Centennial history of Arkansas, Part 159

Author: Herndon, Dallas T. (Dallas Tabor), b. 1878
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Chicago, Little Rock, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1172

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No death in Pine Bluff has ever caused such a sense of personal bereavement in so many homes as that of Dr. Norris. All who knew him-men, women and children-felt the strength, warmth and sincerity of his friendship and his helpful- ness. Mayor M. C. Hollis said of him: "In the death of Dr. J. 1. Norris the city has sustained the greatest loss possible by death of an individual. His life was a living exponent of love, charity and justice. He was loved hy every class and nationality, and gave his life as a sacrifice iu the service which he rendered to hu- manity. No community could suffer a greater loss than the death of so noble and lovable a citizen." The president of the Chamber of Commerce, H. C. Couch, ex- pressed the thought of all who knew Dr. Norris when he said: "This is the greatest loss Pine Bluff could have sustained. Modest and unassuming, Dr. Norris went about the Master's business without ostentation, seeking and relieving distress and accomplishing good. Few know all that he achieved, nor the influence for good he exerted through his wonderfully lovable personality, unselfishness and service. Toler- ant of human frailty, hut intolerant of sin, he lifted through love. Liberal, he mingled with men of all walks in life, yet never surrendered one of his high prin- ciples, but was ever outspoken and steadfast in his unswerving faith and conception of duty under all circumstances. Just what Pine Bluff owes Dr. Norris is beyond estimation. His was the influence frequently in civic life that brought together opposing forces, and made for cooperation and friendship, instead of contention and quarrels. Truly, he was the peacemaker and the builder-of men and the city. None ever came into contact with Dr. Norris who was not better for that association. His influence for good will benefit Pine Bluff and all who knew him always."

At the request of the mayor and of many civic and social organizations, all business was suspended in Pine Bluff during the hour of the funeral. The services were marked by the utmost simplicity, in accordance with the life of the deceased, and aside from the fitting words spoken at the church, on every hand were heard expressions of love and honor concerning this good man. One of the local papers said of him: "No citizen of Pine Bluff was loved by more people than Dr. J. I. Norris, who died early today. Dr. Norris was pastor of the First Presbyterian church, but he was a minister to mankind. He was the friend of all who suffered and one rarely finds a man who so nearly emulated the One Perfect Man who suf-

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fered and died to save others. For seventeen years Dr. Norris had been a resident of Pine Bluff. During that time he ministered to men, women and children, regard- less of race, color or religious faith. Each Sunday he preached wonderful sermons to the members of his church and to others who attended the services. Throughout the remainder of the week he went about seeking to do good to all people. When he found a fellowman in distress he never asked if such a one was a member of the Presbyterian church. He merely sought to learn what the distressed one needed and he saw that the necessary aid was provided at once, regardless of whether it was money, food, spiritual counsel or consolation to the disconsolate. For this reason Dr. Norris was loved by all who knew him. People who never went to church looked upon him as an ideal Christian and wondered why others who profess to be Christians were not more like him. He drew men unto him because they knew that he loved them. He was tolerant and sympathetic with those who were weak and he strengthened them and influenced them through a power that caused all who came in touch with him to regard him as a true man of God. His death is a great loss to his family and his church, but it is a greater loss to Pine Bluff and the entire city today mourns with the members of the bereaved family."

Editorially another paper, under the caption, "The Deathless Leaf," wrote: "In speaking in tribute of Dr. Joe I. Norris, we cannot help but think of how much better he could have done that same thing for someone else. For his was a remark- able power of searching discernment that few men had. He could see the good in men so quickly and so clearly, and he could speak of it in an inspiring way. One of his last public utterances was a little talk he made at the Rotary Club Tuesday noon. Rotary was bidding good-bye to C. H. Murphy, a member who soon will change his residence to Helena. Murphy had been served with a 'restraining order' and in the Rotary den there was that rare atmosphere of friendship and splendid good fellowship. The presiding officer appointed a Rotarian to 'defend' Murphy. Then he asked Rotarian Joe Norris to plead in behalf of the 'restraining order.' Dr. Norris made one of those graceful little speeches which he could make so splendidly. In terms of mock severity, he indicted his friend Murphy while the latter sat still and swallowed hard. Then he said: 'A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold. The Bible says so, and it is true.' He spoke cordially of Murphy and of his citizenship. 'It is an awful thing,' he said, 'for men to come into a community and throw their hoops of steel about our hearts and then to be forced by circumstances to tear them from us.' And so it was in Pine Bluff yesterday, The hoops of steel which held Citizen Norris close to the heart of Pine Bluff were torn away and the hearts of Gentile and Jew, of wealthy and poor, and of black and white, were wrung. During the years of his life, Dr. Norris wrote a deathless leaf in the Book of Life. The monuments they rear to the great crumble in time and vanish. The contemporaries of good men one by one, go their way, but the good that men do never dies. Because of Minister Joe Norris, men in Pine Bluff will be better men for many years to come. The boys he knew who soon will grow to manhood will be better men and their sons will be better boys and better men because of what he taught, and so on down the vista of the years, the world will be better because of him. Dr. Norris was a great servant in the house of the Lord. He was a friend of mankind, tolerant, hopeful, smiling, cheerful, a worker and a stoical self-sacrificing heliever in the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. Men who were of no church were close to him. To some men he was the only minister of the gospel. This was because he brought to the church more than the church gave him. It was because, while he was cognizant of their weakness and their error, he knew the good that is in all men, and never gave them up. Men felt of him that there was nothing they could not confess to him and lose his friendship and his help. Patriot Norris, when the men of the United States went to France for the cause of justice and liberty, brought comfort to the broken-hearted they left behind. And then the vigor of him revolted and he went himself. Long past the age where active service could have been expected of him, he went among the men and brought them faith and hope and cheer, to make them better and to make the ones they left behind more confident of their physical and spiritual well-being. Men spoke of him yesterday in various ways. One said of him that he was 'great and good.' Another said of him that he was 'Pine Bluff's greatest citizen.' Some said his going was a calamity. Less eloquent but equally sincere, in quarters of Pine Bluff where few would think men spoke with tenderness, they said that it was 'tough.' One man referred to him as 'that little chap.' All of them were right. He was one thing to one man. To another he was something else. But he was something to them all, for they were his and he was theirs. In those last hours of his, one likes to think that in that unconsciousness of the presence of his dear ones and of the throbbing heart of all

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those that knew, he was conscious in another way of the approaching shadows of eternity, and that he smiled when those shadows lengthened, for that was the way with him. 'Before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl broken, or the pitcher shattered at the wall, or the wheel broken at the cistern-the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto the God who gave it.' "

A greater, fuller life opened before him when the gates of eternity closed be- hind him, but the memory of his earthly ministry remains as a blessed benediction to all who knew him.

O. D. THOMPSON.

O. D. Thompson, deputy prosecuting attorney of Crawford county, residing at Van Buren and recognized as one of the able members of the bar of this section of the state, was born in 1886, in the county which is still his home, his parents being James A. and Elizabeth (Scott) Thompson. The father was born in Georgia and removed to Crawford county, Arkansas, where he followed the occupation of farming. He was a son of Henry Thompson, who also removed from Georgia to this state and took up his abode in Crawford county, the family thus becoming closely associated with the agricultural development of this section. Elizabeth (Scott) Thompson was a daughter of James Scott, who removed from Tennessee to Crawford county. By her marriage she became the mother of two children, O. D. and a sister, Ollie, now deceased.

O. D. Thompson pursued his education in the schools of this state, completing his course in the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Having determined upon the practice of law as a life work, his preparation was thorough and he took his place at the bar well equipped for the onerous and responsible duties of the pro- fession. He began practicing in 1917. prior to which time he had been engaged in mercantile pursuits. In the intervening period of four years he has made steady progress, trying many kinds of cases and trying them well. He displays keen analyti- cal power and his deductions are always sound and logical. In 1921 he was appointed deputy prosecutor for Crawford county and he had previously served in the same position under C. M. Wofford.

Mr. Thompson was united in marriage to Miss Nellie H. Taft, a native of Cali- fornia and a daughter of Daniel Taft, now living in Los Angeles. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson are the parents of four children, as follows: Ollie Thompson, Myrtle Thompson, Ruth Thompson and Sherman Thompson. In his fraternal relations Mr. Thompson is a Knight of Pythias and is also identified with the Woodmen of the World and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. Throughout his life he has heen actuated hy a laudable ambition that has prompted his steady progress in con- nection with any task he has undertaken, and in the faithful performance of each day's duties he has found courage and inspiration for the labors of the succeeding day.

HON. ROBERT SHARON DEAN.

Hon. Robert Sharon Dean, who for a considerable period figured in connec- tion with the mercantile circles of Hot Springs, also left the impress of his individu- ality, ability and public spirit upon the political history of the city and state hy his untiring efforts to crush out lawlessness, his fellow citizens owing him a deht of gratitude for his service in this connection. Mr. Dean was born near Greenville, Wilkinson county, Mississippi, in 1842 and was descended from Scotch-Irish, Anglo- Saxon and German stock, his ancestors in the paternal line, however, settling in New England prior to the Revolutionary war. His early life was spent on a Mis- sissippi plantation, hut before he had reached his majority the family removed to Indiana, where he completed his grammar school education and later entered Han- over College. In 1864, however, he put aside his studies at Hanover and enlisted for service in Company K, Thirteenth Regiment, Indiana Volunteers, U. S. A., serving for three months, at the end of which time he was honorably discharged because of an injury sustained in the line of duty.

After the Civil war Mr. Dean took up teaching as a profession and came to Little Rock in 1870 to accept a position as teacher in the State School for the Blind. There he remained through several terms and during the latter '70s, when the south was seeing some dark days, he served as a deputy United States marshal at Little Rock, making a most excellent record in the office. He later became connected

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with Fones Brothers Hardware Company of Little Rock as clerk and bookkeeper and then removed to Hot Springs, where he served in the same capacity with the Whittington-Stearns Hardware Company. In 1887 he became the head bookkeeper and confidential clerk with Housley Brothers, a large mercantile establishment.

In 1893 Mr. Dean was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Rye, a daughter of John Rye, of a prominent Virginia family. They hecame parents of a daughter and a son: Ruth Dean, who was born in 1894 and died in 1916; and Robert S. Dean, who was born March 3, 1900, and is now associated with the Hot Springs New Era.

Mr. Dean was a democrat of the strongest type, being bitter in his opposition to republican rule. In 1896 he became prominently connected with Garland county politics and was elected circuit clerk, in which office he served for two terms. In 1900 he was elected state representative from Garland county and was reelected for a second term. He was one of the organizers of the Citizens Improvement Union, a body of citizens banded together in 1906 for the purpose of bringing about clean politics, honest elections and law enforcement in Hot Springs. After a fight of several years' duration the organization was triumphant, the gambling and gun carrying element lost its hold on Hot Springs and later the state legislature passed anti-gambling laws. It was Mr. Dean's effort in that direction that brought him prominently before the public as a leading, forceful and valued citizen, his labors in this connection entitling him to the gratitude of all law-abiding citizens. Upon retiring to private life Mr. Dean engaged in the hardware business here but was a victim of the period of business depression and later returned to his old position with Housley Brothers, where he remained until his death on the 10th of May, 1912. He held membership in the Presbyterian church, of which Mrs. Dean is also a member, and he belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He had many admirable qualities which won him strong friendship and the warm regard of those with whom he came into contact, therefore his death was the occasion of deep regret. Because of his pleasing qualities he will be remembered for many years to come not only by his immediate family and friends, but also by his business and political associates. Mrs. Dean and her son reside at No. 127 Woodbine avenne.

REV. R. M. THOMPSON.

Rev. R. M. Thompson, now living retired in Rogers, was for many years an active factor in the world's work, his contribution to material upbuilding and spiritual develop- ment being a most important one. He became one of the most noted evangelists in the country, is also well known as a lecturer of ability, while along material lines he has done equally effective work, his efforts constituting an important factor in the advancement and improvement of Benton county, where for twenty-three years he has made his home. He is a native of the south, his birth having occurred near Maysville, Kentucky, on the 12th of September, 1842. His parents were John F. and Polly (Fulton) Thompson, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania, while the latter was a native of Kentucky. They were married in the Blue Grass state and there resided for a number of years, the father following the blacksmith's trade. Later they made their way to Ohio, where their remaining years were spent. Their family numbered eight children, of whom six survive. They were members of Christ church and guided their lives by its teachings, being highly esteemed by all who knew them.

The second in order of birth in the family, Rev. R. M. Thompson, completed his high school studies at Ripley, Ohio, after which he entered the Wesleyan College at Cleveland, that state, where he pursued a course in theology, starting his ministerial labors at the early age of eighteen. This was just before the declaration of hostilities between the north and the south and he aided in securing enlistments, also making application to enter the service, but was not accepted by the government because he was too young. He entered upon the work of the ministry near Cincinnati, later being called to a charge in the city, and established a church in the Walnut Hills suburb. He is not orthodox in his views but has filled pulpits in both the Congregational and Christian churches, although he inclines toward the latter belief. He also built a church in Ottumwa, Iowa, at a cost of forty thousand dollars and has been instrumental in secur- ing the erection of many houses of worship in various parts of the country, having built more than two hundred thousand dollars worth of church property. For twenty-three years he engaged in evangelistic work, visiting all sections of the country and winning many converts to the cause of Christianity. He never emphasized pecuniary reward for his services, considering himself well repaid when his labors resulted in the redemption and uplift of his fellowmen, and his influence has been a strong and beneficial factor for good. At one time he engaged in publishing a paper at Cheboygan, Michigan. In 1898

REV. R. M. THOMPSON

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he came to Benton county, Arkansas, purchasing one hundred and ten acres of land, which he brought to a high state of development and improvement. He has also handled a large amount of real estate in Benton and Washington counties, Arkansas, and is the owner of much valuable land in the former county, while he likewise has business property in Rogers. His investments have been judiciously placed and his business interests have been very capably conducted, while at the same time he has contributed to the upbuilding and improvement of his town and county.

In 1896 Rev. Mr. Thompson was united in marriage to Miss Cavinette Thomas and they have become the parents of two children: Robert, who is operating one of his father's farms; and Paul, who graduated in 1921. In his political views Rev. Mr. Thomp- son is independent, voting for the candidate whom he considers best qualified for office, regardless of party affiliation. He is much interested in the good roads movement and has devoted much study to the question, being strongly opposed to the present system of road building, which, owing to unwise use of the fund appropriated has caused the mortgaging of two million, two hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred dollars on part of the property in Benton county alone. He has devoted the past two years to an exhaustive study of this subject, upon which he has delivered many instructive and interesting addresses throughout the county and state. He is a forceful and effective public speaker and is known as the friend of the common people, whose cause he warmly espouses, lecturing upon many subjects of a helpful nature and never accepting a gratuity for his services. He is a man of scholarly attainments whose powers and talents have been a leavening force in making high ideals a tangible asset in the affairs of daily life. His entire career has been devoted to service for others and he stands as a high type of manhood and citizenship, the worth of his work being widely acknowl- edged.

JOSEPH SIMEON UTLEY.

Joseph Simeon Utley, attorney general of Arkansas, who entered upon the duties of his present position in January, 1921, and who had previously rendered valuable service to the commonwealth as a member of the state senate, has always resided in Arkansas and since attaining his majority has manifested the utmost devotion to those interests which constitute the basic elements in the state's development and progress. He is a representative of an old southern family, his paternal grandfather being James Allen Utley, who was born in Tennessee and served with distinction in the Confederate army under the command of General N. B. Forrest until he laid down his life on the altar of the cause for which he was fighting. His son, Francis David Utley, was born in Gibson county, Tennessee, and was reared in Carroll county, that state. Following the death of his father, his mother married again and he came with the stepfather and the family to Arkansas in 1870, settling in Faulkner county, near Greenbriar. Francis D. Utley was united in marriage to Amanda Melvina Snow, who was born near Mayfield, Kentucky, in 1856, and who died in August, 1919.

In the public schools of Faulkner county, Joseph S. Utley pursued his early education, while later he attended Hendrix College at Conway and was there grad- uated with the class of 1906. He then turned to the profession of teaching, which he followed for a time in Faulkner county and his ability won him rapid advance- ment in that connection, so that in 1903 he was offered the position of principal of the Ashdown (Ark.) school, there remaining for two years. He afterward accepted the position of assistant principal of the Clary Training School at Fordyce and the succeeding two years were there passed. It was his desire, however, to become a member of the bar and while teaching he devoted the hours that are usually termed leisure to the study of law and so thoroughly mastered the principles of jurisprudence that in September, 1907, he was admitted to the bar at Benton, where he has since successfully engaged in the practice of law and here still maintains his home. His ability brought him again prominently to the front in his chosen calling. The public recognize the fact that as a lawyer he is sound, clearminded and well trained and that he has been a close student not only of legal problems, but of many of the most important questions which have come before the American public for settlement-the questions of finance, political economy and sociology and along these lines he has ever kept abreast with the best thinking men of the age. In 1911 he was elected to the office of prosecuting attorney of the seventh judicial district and filled that position until 1914. Political honors were again conferred upon him when in 1917 he was elected state senator from the ninth senatorial district and remained a member of the upper house of the general assembly for four years, covering the momentous period in which America participated in the World war, when many vital problems came before the general assembly for settlement. In January, 1921, he entered upon

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the duties of the office of attorney general, to which he had been elected in the previous November and he is now at the head of the legal department of the state, where his record has fully justified the confidence and trust reposed in him by his fellow townsmen.

On the 18th of June, 1903, Mr. Utley was united in marriage to Miss Vivian Williams, a native of Perry, Missouri, and a daughter of Edwin T. and Jane (Beale) Williams. They have become parents of three children: Don Williams, Georgia Fentem and Ruth. Mr. and Mrs. Utley occupy an enviable social position, the hospitality of the best homes of Little Rock and of Benton being extended to them. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, South, and fraternally Mr. Utley is con- nected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and also with the Masons. Actuated by a laudable ambition he has advanced step by step in his profession and the recog- nition of his ability has brought him prominently to the frout not only as a lawyer, but as a public official of Arkansas.

J. R. JEWELL.

J. R. Jewell, educator, lecturer and author, who is now dean of the College of Education of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, was born in McMinn county, Tennessee, March 2, 1878, and is-a son of Dr. J. E. and Mary Rebecca (Coe) Jewell, both of whom are natives of the state of New York, where they were reared and married. The former was a son of James Jewell, a physician of the Empire state, in which he practiced medicine for a number of years. The grandfather in the maternal line was Daniel Coe, who was born in New England and, notwithstanding the fact that he had no college education and comparatively few opportunities in youth, he made for himself a notable position in business circles. He was the first man to im- port Merino sheep into the United States and also the first man to export butter and maple syrup under a private brand. He lived in the state of New York most of his life. He was the founder of Coe College at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in the year 1853. This has since become one of the strong colleges of the middle west, enjoying a splendid reputation for the excellent standards always maintained by the institution. At a later period he removed to Alabama, spending his last days in Talladega.

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Centennial history of Arkansas, Part 159

Author: Herndon, Dallas T. (Dallas Tabor), b. 1878 Publication date: 1922 Publisher: Chicago, Little Rock, The S. J. Clarke publishing company Number of Pages: 1172

Author: Herndon, Dallas T. (Dallas Tabor), b. 1878
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Chicago, Little Rock, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1172