Oral History

22/05/2025
Twyla Wright

An Oral History of Twyla Wright by Sue Johnston

  • Early Childhood :20
  • Formal Education 3:10
  • Married life/family/travels 5:09
  • What brought you to Batesville? 13:05
  • Outdoor Experience/Lyon College 15:55
  • Designed own house 17:45
  • Southern Baptist Sunday School Board 20:00
  • Museum Work 28:04
  • Bethesda Quilting Group 35:00
  • Writings 39:30
  • Personal Essays 42:43
  • Advice/Legacy 47:33
  • Relationship w/ husband, Dennis 50:44
25/07/2024
Ted Hall

An Oral History Interview of Ted Hall by Twyla Wright

  • Birth in MO; family history :01
  • Siblings, grandparents 2:22
  • Family activities/1st Baptist church-MO 5:05
  • High school student in Missouri 6:45
  • Sports, Ouachita College Life 8:52
  • Arkansas State University- post graduate 11:19
  • Park Ranger- Greer's Ferry/Children and their jobs 13:53
  • Marriage to Janie (King)/birth of children 16:05
  • Employed by Dagley and Associates/recruiting for AR College 17:59
  • Principal of Sulphur Rock High School 22:20
  • Southside High School vice principal (doubled enrollment) 24:10
  • Freedom of School Choice- results for Southside and Batesville Schools 27:00
  • Southside Schools Asst. Superintendent/Superintendent 30:00
  • Batesville Schools Superintendent-9 years 34:24
  • Worked for 1st Community Bank- business development 47:50
  • Executive Director of White River Area Agency on Aging/National Board 51:45
  • Monitors 18 Area on Aging Centers in 10 counties 1:01:48
  • Development of 1st Baptist Church on Eagle Mountain 1:06:20
  • Vacationing with family/working with Christmas Brings Hope 1:07:30
  • Advice for others 1:11:16
21/01/2026
Stuart Smith

An Oral History Interview of Stuart Smith by Twyla Wright

  • Name and birth 0:16
  • Parents and Grandparents 1:07
  • Siblings 3:18
  • How birth family influenced him 3:50
  • Catholic Church 6:54
  • Beginning interest in sports 8:30
  • Exploring work choices 10:20
  • Favorite subject in school and college 11:20
  • Marriage, children, grandchildren 12:15
  • Personal interests and travel dreams 16:16
  • Political service in Arkansas House of Representatives 19:30
  • Back to teaching and Independence County Educator of the year 21:40
  • Personal legacy wish 26:12
  • History of local sports 30:10
  • Tom Murphy's life, plus Masonic Home 33:40
  • Elmer Kirk, Mark Martin, Charlie Strong, Sidney Pickens 44:40
  • How sports are changing for students in high school and colleges, NIL 50:47
  • How would you want to be remembered? 58:14
03/02/2024
Sheila Avant

An Oral History Interview of Sheila Avant by Twyla Wright

  • Sheila Wells: Birth, family history, growing up :01
  • Summer in Dry Run w/ her grandmother 2:30
  • Life in New York City 4:21
  • Moved across NYC in 6th grade 8:22
  • Sheila's mother Mary- occupation, schooling and the "Jaynets" 9:05
  • Wills not Wells; Mary moving to NYC and attending the School of Performing Arts 14:00
  • Moving to Batesville in 1976; West Elementary 18:40
  • First bitter taste of racism in Batesville 23:43
  • Black students segregated themselves in school and on bus 26:13
  • Meeting future husband, James "Tony" Avant in Miller Gym/courtship 31:40
  • Earning GED/certificate in Data Processing/ working for 1st Community Bank 42:17
  • Sheila and Tony's daughters, grandchildren, and challenges 44:26
  • Dry Run then and now 49:33
  • Care of black hair from babyhood on, including corn rows, straightening, wigs, prejudice against black hair 52:05
  • Hope for the future; Fear of "white washing" history 1:07:00
05/03/2025
Ray LaCroix

An Oral History of Ray LaCroix by Dr. Bruce Johnston

  • Growing up & College :10
  • History of LaCroix Optical (Illinois to Batesville) 1:00
  • Family 9:20
  • Church 11:00
  • Community Involvement 11:41
  • Family/Grandkids 14:00
  • Favorite pastimes/vacations 15:00
  • Bucket List Items 16:10
  • 1985-present (running LaCroix Optical) 18:50
  • Pastimes during retirement 22:18
  • Community activities after retirement 26:15
  • Proud Accomplishments 27:16
  • Future of Batesville 27:39
12/11/2024
Ralph Grant

An Oral History Interview of Ralph Grant by Twyla Wright

  • Born in 1947- Batesville; Grandfather- Bly Osborne, Grandmother-Viola Lexion Osbourne; Mother- Ann Osborne :15
  • Miller High School and Graduation :40
  • Athletics 2:28
  • Growing up on grandfather's acreage on Davis Lane- West Batesville 3:00
  • 8 siblings and childhood 3:26
  • Segregation 5:20
  • Grandfather's work/rules about behavior 5:56
  • Mother's work domestic/Batesville Manufacturing 9:00
  • Cousins 10:11
  • Miller School/Choir 11:24
  • Vietnam/enlistment of Black men 12:56
  • Experience as a Black soldier/ medical specialist/medical staff/hospital counselor 13:53
  • Marriage/father of Tim/divorce/retired from military 18:40
  • Move back to Batesville in 1990 22:05
  • Siblings and Mother24:00
  • College Education 27:38
  • 18 years at Batesville Post Office 31:16
  • Life philosophy 35:34
  • Extended family in Batesville and Texas 40:09
  • Church as child in Bethel AME, religious thoughts 41:24
  • Life today/race relations 44:36
10/04/2024
Mayor Rick Elumbaugh

An Oral History Interview of Rick Elumbaugh by Dr. Bruce Johnston

  • Growing up in Batesville/Main Street :29
  • School memories in Batesville and Jonesboro 7:24
  • First Employment after college/Public school teacher/Manager of Batesville City Pools 15:40
  • Mayor/Municipal League/Why Politics? 22:30
  • Economic Development 26:48
  • Idea for Christmas Capital of Arkansas 30:37
  • Main Street Area/Recreational Interests 32:30
  • Business Development in Batesville 42:00
10/05/2024
Martha Bentley

An Oral History of Martha Bentley by Vicky Crouch

  • Martha's parents :20
  • Beginning of Marshall Wholesale to present 2:54
  • Stories of Martha's father 7:30
  • Martha's first horse 10:15
  • How Martha and Larry met 1957; 11:48
  • Love of gardening 14:35
  • Water Carnival history 16:01
  • Teaching 27 years Mt Pleasant/Newark 19:25
  • Travels/Horsewomen group 28:18
  • Biggest impression/advice from someone 31:54
  • Close family/new dog 34:20
  • Batesville growth and development 37:20
06/03/2023
Lucy Yeager

An Oral History Interview of Lucy Jeffery Yeager by Sarah M Jones

  • Early years of Independence County 0:00
  • Family Tree- Heritage in Independence County 4:20
  • Book published/written by Lucy and her mother, Virginia Jeffery 5:34
  • 1950's home setting/growing up in Batesville, AR 9:55
  • Neighbors on Main Street, Batesville, AR 14:48
  • High School in Batesville, AR early 60's 19:11
  • Fitzhugh Park Batesville, AR 21:20
  • Arkansas College- education and experiences as a "Lassie" international performances 22:07
  • Marriage, employment, children 39:10
  • Living on Main Street in Batesville, AR 50:10
  • Incentives for young people to come back home to Batesville 52:36
17/05/2025
Kenneth Rorie (part 2)

An Oral History Interview of Kenneth Rorie (part 2) by Vicky Crouch

  • Birth/childhood "Ed Taylor Holler" :25
  • Childhood Food 4:38
  • House and Animals growing up 8:25
  • Churning story/grandmother 10:37
  • Homemade ice cream story 11:22
  • Bee's nest/robbing honey 12:30
  • Strawberry Picking 13:40
  • John Deere Day 17:38
  • Fire near Southside Schools/early 1950s 20:40
  • After Southside High School graduation/college/teaching/marriage 21:58
  • Musical aspects of his family 28:24
  • Chief Thundercloud story 34:24
  • Traveling shows/salesmen/music 38:13
  • education growing up/mom's education 41:17
  • Biggest influence: Marvin Moore- Southside Schools 42:19
  • Landers Shows/weekend activities 46:42
  • South of the White River Facebook Page 49:32
  • Genealogy Help through Facebook Messenger 52:12
  • Kenneth Rorie's Facebook page- info/pics of Ind. Co. and Surrounding counties 55:10
30/11/2024
Kenneth Rorie

An Oral History Interview of Kenneth Rorie by Vicky Crouch

  • Growing up/childhood/family history :30
  • Graddy home place/relatives 3:09
  • Father's family history/Jimmy Driftwood story 7:00
  • Stone County Folklore Festival/Grandmother- Lucinda Morrison/Great Grandmother- Sarah Rorie Tilly 10:00
  • Great Grandfather Morrison/Bushwhackers 12:00
  • Stone County/Frank Rorie- early 1900s 14:50
  • Family moved to Jamestown (Independence County) 18:44
  • Dad and mom meeting/ 4 year old Kenneth story at Caney Creek 21:27
  • 7 year old Kenneth- brother and sister family stories (1950) 23:13
  • More family stories/ siblings/grandfather 24:34
  • Brother to service in Japan 27:14
  • Anderson Bros story- Sacramento, CA to AR 28:25
  • Story of Kenneth, his dad and the hog pen 30:28
  • Story of visitors and his dad 32:45
  • father's jobs 33:40
  • Manganese ore mine stories 34:57
  • Working in Shirley, Indiana w/ parents (1950-1952) 41:28
  • Move to Sacramento, CA after graduating from Southside/2 years in college 52:52
  • 2 years of college at ASU Jonesboro, AR 55:50
  • Married to Linda 56:36
  • First job- Mammoth Spring, AR/story about Tessie Harper- student/actress 57:42
01/05/2024
James Wheeler

An Oral History of James Wheeler by Twyla Wright

  • Birth/Family/First Memory :30
  • Childhood in Desha with parents and grandparents 3:58
  • Father learning to repair shoes by Al Heuer 9:28
  • Early life in Desha 11:30
  • Changes in Desha and grandfather's gas station 18:45
  • School attendance, farm work 22:54
  • Father working shoe repair in Cam's Shoe Repair 31:13
  • Joined US Air Force 35:00
  • In Nebraska: marriage/kids 38:30
  • Move back to Desha, finish learning shoe repair 43:27
  • Opened his shoe repair business in present location 1972 - 44:17
  • Most rewarding shoe repair work/most difficult 45:48
  • Square dancing/locations 51:15
  • Becoming a licensed Methodist preacher 52:55
  • How shoe repair has changed 1:01:54