January 1998

Happy old year Thank you for 1997 Date: 1/1/98 Category: Editorial Page: B4 GOOD MORNING and happy new year. And what better way to start the new year than with black-eyed peas and thanks to some Arkansawyers who made 1997 a better year. Some folks spring to mind almost at once, for their generosity is so boundless, and their examples so glowing. Like the Little Rock Nine who came home this year, or the bountiful Bernice Jones, or the always big- ~ hearted Helen Walton, and of course the bearer of light, Jennings Osborne. The 40th Anniversary of the crisis at Central High healed wounds and served as a reminder of how far we all have come since 1957. Holding open Central High's doors as the nation watched were Bill Clinton, Mike Huckabee, and Jim Dailey--president, governor and mayor. How different history might have been if the state's leadership had been on the steps of Central High with a: handshake, a hug, and a smile 40 years ago. But it is never too late to make amends, to begin anew, to overcome even ourselves, to see the state born again. The governor's speech may have been the most moving, direct, and uncompromising he ever gave--and the greatest, perhaps because the occasion was. The nine students who came back at last to their rightful place to be greeted as they should have been in 1957 were Melba Pattillo Beals, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Terrence J. Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, Minnijean Brown Trickey and Thelma Mothershed Wair. Welcome home! You did us proud and reminded us all that perhaps the sweetest word in the language is forgiveness. It is no small thing to be big enough and gracious enough and loving enough to be able to accept an apology for a grievous wrong, and believe in one's fellow man again. How tempting it must have been to turn aside and embrace the darker side of one's own nature, the side that whispers: Never! It was a temptation the Nine, still heroes, resisted. One of the fascinating stories to come out of the reunion was the apology that Hazel Bryan Massery made to Elizabeth Eckford for a terrible moment caught forever by the camera. That 40-year-old picture of hate assailing grace--which had gnawed at Ms. Massery for decades-can now be wiped clean, and replaced by a snapshot of two friends. The apology came from the real Hazel Bryan Massery, the decent woman who had been hidden all those years by a fleeting image. And the graceful acceptance of that apology was but another act of dignity in the life of Elizabeth Eckford. It wouldn't have been Christmas without the Aurora Osbornealis. Thank you, Jennings Osborne, wife Mitzi, and daughter Breezy. Y'all brighten Christmas for tens of thousands of Arkansans by putting up lights all over the state. This was the year all of Arkansas was rooting for a promising young athlete named Kenyana Tolbert. When he suffered a broken vertebra, it was good ol' Jennings who paid for Kenyana's family--complete with cousins and aunts--to spend Christmas with him in Dallas. And don't forget the Osbornes' fireworks on the Fourth of July. It's not just Christmas they brighten, but life. Zest in Arkansas, thy name is the Osborne family. Speaking of winners, since 1989 the Harvey and Bernice Jones charitable trust has bestowed $97 million on good causes throughout Arkansas. Yes, ninety-seven million dollars. Among the beneficiaries: hospitals, universities and that big center in Springdale where families can swim, sink baskets, attend classes or work on computers, you name it. When its budget encountered a shortfall this year, free babysitting had to go, and that's when Helen Walton came through still another time, contributing $2 million to endow a service called KidsPlus. A lot of other Arkansans not nearly so well known also made 1997 a better year. Asked to mention some, the Democrat-Gazette's staff came up with these names for a start: Harold Nash is the executive director of STEP ministries, which offers guidance to young folks in the Eastgate area of North Little Rock. To quote the reporter who suggested his name: "He loves them, believes in them and never gives up on them." Tommy Grace of Fayetteville works for the local school district. This past month, he staged a one-man vigil, camping out for a couple of days in a cardboard box to raise money and collect clothing for kids who are homeless or about to be--and who might have had a cold and hungry Christmas without his help. Sisters Concetta Mazzanti and Annella Reginelli, and all the nuns who ran St. Joseph's Orphanage in Levy until it closed in August. Over the years, they turned the most vulnerable of children into some of our finest citizens. Jim Wetherington, executive director of the North Little Rock Boys and Girls Club. That's where Mr. Wetherington has been molding the character of young folks since 1960. The club now has some 2,000 members on the roll, and it offers them an array of athletic, educational and counseling programs. Officer Mike Compton at a police substation in Levy. He started a summer swimming class for children who otherwise might not learn to swim. (The program began as a result of a drowning that Officer Compton responded to in 1994.) It can be a treat to work with little kids, but a real challenge working with hardened adults. Mary Lou Rasco of Little Rock does her best for women in prison. Anna Cox and Lucy Sauer, both of Little Rock, work with death row inmates. Some people never give up on other people, thank goodness. Lorraine Benini, president of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute. This lady seems to do a better job for the festival each year, and this year seemed like the next. Speaking of artists, how about the new home for them in downtown Little Rock? Todd Rice and Paul Esterer made the dream of a restored Kramer School a beautiful reality. And let's hear it for Arkansas' librarian of the year, Bobby Roberts. He did Little Rock proud overseeing the transformation of a huge, neglected old warehouse into a library and cultural center that all of Central Arkansas can be proud of. And you don't have to agree with Jim Dailey to appreciate how hard Little Rock's mayor works for the city, and the spirit of friendly cooperation he fosters. We'd rather disagree with a guy like Jim Dailey than agree with the kind of politician who thinks of every little dispute in city government as World War III. And we wouldn't want to overlook Nick Bacon, who brought fellow winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor to Little Rock for a grand reunion and one of the city's most inspiring conventions ever. The sight of all these heroes being introduced--one after the other, men of every rank, service, color and background--reminded us of the bonds all Americans share. May their spirit of self-sacrifice and gallantry lead us in 1998. A happy and proud new year to you all, friends.

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