Little Rock's Vantage Points
February 10-16, 2014
Becca Bona
“Do you know who Rodney Parham Road is named for?” asked Dr. Richard B. Clark, current avid member and contributor of the Pulaski County Historical Society.
This factoid and others relating to Pulaski County are all within the umbrella of the PCHS, an organization that functions to provide an outlet for history lovers and those that would like to know more about their home.
Across the state of Arkansas and within Little Rock, history organizations, archives and groups are alive and well. While each has its own mission, the goal of the PCHS is to preserve Pulaski County history by hosting themed programs as well as putting out a quarterly publication, The Pulaski County Historical Review. This includes stories of the county’s past prominent citizens, as well as its business life and institutions.
Rachel Silva, the president of the organization for the upcoming year said, “The articles are a great way to get history down on paper and record it. The programs are … a good way to engage the public.”
The organization meets quarterly, historically on the second Sunday of September, November, February, and April, and there is usually a summer ice cream social as well.
The society’s own history is closely tied with UALR’s predecessor, Little Rock Junior College. A prominent history professor, J. H. Atkinson, along with a group of other like-minded history enthusiasts, started the organization in 1951.
The year’s programing is put together by the board of directors and includes suggestions from members. A popular past program included a seminar covering street names in the west area of Pulaski County by Michael Hood, the Managing Civil Engineer of Little Rock.
The most recent February program focused on Jeanette Rockefeller, and had over 30 people in attendance. Kaye Lundgren, an archival assistant at the UALR Center for Arkansas History and Culture presented from her thesis: “Jeannette Rockefeller: From Rebellious Debutante to Art Patron.”
“Female history is something that we don’t highlight enough, and it’s from the mid-20th century so it’s the more recent past,” Silva explained, when asked about gaging the community’s interest in the topic.
The PCHS also presented two awards at the meeting. The F. Hampton Roy Award, given each year for a submitted article which makes a significant contribution to the expansion of knowledge of Pulaski County history was granted to Jeffery Stewart. Stewart’s article focused on the school systems in Pulaski County titled, “Central Arkansas Christian School: A Study of the Relationship Between Public School Desegregation and Private Schools.”
The Peg Smith-Mary Worthen Award for 2014 was presented to Ronnie Nichols for his article, “Emancipation of Black Union Soldiers in Little Rock, 1863-1865.” This award is for the best article published in The Review that year.
The PCHS is open to more than just life-long residents of the area. The group often attracts transplants that want to learn more about the central part of the state.
The interest lies in finding out the stories behind neighborhoods, how street names came to be, and why things are the way they are.
Dr. Clark agreed: “I got into this society around 1981 because I saw that they were going to talk about the history of Pulaski Heights.” Having grown up on Palm Street, Dr. Clark was among many that found the discussion interesting.
Becoming a member only requires $25 and a budding interest in Pulaski County. Members have the benefit of receiving The Review in the mail. Otherwise, interested researchers have to search the University of Arkansas index to find copies of the publication.
Silva explained the publication’s function: “The Review is an indispensible resource for anybody that’s doing research on Pulaski County. If it wasn’t published by the Pulaski County Historic Society, it wouldn’t be found.”
In April the PCHS will host Bill Worthen who will present a program titled, “Little Rock Town Branch.” This event will take place in Ottenheimer Theatre, in the Arkansas Historic Museum.
If you are still wondering about Rodney Parham, the answer can be more readily answered in detail in a backlogged issue of The Review.
The short answer is that the road was named for Edward Rodney Parham Sr., a Chancery Judge in the county during the 50s. He purchased farmland where Rodney Parham road is located today, and his influence and personality were so great that his neighbors petitioned to have the street named after him.
For more information, find the PCHS on Facebook (Pulaski County Historical Society of Arkansas), or visit their website: http://www.pulaskicountyhistory.org/.
