Arkansas History People Flashcards
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John Grisham
Born in Jonesboro, he and his siblings spent many summers helping their grandparents on the family cotton farm ear Black Oak, an inspiration for his book A Painted House. He became an attorney in Mississippi and began writing fictional stories about legal trials. Many became popular movies, including A Time to Kill and The Firm.
Maya Angelou
When she was 21, she changed her name from Marguerite Annie Johnson to the name printed on all of her literary works. Her work in the arts and civil rights moved her to New York, Egypt, and Africa, and even brought her to with closely with Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. She wrote a poem called “On the Pulse of the Morning” and presented it at President Clinton’s inauguration.
Miller Williams
His first poetry collection was published while attending Arkansas State College (Arkansas State University in Jonesboro). Beginning in 1950, he received numerous awards for his poetry, one of which he presented at President Clinton’s second presidential inauguration.
Rosa Marinoni
She became an early leader in the campaign for women’s suffrage. She also loved to write and has authored more than 1,000 short stories, 5,000 poems, and fifteen books. She founded the University City Poetry Club in Fayetteville, which met in her home for 45 years. In 1953, she became the poet laureate of Arkansas.
Billy Bob Thornton
He was the oldest of four boys, born in Hot Spring. He eventually left the state to pursue a career in acting. He appeared in several films and television series, and then expanded his work to include screenwriting. His Arkansas-based story called Sling Blade earned him an Academy Award. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004.
Mary Steenburg
She developed a love for the theater by the time she was eight years old. She got her first acting job at the New York Neighborhood Playhouse, landing her first movie role in the 1970s. A few of her most popular films include Back to the Future III¸ Elf, Parenthood, and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. She also received an Academy Award for best supporting actress for the movie Melvin and Howard. In 2002, she returned to North Little Rock to teach a drama workshop at her former high school.
Freeman Owens
He began working in a movie theater at age 12 (1902). Many years later, he built his own movie camera, later developing several patents that improved movie projectors and cameras. He developed more than 11,000 inventions during his lifetime, including the technology that adds sound to film.
Louise McPhetridge
Her father taught her to fish, hunt, and fix a car, but riding in a plane sparked her interest in aviation. She landed a sales job for an airplane factory in California while at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She held numerous women’s aviation records and won many competitions. She also helped establish an organization for female pilots called the Ninety-Nines. She was honored with the Harmon Trophy before she retired, the highest award given to female pilots.
John H. Johnson
He was the grandson of slaves. He attended college part-time and worked as an editor for a small company publication. A few years later, he borrowed money to start his own business, which targeted black readers. With magazines like Ebony and Negro Digest, his company attracted more than 11 million African American readers. In 1996, President Clinton awarded in with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Collin Raye
He began singing with his mother and older brother about the age of seven. Years later, he and his brothers formed a country-rock group called the Wray Brothers Band. Eventually it broke up and he changed his last name. Many of his songs have anti-abuse, anti-violence, and anti-racism messages. The Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music has nominated him for “Male Vocalist of the Year” six times.
Patsy Montana
Born Ruby Blevins, she was the youngest child and the only girl in a family of 10 boys. At the age of 22, she moved to California, where she studied the violin, won a yodeling contest, and started singing on the radio. She changed her name and later recorded her biggest hit “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart.” In 1996, she was included in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Scott Joplin
His family first moved to Texarkana hoping to find work with the railroad. As a young boy, he took an interest in the piano, even though his family didn’t have one. He tried to practice wherever his mother did housework. By the time he was 17, his techniques had been molded by a number of skilled teachers. He began entering competitions and became an entertainer in saloons. By the early part of the 20 th century, he was known as the “King of Ragtime,” producing more than 40 pieces.
Scottie Pippen
He was the youngest of 12 children, his father working at a paper mill. He led the basketball team to the state playoffs and made the all-conference team. He became the student manger for the UCA basketball team, where he eventually worked his way on to the team. After a growth spurt put him at 6’7”, he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls, helping lead them to six NBA championships, holding the most three-point baskets in
Bulls history.
Paul Bryant
Gaining his nickname after wresting a bear, he also received a scholarship at the University of Alabama. He coached a number of schools and eventually returned to the University of Alabama as head coach. During his 25-year career, he led his teams to 6 national championships, gaining the honor of “National Coach of the Year” four times.
Brooks Robinson
He signed with the Baltimore Orioles following high school. As a third baseman, he won 16 Golden Glove awards, hit 268 home runs, and was chosen MVP in the 1970 World Series. His name appears in both the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Neil Compton
After receiving degrees in geology and zoology from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, he attended medical school and became an obstetrician (a doctor who delivers babies). He also became involved in a battle to save the Buffalo River from government dam building, leading the Buffalo National River to be protected by the U.S. National Park System.
John Daly
He began playing golf at a very young age, going on to play for the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville until turning pro in 1987. In 1991, he stunned the gold world when he won the PGA Championship, then winning the British Open a few years later. Today, he’s one of the biggest hitters on the tour.
Don Tyson
A Springdale Arkansas resident, he started as a chicken catcher and truck driver at Tyson’s Feed and Hatchery. His father started the business, but it was this man who expanded it. He opened the company’s first poultry processing plant as the plant’s manager. He became the company’s president several years later, then CEO, increasing the company’s revenue from $51 million to more than $10 billion, making it one of the largest manufacturing companies in the world.
Sam Walton
Though he died in 1992, his family has remained the wealthiest family in the U.S, holding 440 billion dollars. For a while, he was the wealthiest man in the country. He gained this wealth through the retailers he started in Rogers, Arkansas. Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club grew to be the largest corporation by profit and the largest private employer in the world.
Roger Bumpass
He has voiced many cartoon characters including in shows like Teen Titans and Invader Zim. His most famous role, however, was Squidward Tentacles. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for that role in 2012.
Amy Lee
A classically trained pianist, she began writing music at the age of 11. She co-founded her band Evanescence at age 13 in 1994 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their debut album had multiple hit singles, selling more than 4 million copies within the year and earning 2 Grammy’s (out of 6 nominations). She went on to have a successful solo career and has collaborated with many other musical artists.
