Archive - Feb 2012
February 13th
Funeral is scheduled Tuesday for a longtime Benton physician who died Friday.
The service for Dr. John D. Wright will take place at 2 p.m. at Benton's First Baptist Church, where Dr. Wright was an active member.
He was a deacon of the congregation and taught Sunday School there for 56 years.
Dr. Wright practiced medicine for 50 years and was on the active medical staff of Saline Memorial Hospital during that period.
Tonya Shelnutt, fourth-floor nurse manager at SMH, who worked closely with Dr. Wright, remembered him fondly today.
February 10th
Lifetime Benton resident and community leader
Gwendolynne Louise “Pud” Troutt Webb died Wednesday. She was 81.
Mrs. Webb, the daughter of the late George L. and Lucille Cox Troutt, came from a prominent Benton family. Her father served as mayor of Benton during the 1950s.
Among the family's residences was the two-story maroon brick structure at the corner of North Main and Cross streets, which for many years served as offices for the Benton Courier.
Ann Elizabeth Arp, 74, of Benton died Wednesday, Feb. 8.
She was born Aug. 4, 1937, in Shreveport, La.
Ann was a housewife and a member of Old Union Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her parents, Eugene C. and Anna McCool Hall; and two brothers, Tommy Hall and Eugene Hall.Â
She is survived by her husband, Dexter Arp of Benton; two sons, Gregory Arp of Texas and Johnny Ray Arp of Las Vegas, Nev; three brothers, Eddie Hall of Shreveport, La., Gayle Hall of Pine Bluff and David Hall of Missouri; a sister, Eunice Marzano of Pine Bluff; and two grandchildren.Â
J.S. Frazier, 70, passed away on Feb. 7. He was born in Little Rock on Jan. 2, 1942, to Sandy Coke and Vera Alice (Smith) Frazier.
Doris LaVerne Willis, 88, a resident of Benton, passed away Tuesday, Feb. 7. She was born March 26, 1923, to the late Conway Roark and Birdie Elizabeth Runyan Roark.Â
LaVerne was raised in the Baptist Orphanage now located in Texarkana. During those years she was chosen to sing on the radio with trios and quartets and in various churches in the Hot Springs area.
Gwendolynne Louise “Pud” Troutt Webb, 81, of Benton, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 8.Â
She was born Dec. 28, 1930, in Benton.Â
Mrs. Webb attended Sullins College in Bristol, Va., and continued her education at USC, where she became a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.
She later went on to receive her degree in education in Arkansas and taught 32 ½ years at Caldwell Elementary School in Benton.
Mrs. Webb was co-chairman of the Gann Museum with her very close friend, Dorcas Holicer, and a lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church in Benton.Â
February 9th
LITTLE ROCK – The Bryant Lady Hornets swim team finished in second place at the Central Arkansas Invitational swim and dive meet this past Saturday. The Lady Hornets scored 267 points behind Conway High School’s 535 points. The Bryant boys finished in sixth place with a total of 158, the Benton Panthers finished in 13th place (29.5) and the Lady Panthers came in 12th with 41 points.
HASKELL - The Harmony Grove Cardinals have seen their fair share of ups and downs this season. But when it come to beating a rival like Glen Rose, it is all ups for the moment. Earlier in the season, the Cardinals dominated the Beavers on the road, winning huge 60-36. At the time, that was the Cardinals’ second win of the season.
The leadership Benton Mayor David Mattingly displayed in his first year in office earned him a coveted honor Tuesday night: 2011 Citizen of the Year.
The award was presented at the annual Benton Area Chamber of Commerce Banquet.
Other top honors announced at the event included:
•Volunteer of the Year, Ray Baggett.
•Ambassador of the Year, J.J. Bruton.
•Top Recruiter of the Year, Kim Minnix.
•Business Student of the Year, Myra Cloud.
Gary James, executive director of the chamber, announced all of the winners.
February 8th
PEARCY – The Benton Lady Panthers are probably forgetting what losing feels like. The Lady Panthers won their 12th consecutive game and improved to 10-0 in the 6A South conference with a 52-25 victory of the Lake Hamilton Lady Wolves on Tuesday night. And again, defense has been the force behind Benton’s success.
“We were playing just stellar defense,” Benton Coach Jerry Chumley said. “They had four field and three free throws [in the first half]. We couldn’t ask for any more defensively. The second half, it just kind of continued.”
