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Everything from African-American man in green and yellow football uniform holding a ball in his right hand with logo Elijah Eugene Pitts to African-American man smiling in tuxedo William Delford Davis
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This Day in Arkansas History

February 8, 1934

Art Porter Sr. was born in Little Rock (Pulaski County) to Eugene Porter Sr., a stonemason, and Lillie Mae Porter, who gave Porter his first music lessons. He played in church at age eight and gave his first recital at age twelve. By the age of fourteen, he conducted a half-hour classical music radio program from KLRA-AM in Little Rock. Porter became a popular and respected musician of jazz, classical, and spiritual music and entertained several heads of state. He also performed at two of Bill Clinton’s inaugurations as governor and one of his presidential inaugurations. Porter’s musical legacy was passed on to Art Porter Jr., whose career, expressed in four albums, ended with his accidental death on November 23, 1996.

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M. E. Oliver's Strange Scenes in the Ozarks

In 1955, M. E. Oliver, an artist from Madison County, created a book of illustrations he titled Strange Scenes in the Ozarks. Produced in the old-fashioned serigraph process, the book consists of approximately thirty colorful illustrations. The book was not bound in the typical sense, being assembled by hand with brass fasteners. Though the volume bears a date of 1955, illustrations were added as late as 1963.

 

In 1955, M. E. Oliver, an artist from Madison County, created a book of illustrations he titled Strange Scenes in the Ozarks. Produced in the old-fashioned serigraph process, the book consists of approximately thirty colorful illustrations. The book was not bound in the typical sense, being assembled by hand with brass fasteners. Though the volume bears a date of 1955, illustrations were added as late as 1963.

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About the Encyclopedia

The CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas is a free, authoritative source of information about the rich history, geography, and culture of Arkansas. It is updated regularly to ensure the people of Arkansas have an accurate and accessible resource to explore our heritage. We invite you to browse our text entries and media galleries to learn more about the people, places, events, legends, and lore of the 25th state. We are continually adding new entries, photographs, maps, videos, and audio files, so check back frequently to see what’s new.

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