school at 16. Shortly thereafter, in June of 1961, Sisemore went to work for the First National Bank of DeWitt as an “errand girl” when the bank was still on the corner of the Court Square in the Gallery G building. Now, 54 years later, Sisemore still works for Arkansas County Bank but as a vice president and loan officer. Arkansas County Bank Chairman of the Best of DeWitt Employee of the Year Board Warren Jennings, Sr., described Sisemore as “exceptional” and “a first Flora Sisemore
Here’s what you get... 1 Class per week of Cheer & Tumbling 1 Open Gym per week
“Everybody’s a number now, but of course it is such a small town that we still know everybody by name. We pride ourselves on knowing our customers,” Castaneda said. Come and help celebrate this 103-yearold icon as it continues its second century of family-friendly service to Arkansas County residents at the DeWitt Chamber of Commerce’s Best of DeWitt Banquet. The banquet will be held January 29 at 6:30 p.m. at the DeWitt High School cafeteria, and the guest speaker will be Steve “Wildman” Wilson from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Tickets are $15 and are available at the banks, at PCCUA DeWitt Campus and from any DeWitt Chamber of Commerce member.
class person.” He went on to say, “She’s been there so long she knows everything. If she quits, I’ll close the bank.” Fellow long-time coworker Diane Greenhill had nothing but good things to say about working with Sisemore over the span of 40 years. “She’s good at what she does, and she’s a joy to work with,” Greenhill said. And Sisemore’s service to others does not stop at the bank. After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1985, Sisemore and two of her sisters combined their lifetime of cooking experiences to further the MS cause and wrote a cookbook, “The Farmer’s Daughters.” The three sisters donated the proceeds from the sale of their book to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to help in the ongoing battle of finding a cure for the disease. Sisemore will be honored at the DeWitt Chamber of Commerce’s Best of DeWitt Banquet January 29 at 6:30 p.m. at the DeWitt High School cafeteria. The guest speaker will be Steve “Wildman” Wilson from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Tickets are $15 and are available at the banks, at PCCUA DeWitt Campus and from any DeWitt Chamber of Commerce member.
It’s Not to late to Register
for $60.00 a month • Professional Coaching • State-of-the-Art Equipment • Small Classes
$25 registration fee applies to join First month due in Feb.
Call Tina at 946-9398 or Call Jeremy at 501-529-4999