- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Graduate Finishes College Education 50 Years After Starting

John Hill — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 16:20:09 +0000

A ��Vlog��ý Little Rock history student is celebrating the completion of his lifelong dream of finishing his college education, a dream that is 50 years in the making. By all measures, Ellis “Gene” Thompson of Little Rock has led a very successful life. He has a loving family and had a very successful career in media sales spanning more than four decades. “After leaving KATV as the local sales manager here, I finished that career and was faced with what I want to do,” Thompson said. “Something that had always been nagging me was to get my degree. Life had taken that opportunity away from me earlier when I was in Washington, D.C.” A native of Joliet, Illinois, Thompson joined the U.S. Navy and worked in an experimental surgery unit and then enrolled at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1973. “There I really started to mature and find my sea legs, as you will,” he said. “The doctors were very supportive of me going to college. That is why I went to Georgetown, but I was married and had a child and work. I couldn’t sustain a decent lifestyle and go to Georgetown, which was very demanding.” In 1975, Thompson left Georgetown with an associate degree and a strong desire to one day finish his college education. His career took him from Washington, D.C., to Chicago, to Dayton, Ohio, to Orlando and New York City. His final stop brought him to Little Rock in 2010 to work at KATV. “I had a great run in TV, but I’m done,” Thompson said. “I had a deep love of history, and I got that while I was at Georgetown. One of my instructors was the department head, and I fell in love with history after taking her class. I decided to come to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock as a history major.” Thompson joined ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2017 and graduated with his bachelor’s degree in history in 2019. He will graduate this semester with a master’s degree in public history, which brings his journey to complete his college education to an end 50 years after he started. “It’s something that I feel I should have done a long time ago,” he said. “It’s basically been unfinished business as far as my life is concerned. So, getting this degree is a culmination of a lifelong search for my own comfort with myself. It’s a culmination of something that I felt I should have done a long time ago and should have been determined earlier in my life. However, it feels just as good now. This is who I should have been all my life, a person with a master’s degree.” One of his favorite experiences in graduate school was participating in a class taught by Dr. John Kirk, George W. Donaghey Distinguished Professor of History, which examined the criminal cases of Robert Bell and Grady Swain, two African American teenagers who were convicted of the first-degree murder of Julius McCollum and sentenced to death. Bell and Swain confessed to the crime, but later said their confessions were forced. The class wrote a paper about the case that received the Lucille Westbrook Award from the Arkansas Historical Association for the best article manuscript on an aspect of local history. “That class really grabbed me, and I learned so much about going through archives and dusty, old records,” he said. Thompson wrote his thesis, “The Fight for Freedmen’s Minds in Arkansas,” about the development of educational programs for African Americans in the state in the 1860s and 1870s. “Arkansas was one of the last states to develop a public primary and secondary school system for African American students,” Thompson wrote. “While education was for the most part privatized, an important philosophy for educating African Americans was developed early by the Free African Society and the AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church that influenced Arkansas public and private Freedman education.” In the 1860s and 70s, there were millions of newly freed formerly enslaved people who needed an education with competing methods of how that should work. Samuel Armstrong, founder of the Hampton Institute, created an educational model called the Hampton-Tuskegee Model, which emphasized character building through manual labor and learning occupational skills. The AME church strongly contested the Hampton-Tuskegee Model. “The AME church put forth the philosophy that they wanted Freedman taught in the classical manner, emphasizing subjects like English, literature, and algebra,” Thompson said. “They wanted to train a middle-class population with doctors, teachers, and lawyers. The Hampton model emphasized teaching people manual labor skills – how to be a blacksmith, how to sew. They taught young girls how to work in houses as maids. It was being put out there that this was necessary because industrialists needed a large workforce.” Thompson dedicated his thesis to his mother, who was the daughter of an AME preacher and an inspiration for him to complete college. “I also did this for my mom who always believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself,” Thompson said. “She used to sit in the kitchen with me to do my homework when I was a child. She instilled in me that desire to get it done, and that was one of the real drivers in writing my thesis.” With graduation approaching, Thompson is thankful to history professors James Ross, Barclay Key, Jess Porter, Edward Anson, Carl Moneyhon, and Marta Cieslak for inspiring him to succeed. “My experience here has been absolutely magnificent,” he said. “I can’t say enough good things about the history department and the professors. These people are first rate, and I know because I came from one of those fancy east schools. I had a very successful career, but this is something different that I needed to do and I’m so glad I did it. I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that I would end up living in Arkansas and getting a master’s degree at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. I believe it’s a top-rate education.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Receives $40,000 Donation to Create Dr. Moira Maguire Student Support Fund for History Students

John Hill — Wed, 19 May 2021 14:26:56 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received a $40,000 donation to create a student support fund in honor of Dr. Moira Maguire, a history professor who worked at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock for 15 years and had a reputation of going above and beyond to help students succeed.�� The Dr. Moira Maguire Student Support Fund will help students in the Department of History in times of need. The fund, a quasi-endowment, will help students with housing, car repairs, utilities, food insecurity, and other expenses.�� Patricia Merry, of Rhode Island, made the donation in honor of her daughter, who was always looking for ways to help students. “Moira was the most caring person I ever knew,” Merry said. “After enjoying her time at ��Vlog��ýLR, she moved back to Massachusetts to be closer to family. Moira also gave generously of her time. She helped with the Feed the Hungry program in Little Rock and was a tireless worker for FuRR, Feline Rescue and Rehome. This past year Moira organized a campaign to distribute backpacks loaded with school supplies to students in need.” Maguire was born in Boston and went to high school in Reading, Massachusetts. In 1982, the family moved to Little Rock when her parents received job offers to build Channel 16. Maguire graduated from Mount St. Mary Academy. She earned a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University, a master’s degree from Northeastern University, and a Ph.D. in history from American University. After spending six years conducting research for her dissertation in Ireland, Maguire taught in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of History from 2000 to 2015. She also served as dean of liberal arts at Schenectady County Community College and dean of social sciences for Holyoke Community College. She is remembered by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of History as a tireless and fierce advocate for students.�� “The fund’s unique purpose couldn’t be more fitting for its namesake,” said Dr. Jess Porter, chair of the Department of History. “Dr. Maguire had a heart of gold and was a true servant to her students and her community. She worked so hard for her students in the classroom, but also as an advisor. I know there are many, many history graduates out there that benefited from her time and attention. Our students face so many challenges and it seems like this has become even more acute during the past two years. To be able to draw upon this fund in a student’s time of need is something that Moira would cherish.” Dr. Kristin Dutcher Mann, a professor of history and friend of Maguire’s, recalls how she would often hear Maguire on the phone helping students find temporary housing, ensuring they had groceries, and helping secure scholarships. “Moira took time to research the specific circumstances of each student’s journey to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and to ask questions that would help determine the most advantageous paths for them to follow to complete their degrees,” Dutcher-Mann said. “As a first-generation college student, she understood the challenges that many of our students often face. Throughout it all, she aimed to cultivate skills of organization, self-reliance, critical thinking, and writing in her students so that they would be prepared to manage whatever challenges came their way after college. I can think of no more fitting way to honor her than to establish this fund in her honor.” Providing students with financial support helps increase student retention, since financial difficulties are a common barrier for students to remain in college. “Students can face many large and small barriers to completing their educational goals,” said Heather Reed, director of student retention initiatives. “Making funds available for students can help meet needs such as car repairs, food, and housing expenses. Donations such as the Moira Maguire Student Support Fund can be a life saver for students. A sum of $2,500 from the donation will be used to help students beginning in the fall semester. History students who would like to apply for assistance from the fund in the fall may contact Chair Jess Porter or a history department faculty member.�� Maguire passed away Nov. 3, 2020, from a blood clot. She was 55 years old. Memorial services for Maguire will be held on June 4 in Easthampton, Massachusetts, and June 5 in Green Harbor, Massachusetts. In the upper right photo, Dr. Moira Maguire celebrates the launch of her book in Ireland in 2010.

Newly discovered historic records reveal new details surrounding the Elaine Massacre

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 31 Jul 2019 16:58:52 +0000

As Arkansas honors the 100th anniversary of the Elaine Massacre this year, a University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor and alumnus are uncovering more secrets surrounding one of the worst race massacres in the country’s history.�� Joseph Alley, a 2016 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock graduate and curator of the, recently discovered the minute book of American Legion Post 41 in Helena. The minute book has entries from the post’s inception in 1919, the same year the Elaine Massacre occurred, through 1925. “Dr. Brian Mitchell (assistant professor of history at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock) and I were talking after the Elaine Massacre Conference held at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center on June 1,” Alley said. “He mentioned some of the documents he was still trying to find, and I mentioned we have all of the Women’s Library Association’s original ledgers from 1888 and on. This was the group that founded the Phillips County Library and Museum. As I was initially going through them, there was one book labeled ‘American Legion.’ Low and behold, it was the 1919 minute book ledger.” In September 1919, representatives of the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America met with approximately 100 African-American farmers at a church in Hoop Spur, near Elaine, to discuss unionizing. When a group of white men interrupted the meeting, two white men were shot. A mob of an estimated 500 to 1,000 white people stormed through Phillips County, killing black men, women, and children on sight. U.S. troops were called in, and the mob dispersed Oct. 2. Under an entry titled “POST IN ACTION,” the minute book described the actions of local American Legion members in the midst of the Elaine Massacre on Oct. 1, 1919.�� “…members of the Post were summoned to the Court House as a result of the Assassination of a Special Agent… They were among the first to arrive on the scene of the murder and in the subsequent fighting negro rioters.” Two American Legion members and World War I veterans, James A. Tappan and Clinton Lee, died during the Elaine Massacre. The American Legion members adopted “Resolutions of Respect to the Memory of James A. Tappan and Clinton Lee” on Oct. 14, 1919. The men were heralded as war heroes, and their names were later added to a memorial plaque honoring American Legion members killed during World War I, despite the fact that Tappan and Lee did not die during the war.�� The resolutions state that “There has been an insurrection of Negroes in Phillips County, and the lives and property of our citizens have been placed in jeopardy.” The resolutions further say that Tappan and Lee were killed “while in the line of duty… In preserving law and order and defending the lives and property of our fellow citizens from attacks by Negro insurrections.”

Recently discovered American Legion records from Helena, Arkansas, discuss how two American Legion members and World War I veterans, James A. Tappan and Clinton Lee, died during the Elaine Massacre.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Dr. Brian Mitchell, who is studying the records, said the records are significant because they show a history of those who were directly involved in the Elaine Massacre and show some of the motivations behind their actions. “We know that the first interaction that the sharecroppers union had after the Hoop Spur shooting came from a group of deputized American Legion members who had just returned from World War I,” Mitchell said. “One of the things that the minute book reveals are the efforts that were made by the general populace to ensure, even before trial, that the leaders of the Progressive Farmers and Household Workers Union would be sentenced to death.” Following the Elaine Massacre, hundreds of African Americans were arrested and convicted in questionable trials by all-white juries. The most notorious were a group known as the Elaine 12, a dozen black sharecroppers who were convicted of murder and sentenced to death. An account of the American Legion meeting from Oct. 19, 1920, describes a report from the “committee handling question of securing execution of Negroes sentenced to die in connection with insurrection” as well as an approved motion to “demand execution of Negroes convicted” from the insurrection. According to Mitchell, some members of the American Legion were highly motivated to ensure that black men arrested after the Elaine Massacre received the death penalty in order to send a message to the remaining sharecroppers. “The minute book talks about the contacts they (American Legion members) make with the governor and their demands to be part of the investigation,” Mitchell said. “The same people who were in the mob that hunted down people during the massacre then made demands on the governor that the men would be given the death penalty. They wanted the death penalty because they wanted to send an example for other sharecroppers that might consider legal action against them for stealing their wages. This further substantiates the Supreme Court’s ruling in Moore vs. Dempsey that these individuals did not receive a fair trial.”�� While the minute book will not be on display at the Helena Museum, as it is considered too fragile for display, a digital copy will be made available for public access through the Arkansas State Archives at the end of the summer. “Records of groups and organizations add much to our knowledge about the history of a community by offering a different perspective about events than what newspapers or other published sources give us,” said Wendy Richter, director or the Arkansas State Archives and state historian. “Such records often prove to be valuable resources for researchers.” Mitchell plans to study the records and include the information in a book he is writing with Dr. Guy Lancaster, editor of the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture, and Dr. Grif Stockley, author of “Blood in Their Eyes: The Elaine Race Massacre of 1919.” “Just like these documents appeared out of nowhere, who knows what will pop up?” Mitchell said. “That is why it is so important for us to look at journals, letters, and other historical documents that can tell us more about the Elaine Massacre.” Alley was thrilled that the find will contribute to the growing body of knowledge surrounding the Elaine Massacre, but gives credit to the collectors of knowledge who came before him on the library and museum boards. “The Women’s Library Association members were fiends when collecting history,” he laughed. “They took each and every opportunity they could to get something added to the museum. It doesn’t surprise me one bit that it ended up in the collection. I half expect to find the skull of Jimmy Hoffa hiding upstairs in the next year.”��

Check out these unique course selections for spring 2019

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 14:21:46 +0000

The spring 2019 semester is right around the corner. For students still searching for an interesting course to fill out their schedule, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has some great choices.�� Vlog��ý Little Rock courses offer students the chance to learn how archaeologists uncover history, the history of the drug trade, electronic commerce, data information science, as well as poverty, immigration, the politics of developing nations, and many other great topics. Classes begin Jan. 22. Check out the following guide for courses that explore interesting and unique topics: ANTH 2316: Cultural Anthropology 10:50 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday This course is a worldwide examination of other societies and their cultures including politics, gender, religion, and families. Students enjoy learning activities including dancing. ANTH 331: Archaeology 1:40-2:55 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday In this course, students get their hands dirty while learning the basic methods and goals of archaeology, as well as what can be learned from what has been left behind. ARHA 3309: History of Design 1-1:50 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Most art history courses focus on painting and sculpture. This course examines media like ceramics, furniture, metalwork, fabrics, and graphic design. The emphasis is on European and American work from the 18th century to the present. CPSC 4399/5399-01: Special Topics: Monte-Carlo Simulation 1:40-2:55 p.m. Monday and Wednesday The course is an opportunity to explore situations in which a particular probabilistic process might be so complicated that an exact mathematical analysis is unfeasible or impossible. In those cases, simulation serves as a highly useful alternative, maybe the only alternative. To that end, students will talk about modeling various physical, chemical and mechanical processes, study the mechanics of random-number generation, and use simulation as a tool to analyze models. CPSC 4399/5399: Special Topics: Enterprise Computer and Information Systems 3:05-4:20 p.m. Monday and Wednesday Developing, deploying, and maintaining enterprise-level IT systems requires methodologies and architectures not typically covered in computer science curricula. This special topics course covers tools and techniques currently utilized for IT systems in large organizations. ECON 3318: History and Globalization of the Drug Trade 10:50 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday This course examines the ways that different disciplines answer the question, “What is a drug?” Students explore the history and economics related to three specific classes of drugs: coca, opium, and cannabis. They also analyze public policy related to drugs from economic and historical viewpoints and end with a look at the history and globalization of drugs in Little Rock and Arkansas. The class can be taken for upper-level economics, geography, or history credit. ENGL 4354/5354: Postcolonial Literature 3:05-4:20 p.m. Monday and Wednesday This seminar focuses on the study of postcolonial literature from Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Students will explore how writers from the colonies write back against the British empire, exposing the impact of colonialism, revising historical accounts, and creating “new” literary traditions. 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday This interdisciplinary course is ultimately about technology foresight and society. Assignments will be customized as appropriate to the background preparation and interests of each student. It is intended to be both unique and mind-expanding. IFSC 4350: Electronic Commerce 305-4:20 p.m. Monday and Wednesday What makes this course unique is that students look at the intersection of business, marketing, and information technology to sell products on the internet. The course and textbook are updated every year to include the latest marketing data and techniques. Students will learn about search engines, enroll in an Introduction to Google Analytics online tutorial, and create a small demonstration E-Commerce website. IFSC 7370 Data Science and Technologies (Graduate course) �� This course provides a survey of the skills and concepts needed for executing a data science investigation, including locating, managing, processing, and analyzing massive amounts of data. Topics covered include data sourcing, choosing a big data infrastructure, extracting, transforming, loading, and mining large amounts of unstructured data as well as other important skills like communication, data ethics, and emerging data services. This course will also include some hands-on experience working with sample technologies selected from a complex ecosystem of tools and platforms. While some knowledge about programming, databases, and statistics is helpful, background/review materials for all of the prerequisite topics will be provided to help students from any discipline get started with data science. M��Vlog��ýP 1150: Piano for Non-Majors 11:15 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday This course is specifically for non-music majors. Students will learn foundational skills of piano playing in a group setting. Topics addressed include basic piano technique, music reading, and elemental repertoire. The classroom is equipped with keyboards/headphones so each student will be able to learn at his/her own pace. �� POLS 3301: Seminar: Nonviolent Conflict 12:15-1:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday The seminar explores the use of methods of nonviolent conflict to overthrow dictatorships, oppose occupying forces, resist oppressive governments, and defend against external aggression. Students will investigate the theories of Gene Sharp, studies of nonviolent action from World War II to the present, as well as the teachings of Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Thich Nhat Hahn. POL 3370: Politics of Developing Areas This course will explore major themes and practical problems central to the study of the contemporary politics of global development. Variously called the Global South or the Third World among others, there is actually relatively little that unites these countries other than that, in various ways, their historical trajectory has differed from the West. This course provides an overview of three intersecting domestic institutions that shape development, namely the State, the market, and civil society. In addition, students will examine the interventions of Northern States, from imperialism to globalization, assessing the efforts of multilateral institutions and non-governmental organizations as they attempt to solve the challenges of poverty, disease, conflict, famine, and gender inequality in the Global South. In sum, the course seeks to understand why some countries in the Global South have become wealthy, vibrant democracies that are arguably part of the developed world, while others have suffered persistent violence and repression and remain mired in abject poverty. RACE 2301: Introduction to Race and Ethnicity (online) The course provides an introduction to race and ethnicity in the United States, equipping students with a thorough grounding in the main issues and debates. The course is one of two core classes on the Anderson Institute’s Race and Ethnicity minor program, the only program at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a direct focus on issues of race and ethnicity over a sustained rotation of classes. SOCI 3334: Social Problems 9-9:50 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday This course examines the issues society faces and tries to explain the root causes, perpetuation, and possibly how to combat them. SOCI 4353: Sociology of Developing Nations (online) This course focuses on the socioeconomic conditions of third world countries. This is an important class for anyone studying international affairs. SOCI 4395: Seminar: Immigrant Experiences 12:15-1:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday Immigration is and has always been a hot topic in the United States. This course will examine the past and present of immigration. What is it like to immigrate to the U.S.? How does this affect a person in terms of education, health, social interactions, and culture? How do you assimilate without losing your identity? SOCI 4395: Seminar: Poverty and Place 10:50 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday The course will examine the individual concepts of poverty and place, their theoretical roots, and their theoretical and empirical intersections. The course will focus on class discussions and projects. Students will also be reading the Pulitzer Prize winning book, “Evicted,” which was featured last semester when the author, Matthew Desmond, spoke on campus.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock professors named ‘Visionary Arkansans’

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 18:42:54 +0000

Two professors at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock have been named” by the Arkansas Times for their extraordinary research accomplishments. The list recognizes “inspired men and women who are making great things happen.”�� Dr. Yu-Po Chan, chair of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of Systems Engineering, is part of a trio of “spaceflight cubed” researchers who are designing CubeSats, low-cost, miniature satellites. “We are planning in the long run to have a constellation of these satellites … flying in formation,” Chan said. “This would be Arkansas’s very first with our name on it. Many other states bigger than us have already launched, so we are catching up, basically.” His collaborators are Dr. Po-Hao Adam Huang, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at ��Vlog��ý Fayetteville, and Dr. Edmund Wilson, a chemistry professor at Harding University in Searcy. Their first CubeSat model, ArkSat-1, is being designed by Huang and should be delivered to NASA by the end of 2019 and launched in early 2020. In October, Chan received a $24,900 grant from NASA to develop a different CubeSat project. Called SAMSAT (solar and atmospheric measuring satellite), the research will eventually map the presence of water vapor, methane, carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere above Arkansas. Chan will then compare that information to data collected by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-16, which is one of two weather orbiters operated by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. GOES weighs in at over 3 tons, according to NASA’s website — about the weight of a Hummer H2. SAMSAT will probably weigh around 3 pounds. “We are using the big satellite’s data to validate that what we see is accurate,” Chan said. “We’re talking about billions of dollars in the big satellite, thousands of dollars in these small satellites.” Additionally, “History Detective” Dr. Brian Mitchell, a professor of history at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, has been highlighted for research that is filling in the gaps of the Elaine Massacre, one of the deadliest race riots in American history.

Dr. Brian Mitchell

“Receiving the honor took me by surprise,” Mitchell said. “If I had to say anything, I would thank the students who worked with me on the projects, past and present. I would also thank my colleagues Drs. Barclay Key and Guy Lancaster, noted author and distinguished attorney Grif Stockley, Congressman French Hill and his staff, the Department of Arkansas Heritage, and the Solomon family for their assistance and support.” In September 1919, after one of several meetings black farmers held with representatives of the Progressive Farmers and Household Union, a white deputy spying on the meeting was fatally shot. Acting at the urging of the Phillips County sheriff, a mob of whites roamed the county, killing hundreds — some estimates are as high as 800 — of black residents. Five whites were killed, but only African Americans were arrested and jailed. Twelve black men were quickly found guilty of murder by an all-white jury and sentenced to death. They were imprisoned while their appeals in two famous cases traveled to the state and U.S. supreme courts. Their convictions were overturned, and they were sentenced to time served and released. But fearing they’d be lynched, all 12 fled the state, along with hundreds of other African Americans from Elaine who feared for their lives. Mitchell and his public history graduate students have searched census records, city directories, vital records, and newspaper accounts to discover what happened to the Elaine 12. So far, they have discovered the locations of six of their graves. The students are writing biographies of the men for the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies’ Encyclopedia of Arkansas. They also are raising funds to place markers on their graves, a project ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is doing in collaboration with the National Park Service and other agencies and with the help of private individuals. A previous class worked to transcribe the death certificates of African Americans killed in the race massacre and created a database. The database has been provided to the Arkansas State Archives for public use. In the spring, Mitchell’s History of Racial Violence class will look at the connections between race and violence in America from first contact through the 21st century.

Elaine Massacre victim to posthumously receive medals for service in World War I

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 20:19:55 +0000

A black World War I veteran and victim of the 1919 Elaine Massacre will posthumously be honored with the Purple Heart and other World War I honors that he was denied a century ago.�� For Dr. Brian Mitchell, a professor of history at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, helping Leroy Johnston receive his medals is about righting a wrong a century in the making. Mitchell has found that Johnston’s medical records were altered, which prevented him from receiving the military honors he deserved. “Leroy was wounded twice while serving in World War I,” Mitchell said. “His wounds required a long time of convalescence. His records were intentionally altered from ‘severely’ wounded to ‘slightly’ wounded. This impeded him from receiving any awards for being wounded in action. I thought this was a tragedy.” Mitchell uncovered this tragic aspect of Johnston’s life while investigating the in preparation for its centennial commemoration in 2019.

Dr. Brian Mitchell

The Elaine Massacre is remembered as one of the deadliest racial conflicts in the country. In September 1919, representatives of the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America met with approximately 100 African-American farmers at a church to discuss unionizing. When a group of white men interrupted the meeting, two white men were shot. The sheriff organized a posse, comprised largely of white veterans, who like Johnston, had recently returned from the war. A mob of an estimated 500 to 1,000 white people stormed through Phillips County, killing black men, women, and children on sight. Johnston and his three older brothers were killed during the Elaine Massacre. Determined to right this injustice, Mitchell gathered records that substantiated Johnston’s military service and injuries. He submitted the information to the U.S. Department of the Army over the summer to request that Johnston be awarded medals for his service during World War I.�� Mitchell then contacted for assistance. Mitchell thanked Hill and his staff members, especially Thomas McNabb, Hill’s director of military affairs, for their help, which was instrumental in ensuring that Johnston finally received his long overdue medals. “We are proud to honor Private Johnston, who died defending our freedoms, by helping to secure four medals he rightfully deserved for his valiant acts of bravery during World War I,” Hill said. “I have a great veterans team of three on my staff who work hard to ensure our veterans, alive and no longer with us, receive full recognition for their service. Tom did a phenomenal job ensuring Private Johnston’s legacy lives on forever.” “I want to thank Dr. Mitchell for bringing this to our attention,” McNabb said. “It was a privilege to be a part of honoring Private Johnston’s service to our great nation. This is why I do what I do every day to help our Arkansas veterans.” A ceremony is being planned to present the awards to Johnston’s relatives. Johnston will receive the Purple Heart with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for wounds received in action on Sept. 26, 1918, in France. He also will receive the World War I Victory Medal with France Service Clasp and Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, and Meuse-Argonne Battle Clasps, and the World War I Victory Button. Kyle Miller, a great-nephew of Leroy’s brother, Dr. D.A.E. Johnston, who was also a victim of the Elaine Massacre, said his family is very grateful that Leroy will finally receive his medals. “I feel like justice is taking place. When you look at the original document, Leroy’s release paper, it’s obvious that he was qualified for a Purple Heart, but the document was then altered to disqualify him,” Miller said. “A wrong has now been righted. Dr. Mitchell encouraged me to work with Veterans Affairs and inquire about Purple Heart status for my great uncle. I went as far as I could go in the process, but I hit a roadblock. There were some things that I couldn’t verify. Brian kept pushing until he got a breakthrough. I am so glad that he did! I am also extremely grateful to Rep. French Hill and his staff for all of their help. Our family is indebted to Dr. Mitchell. We are all ecstatic!”

In Leroy Johnston’s discharge record, the word “slightly” has been stamped over “severely” in the ‘Wounded in action’ section.

The Road to Elaine

Johnston was a private in the U.S. Army. At 23, he joined on Nov. 9, 1917, in New York City. He served in Company M, 3rd Battalion, 369th Infantry, which was also known as the Harlem Hellfighters. Johnston went overseas in December 1917 and was honorably discharged on July 5, 1919. He was wounded and gassed in the Battle of Chateau-Thierry. He also served as a bugler. The Harlem Hellfighters military band became quite famous for introducing jazz to Europe. The Johnstons were a prominent black family in Jefferson County. Their father, Rev. Lewis Johnston Jr., was the first ordained black minister of the Covenanter Church, and their mother, Mercy, was a former school teacher. Of Leroy’s three older brothers, Dr. D.A.E. Johnston was a successful dentist and inventor in Helena; Dr. Louis Johnston was a physician in Oklahoma; and Gibson Johnston owned a car dealership in Helena, where Leroy worked after his return from war. The four brothers had been out squirrel hunting when tragedy struck.

Leroy Johnston’s Purple Heart certificate

“What’s sad is that they had nothing to do with the riot. If they had just stayed in the woods for another day, maybe they could have evaded the calamity that pursues,” Mitchell said. “They hop on the train to Helena, and the train is stopped by one of the posses. The posse puts them in the back of a car handcuffed and takes them away. The narrative is that the brothers were all in the car of a well-known politician and business owner. They maintain that one of the brothers grabbed a gun and shot and killed the driver, and then the posse killed the brothers in retaliation. The brothers’ bodies were dumped on the side of the road, and they were supposedly horribly mutilated as well.” The mother of the Johnston brothers encountered yet another miscarriage of justice when she retrieved their bodies. “According to her story, the mother had to pay a bounty on the bodies before the coroner would ship them out,” Mitchell said. “She had them sent to Pine Bluff, where their father had taught and been buried. She wanted her sons buried near their father. All of the boys were buried in the same grave because their mother wanted them to be as close in death as they were in life.” Mitchell is also part of an effort to locate the brothers’ grave. Many of the burial records for Jefferson County were lost in a fire during the 1970s, which has made finding the site of the Johnston brothers’ grave difficult. Mitchell said he believes he has located the cemetery where the brothers are buried and hopes that a grave marker can be placed on their gravesite before the centennial of the Elaine Massacre in 2019.

An old newspaper article shows the Johnston brothers who were killed in the Elaine Massacre in 1919.

The bodies of the black victims of the Elaine Massacre have never been found and are believed to have been buried in a mass grave. The grave’s location remains unknown. If the Johnston brothers’ grave is found, it would be significant as the only known grave of a black victim of the Elaine Massacre, Mitchell said. Miller is thankful for Mitchell’s efforts, which is helping to bring some closure to this dark part of Miller’s family history. “As a family we grew up hearing about the Elaine Massacre, and we read Grif Stockley’s book (“Blood in Their Eyes: The Elaine Race Massacres of 1919”). It just brought up more questions. We had heard the story for years that the brothers had been buried in Pine Bluff. When Dr. Mitchell started doing his research, he narrowed the burial down to one or two cemeteries in Pine Bluff. This has brought a sense of ��closure because his research confirmed that these family oral histories were accurate.” The Elaine Massacre is something that many people didn’t discuss and would rather leave in the past, Miller said, but he is glad that historians are opening up discussions. “I’m really glad that these discussions are being held,” Miller said. “It used to be called the Elaine Riot, like it was blacks against whites. In reality, it was only a few white people who were shot, while the blacks were running for their lives in terror. Now there is the foundation to commemorate the Elaine Massacre. The fundamental terminology has been changed. A riot assumes two groups were fighting against each other. That’s not what happened at all. It should be classified as a massacre.” In the upper right photo,��Leroy Johnston (right) is shown with two of his brothers, Drs. D.A.E. (left) and L.H. (center) Johnston.��

Incoming ��Vlog��ý Little Rock freshman wins scholarship from Rotary Club of West Little Rock

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 03 Jul 2018 20:08:55 +0000

An incoming University of Arkansas at Little Rock student has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship by the Rotary Club of West Little Rock.�� Armando Arellano, a 2018 graduate of McClellan High School who plans to study history and accounting at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, was awarded a $1,000 per semester scholarship for the 2018-19 academic year during a Rotary Club meeting on June 13. He was one of three local high school graduates who received a scholarship based on grades, financial need, leadership, and services to the community and/or school. The additional scholarship winners are Melissa Velazquez and Stephanie Chukwuanu. Scholarships are renewable for up to three years. Arellano graduated seventh in his class of 164 with a 3.58 GPA. While at McClellan High School, he has been involved in Student Council, Future Business Leaders of America, and High School Scholars, as well as a member of the soccer and athletics teams where he ran a 7-minute mile. Arellano has a form of primary autism, but he has never let this limit him. In the ninth grade, Arellano asked to be moved from the special education program at McClellan and be placed in regular classes. “He is self-motivated, sincere, hardworking, and wants to improve himself,” said Marc Sherman, co-chairman of Rotary Club of West Little Rock Scholarship Committee. “He impressed me by his desire to teach, a noble profession, and to serve his community by educating others. Armando is both faith and family orientated and takes great pride in his Latino roots. With a desire to improve himself and the world around him, nothing will stop him from reaching his goals.” The Rotary Club of West Little Rock, founded in 1958, has awarded more than $60,000 in scholarships through its Education and Charitable Fund to help students attend college and afford them the opportunity to continue serving their communities. In the upper right photo, Armando Arellano (left), is pictured with fellow Rotary Club of West Little Rock scholarship winners Melissa Velazquez (center), and Stephanie Chukwuanu (right).��

College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences honors top students, scholarship recipients

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 15 May 2018 16:21:31 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences recognized its top students and scholarship recipients during the college’s awards ceremony on May 1.�� The college’s departments include art and design, biology, chemistry, English, history, mathematics and statistics, music, philosophy and interdisciplinary studies, physics and astronomy, theatre arts and dance, and world languages.

College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences

Stephen L. Mourning Science Scholarship – Erica Olson Mexican Studies Endowed Scholarship – Catherine McGibbony Science and Mathematics Leadership Endowed Scholarship – Carol Bowerman, Chandrasimha Reddy Penthala, Kenneth Burnett, Thuy Thanh Le, Carson Smith, and Amber Hill

Department of Art and Design

Charles D. Massey Scholarship – Chassidy Siratt and Brandy Thrower Cindy Conger Endowed Visual Art Awards – Carley Brown Dorothy Gillespie Foundation Scholarship – Mary Bowling Friends of The Arts Scholarship – Christina Osorio Jerry E. Arrowood Memorial Scholarship – Sandi Harvell and Kennedy Butler Joan R. Taylor Scholarship – Madeline Hutson, Monica Penny, Carley Brown, Olivia Blair, Austin Bowers, and Alexis Stiles Lewis and Debbie May Scholarship – Mary Bowling Nabholz Endowed Scholarship for Art and Design – Wendell Martin Judith A. Wrappe Scholarship – Brady Jackson, Henry Thomas, Jennifer Bell, Robert Berry, and Brandy Thrower Windgate Foundation Scholarship – Rachel Struthers, Lilliana Reinoso, Joshua Goff, Savana Holland, Kiersin Webb-Carrington, Erin Vaughn, Jennie Vaughn, Lauren Fuller, Tatiana Correa, Annika Shunn, Candace McJunkin, Briana Hardin, Marcus Crutchfield, and Lauren Johnson Lori Grimes Memorial Scholarship – Chassidy Siratt

Department of Biology

James H. Fribourgh Endowed Biology Scholarship – Abdallah Abou-Diab Tom and Debbie Lynch Biology Scholarship – Humam Shahare Martha Couch Givens Memorial Award – Samantha Gray Thomas Hogue Memorial Award – Grace Rutter John D. Rickett Outstanding Graduate Student Award – Lisa Williams and Richard Connor Clarance B. Sinclair Memorial Scholarship – Alaa Shahare

Department of Chemistry

AIC Outstanding Graduating Senior – James Sellers and Rebecca Moreira ACS Outstanding Graduating Senior – Samantha Macchi and Marina Avram Outstanding Graduating Master’s Student – Raymond Patey Outstanding Graduating Ph.D. Student – Sreevishnu Cheerla Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award – Mavis Forson Frank Lamar Setliff Endowed Scholarship – Caroline Kornelsen and Robert Hill Darryl K. Reach Endowed Scholarship – Carol Bowerman and Thuy Thanh Le ACS Book Scholarship – Kendall Riley Wood

Department of English

Cooper Success Scholarships – Brooke Turner, TiLena Camp, and Heidi Clement Ruth Lovett Booker Scholarship – Frankie Alford Marilynn Keys Endowed Scholarship – Caleb Alexander-McKinzie Eleanor Orts Francis English Scholarship – Kimberly Mauer Roslyn L. Knutson English Award – Kyrsten Younge Alma K. Dougherty Award – Frankie Alford Martha Sawrie Stephenson Endowed Scholarship – TiLena Camp Gladys K. Brown Award – Joy Reinbold Kathryn Ramsey Award – Joy Reinbold Richard Stanley Cooper Literary Award – Caleb Alexander-McKinzie

Department of History

Richard B. Dixon Scholarship – Tyrene Jones, Crystal Shurley, Devin Sorrows, Kyna Stys, and Ellis (Gene) Thompson Dr. Edward Madden and Lucy Dorothy Anson III Award – Morgan Guzman and Jade Kitchel Craig Powell Memorial Scholarship – Ian Gaebel Martha Sawrie Stephenson Endowed Scholarship – Amy King Jack Freshour Scholarship – Nancy Tell-Hall Fred Williams Scholarship in Public History – Rachel Walters

Department of Mathematics and Statistics

Jerry and Sherry Damerow Endowed Math and Statistics Scholarship – Hayden Hensen, Tanaya Williams, Michael McKenzie, David Johnson, and Susanna More Dewoody and Emily Fleming Dickinson Math Scholarship – Shazeena Ashraf and Susanna More David A. Schonert Endowed Scholarship – Tristan Gregory Linda and Tom Mcmillan Mathematics Scholarship – Joseph Sorensen Ma Endowed Family Scholarship – Carrie Callo Barraza Ann Jameson Wilson Mathematics Scholarship – Richard Inakpenu and Grizel Macias Outstanding Senior Awards – Mason Cox and Jamie Burrows Award for Outstanding Achievement By an Undergraduate Student – Scott Wolf and ��Hayden Hensen Award for Outstanding Teaching By a Graduate Student – Joshua Hairston Award for Outstanding Achievement By a Graduate Student – Chary Akmyradov Outstanding Tutor Award – Allen Lunnie and Ha Trinh Friends of The Department – James Hollander, Sam Lawhorn, and Jerry and Sherry Damerow

Department of Music

Edith Willis Woodall Scholarship – Karah Poole Eleanor Orts Francis Scholarship – Isaac Helgestad, Dakota Jackson, and Earnie Williams Homer and Betty Jones Opera Endowment – Elizabeth Wheeler Joan R. Taylor Scholarship – Jillian Armstrong, Sarah Hylton, Benjamin Moore, Alexander Rupert, Kyndriatta Sears, and Maria Zarate Stella Boyle Smith Award – Alyssa Anwar, Hannah Blacklaw, David Burkhalter, Lucas Bush, Michael Caysido, Brandon Dorris, Andrew Gerstenberger, Reagan Gray, Kyra Hatley, Melissa Legendre, Dante Leon, Eri Okawa, Samuel Schalchlin, and Ryan Wilder.

Department of Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies

Socratic Award for Most Outstanding Students in Philosophy – Ra’phael Davis and Melissa Vachon Richard Frothingham Achievement Award for Excellence in Philosophy and Religious Studies – Audrey Driskill Lee Asbill Johnson Scholarship – Sydney Brazil Brent Knutson Memorial Award for Excellence in Religious Studies – Jessica Chavez and Sandi Harvell Outstanding Interdisciplinary Studies Student Award – Taylor Travis and Rachel Mulligan Annie L. Harrison Scholarships – Erin Beeman and Michelle Burton

Department of Physics and Astronomy

Paul Engle Scholarship – David Cline Coleman Scholarship – Alex Kingston Outstanding Graduating Senior – Marvin Bonney Outstanding Teaching Assistant – Rauf Hussein Outstanding Graduate Research Award – Nawzat Saadi

Department of Theatre Arts and Dance

Performing Arts Award, Dance – Ronesha Butler, Travis Clark, Perin Creek, Erin Fallis, Victoria Fender, Carmen Gutierrez, Hadley Hume, Brandy Mimms, Emily Moore, Lauren Pafford, Madison Price, Jessica Regalado, Shelby Robertson, Emily Shellabarger, Rebecca Shunn, Paige Tarrow, and Mario Valdez Joel Ruminer Scholarship Award, Dance – Alysa Anderson and LaVentry Easter Performing Arts Award, Theatre – Maggie Donald, Elizabeth McKee, and Kaitlynn Mitchell Eleanor Orts Francis Scholarship, Theatre – Sabrina Hatchett, Emorie Mansur, and Gage Pipkin Ike Murry Scholarship, Theatre – Alex Calhoun and Kat Hall Friends of the Arts Scholarship – Taylor Jaggers Joan Taylor Scholarship, Theatre – Travis Clark, Char Dupins, Leah Gelé, Mykenzie Gordon, Taylor Green, Kat Hall, Keith Harper, Andrew Jaramillo, Jessica Ley, Blake Morris, Tre’Vaughn Whitley

Department of World Languages

Emile B. de Sauzé Award for Outstanding Graduate in French – Emily Summers Cervantes Award for Outstanding Graduate in Spanish – Rebecca Moreira Award for Excellence in French – Andrea Elias Vance C. Ogden Memorial Scholarship – Jennifer Harrison and Emily Mendiola Sharon Sellars Award for Outstanding Language Resource Center Tutor – Jessica Tate

��Vlog��ý Little Rock students receive grants to study Arabic in Morocco

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 02 May 2018 14:18:10 +0000

Two University of Arkansas at Little Rock students have been awarded grants from the Middle Eastern Studies Program to study Arabic abroad this summer.�� Brenden Gammill, senior history major from Little Rock, and Natalie Doris, senior double major in English and Spanish from Little Rock, will both study Arabic at Qalam wa Lawh in Rabat, Morocco. Doris received a $2,000 grant toward her one-month trip and is particularly interested in learning more about the language since she traveled to Morocco once before. “I felt the language barrier between myself and the people I met when I traveled to Morocco with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Model Arab League a few semesters ago,” Doris said. “Even without being able to speak the language, I felt the generosity and beauty of the people who I encountered. From the experiences I had, I felt the desire to learn Arabic so that I could see more of the culture and reciprocate some of the kindness that was shown to me.” Doris, who will begin law school in the fall, also plans to use her improved language skills to serve as a legal advocate for immigrants. “I would love to be able to serve different communities as an attorney and an advocate,” she said. “I am from an Irish immigrant family, which has motivated me to explore immigration and human rights law. Learning Arabic would enable me to serve a larger immigrant community.” Gammill, who received a $2,500 grant and will travel abroad for two months, said the experience will help prepare him for his future career in foreign service. “I’ve focused much of my undergraduate career on learning about the Arab world and plan to work in foreign service someday,” Gammill said. “Arabic is a language that particularly interests me but also is particularly valuable in getting work in the U.S. State Department.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock wins first ever award at National Model Arab League

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 13:05:14 +0000

Two University of Arkansas at Little Rock students received the Distinguished Delegation Award for their representation of Jordan at the National Model Arab League Conference April 4-9 at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.�� Leon Kockaya, senior political science major from Istanbul, Turkey, and Brenden Gammill, senior history major from Little Rock, won the award while serving on the Council of Environmental Affairs Ministers. This is the first time ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has won an award from the National Model Arab League Conference. “We discussed topics ranging from the obligations of the Paris Climate Accords to water scarcity and issues of waste disposal and recycling,” Gammill said. “These topics are important everywhere in the world, but what is more important is gaining an understanding that even when facing something as ubiquitous as global climate change that all countries are unique and will be forced to make choices based on their own capacities, limitations, and conflicting goals.” The Model Arab League is a student leadership development program created by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. It is a simulation of an international organization, the League of Arab States, which represents 22 countries. Twenty ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students attended the conference, including Abigail Resendiz of Bryant; Ashlyn Johnson of Pocahontas; Benjamin Bowers of Benton; Brenden Gammill, Colin Davies, Jonathan Nwosu, Julie O’Hara, and Daniel Stuckey, all of Little Rock; Hedi Davis of Kake, Alaska; Jorge Luis Gonzales of Brownsville, Texas; Kevin Shatley of Hot Springs; Leon Kockaya of Istanbul, Turkey; Makell Swinney of Fort Smith; Mariam Bouzihay of Jonesboro; Maurico Bryant of Gurdon; Molly Edwards of Magnet Cove; Paige Topping of Pine Bluff; Ryan Bourgoin of Sherwood; Scott Foltz of Cabot; and Solane Nemera of Sherwood. The students also met with Anas Al Oran, consular general of the Embassy of Jordan, on April 5 to learn what it is like to represent the country or Jordan in international diplomacy. “I am incredibly proud of our team. This conference represents a national stage and to see our students succeed here is really wonderful,” said Dr. Rebecca Glazier, associate professor of public affairs and faculty advisor to the Model Arab League. “Getting to travel to Washington, D.C., work with students from around the country and the world, meet diplomats, and engage in simulated international negotiations is really a great opportunity for our students. This is exactly the kind of high-impact experience that sets ��Vlog��ý Little Rock apart.” For more information, contact Dr. Rebecca Glazier, raglazier@ualr.edu, or visit the website.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Graduate Finishes College Education 50 Years After Starting

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Receives $40,000 Donation to Create Dr. Moira Maguire Student Support Fund for History Students