By Don Hall
News-Leader staff
Most folks around Nashville don’t know that many famous people have come from Howard County.
That’s the subject of a new exhibit that opened with a Chamber of Commerce coffee Thursday, Oct. 23, in the E. A. Williams Chapel Museum on Second Street.
Susan Nannemann is the curator of the museum and put together the exhibit that honors 10 Howard County natives. “I tried to get a good variety in terms of business, athletics, science, the arts and show business,” she says.
“There are others, but this is what we started with,” she said.
Jimmy Wakely has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and he’s from Mineola in north Howard County. The last of the singing cowboys, he appeared in more than 60 movies and recorded numerous albums.
Trevor Bardette was born in Nashville and attended school here as a child. After moving to Oregon, he then went to California to become an actor. He was in 172 movies and nearly 100 television episodes. “He was always a villain,” said Nannemann. “He was one of those people that everybody knew his face, but didn’t necessarily know his name.”
Dorothy Shaver was born in Center Point and went on to become president of Lord and Taylor, a famous department store in New York City. She was the first woman in America to become the head of a multi-million dollar corporation.
Dorothy’s sister, Elsie Shaver, was a painter, a sculptor, and created hand-made dolls. She founded the Alexander Doll Company and was an illustrator for Lord and Taylor. Born in Center Point, she studied at the University of Chicago before moving to New York City.
Effie Anderson Smith was born in rural Howard County and taught school in Nashville before moving west. She became a famous impressionist painter, primarily of desert landscapes, and was known as the “Dean of Arizona Women Artists.”
Willie Davis was born in Mineral Springs and was a professional baseball player from 1960-1979, most of that with the Los Angeles Dodgers. A 3-time Golden Glove winner and a 2-time National League All-Star, he still holds a number of Dodgers records, including a 31-game hitting streak
in 1961 and the record for total hits at 2,091.
Carl Boles, born in Center Point, was called up to play for the San Francisco Giants in 1962, playing that year in the World Series. After his major league career, he became well known in Japanese baseball and then as a scout for the Giants.
Aaron Thomas of Dierks played in the NFL from 1961-1970. Originally drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, he was soon traded to the New York Giants, where he played out the rest of his career. He still holds a number of records for the Giants.
Leland Tollett is one of only two of those being honored who is still alive. He was hired by Don Tyson in 1959, named CEO of Tyson Foods in 1991, and chairman of the board in 1995, serving in that capacity until 1999. Under his leadership, Tyson Foods became a world leader in meat production.
Finally, we come to Dr. Joycelyn Elders, perhaps the most famous person to come from Howard County. Born to sharecropper parents in the Schaal community of south Howard County, she finished high school at age 15 and went on to become the Surgeon General of the United States, serving during the administration of President Bill Clinton. She, like Tollett, is still with us.
The exhibit will be open Thursday from 10 a.m. until noon at the museum, complete with coffee and finger foods. “We’d love to have everybody come out,” said Nannemann. “Howard County has produced some extraordinary people.”
“And I want kids to know that even if you’re from a rural area in southwest Arkansas, the sky’s the limit. I want them to see some people who have done great things with their lives who were born right here.”
