Dr. Grover Evans has distinguished himself as one of those whose indomitable spirit refused to let disability stand in his way of his quest for personal excellence; both in the athletic realm and in the area of serving his fellow man. Born and raised in Jonesboro, the Arkansas State University and LaSalle University graduate became paralyzed from the neck down after a 1977 automobile accident. In an interview with Jet magazine, he made the statement that "I legally died three times. I’m not even supposed to be here." But here he remained and embarked on a glorious amateur career as a swimme...(more)

The life of O. C. Smith, according to one biography, 'has had the flow and tempo of a hit song that finds its audience and never lets go." His million-seller song "Little Green Apples" won a Grammy nomination.

Smith also is known for the hits "Hickory Holler's Tramp" and "Daddy;'s Little Man," and is remembered for singing the themes from the motion pictures "The Learning Tree"and "Shaft's Big Score." Songs such as "Help Me Make It Through the Night," "For the Good Times, " "That's Life," "Don't Misunderstand," "Dreams Come True" and "What "Cha Gonna Do" are all contributions to the music w...(more)

Having first distinguished herself as a respected biologist, Andree Layton Roaf of Pine Bluff has truly proven her mettle with a trailblazing law career which culminated in her being the second woman, and the first African-American woman-to sit on the Arkansas Supreme Court.

A 1958 graduate of Muskegon heights High School in Muskegon Heights, Michigan and graduated from Michigan State University at East Lansing, MI., in 1962. She then went to serve in a variety of biology-related positions, including bacteriologist at the Michigan State Department of Health in Lansing, and a biologist at...(more)

The life of Dr. Lawrence A. Davis is one of dedication, dedication to academic excellence; dedication to shaping the young minds of African-American youth. A dedication lovingly passed on to the next generation of the Davis family. A native of McCrory, Davis graduated from Arkansas AM & N College at Pine Bluff and served as the institution's registrar and cashier from 1937 to 1939. After earning a master of arts degree from the University of Kansas at Lawrence, he resumed his AM & N job as registrar and later became assistant to then-president Dr. John Brown Watson. Davis became acting pres...(more)

The name Herwald H. Morton will always be a beacon in the annals of the history of the U.S. Information Agency. At the time of his retirement from the agency in 1993, Morton had reached the personal rank of career minister " the highest career rank in the Foreign Service." A 1948 graduate of Little Rock's Dunbar High School and valedictorian of his class. Morton in 1960 earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Roosevelt University at Chicago. In 1961, he earned a Master of Arts degree in international law and diplomacy from the University of Chicago. A 1949-1954 veteran of...(more)

As a lawyer committed to helping blacks in the courtroom and in the post-Reconstruction political arena, the late Scipio Africanus Jones helped blaze the trail of Arkansas history. Born into a slave family about 1863, Jones at an early age joined the household of Horace Jones in Tulip (Dallas County). In 1881, the teenage Scipio moved to Little Rock and entered Bethel University, now Philander Smith College. He graduated in 1885 from Shorter College in North Little Rock (known then as Argenta), and taught at Sweet Home, while studying law at the office of Judge J. Lea. In 1889, Jones passed th...(more)