Fuzzy Farnsworth

I certainly knew that heading would get your attention. It most definitely got mine when I received an Email recently with that name in the subject line! . The message came from Herb Huber, a member of our Email Fort Smith History Posse. (That's worth another later Blog entry). Herb had received a copy of a great little book written by former Fort Smithian Warren Berkley, now a pastor in McAllen Texas. Warren was kind enough to send me a copy. I was delighted with his account of my father teaching his father and later as Warren's firm but fair high school principal. When a young boy,Warren had attended Daddy's Stay at Home Summer Camp for several years. Some of you Nifty Fifties might remember that, too, at the junior high... now called Darby.

Why was I happy to read this message.... headlined by my father's most hated nickname? Because it was honest and entertaining and not the least bit insulting to my dad. So now I pose a question to all of you: Where did the name "Fuzzy" come from? That is an unsolved mystery at this point. Perhaps you have a story to tell about your relationship to "Fuzzy". I'd love to hear it. There are many theories about this name, but I really reject any theory that has to do with his hair. My father's hair was never curly or "fuzzy" .... thin by the time he retired, but he was never truly bald, either. I think it was just a word that began with the letter F...not good, but not too bad either. Probably no one ever used it to his face, but he certainly knew about it., and I think in retrospect many of you men think of the name with affection. Am I right?

The nickname my father truly loved was "Skipper". I am not sure when that started, but probably with his Boy Scout Troop 12 in the 1940's. By the time I was in high school, that affectionate term was in common use and continued until his death in 1981. All his grandchildren and son's in law called him Skipper. He was never called Grandpa.... he was Skipper.... and the most fun grandfather any child could ever hope to have. My parents spent long summer vacations with us in California and my children benefitted from his many varied interests from visiting every California mission to cooking amazing dutch oven meals as we camped in the Sierras. He was always ready to see something new, learn something new, and teach us something new. Life with Skipper (Fuzzy) was never boring.

I'll look forward to hearing from any of you great Nifty Fifties!

Rosemary Farnsworth Erickson
Email: lse12@cvip.net or on this Blog.

JOAN GUTENSOHN DAVIS

Joan Gutensohn Davis, 77, died Wednesday, July 1, 2009, in her home. She was born March 27, 1932, attended Fort Smith Senior High School, and was the widow of Robert "Bob" Davis. She was survived by her two sons, Robert and Scott Davis, both of Fort Smith; her sister, Gena Walker of Johnson County, Kansas; and two grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Sebastian County Humane Society, 3800 Kelley Highway, Fort Smith, AR 72904.

DALE POGUE TO BE IN FS ON JUNE 5-6

To: Nifty-Fifty group and any other interested person.
Dale Pogue plans to visit FSM on June 5th and 6th. His sister Dorcie is married to Glenn Caldwell and his 100th birthday is June 2. There is a birthday celebration at Goddard UMC between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday the 6th. They were married in 1986. They were both widowed and this is a second marriage for both of them (23 yrs.).
Dale and his wife Ann will hopefully be staying with me and he would like to see as many of his friends from the classes around 1950 as he can.
We have reserved the small room at Furr's buffet for 9:00 a.m. 6/6/09 (breakfast) for the Nifty Fifty group.
Please try to make it if you can.
See you there.
Eddie Coffman

Earl "Gene" Armstrong

Earl "Gene" Armstrong, 76, of Moffett passed away
Sunday, Feb.8,2009,in Moffett.He was a member of
the Moffett Baptist Mission, an active member of
the MoffettTown Council, volunteer fireman and a
member of the American Legion. He graduated from
Fort Smith High School in 1950 and served in the
Army. He worked for Kaiser Steel in CA for several
years and Wright Service Station.

Services were held Thursday, Feb. l2, 2009, at
Moffett Mission in Moffett with burial at Forest
Park Cemetery in Fort Smith under the direction
of Fentress Mortuary in Fort Smith.

ANNE KASTEN NELSON CONTRIBUTES BOOK TO UAFS

A copy of the new book titled “The Policy Makers: Shaping American Foreign Policy from 1947 to the Present” has been given to Boreham Library at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith by Anna Kasten Nelson, who graduated from UA Fort Smith in 1952 when it was Fort Smith Junior College.
Dr. Nelson, who is Distinguished Historian in Residence at American University in Washington, D.C., edited the book and wrote one of the seven chapters in it. “The Policy Makers” was published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc., an academic and scholarly publisher of trade books and textbooks.
At American University, Nelson teaches courses related to U.S. foreign policy. She is the author of more than 30 articles, essays and reviews and served on the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Review Board from 1994-1998. She visited UA Fort Smith in November to speak on Kennedy’s assassination.
Dr. Nelson sent the “The Policy Makers” to Anne Thomas, director of alumni affairs at UA Fort Smith, with a note to give it to the university library. She autographed the title page with “Best Wishes from a former student at UAFS, Anna Kasten Nelson.”
The book, which has a 2009 publication date, talks about U.S. policy makers who have wielded influence, largely behind the scenes, since World War II, when the advent of the Cold War brought new problems of national security for the United States. As a result, U.S. presidents no longer sat down with their secretaries of state to determine the nation’s foreign policy. They instead reached out to individuals in the intelligence and military organizations and to advisers in the White House. “The Policy Makers” examines seven. Nelson’s chapter in the book is titled “Senator Henry Jackson and the Demise of Détente.”
Authors of the other chapters include Steven L. Rearden, historian with the joint chiefs of staff; Chris Tudda, historian in the Declassification and Publishing Division in the Office of the Historian, Department of State; Lloyd Gardner, research professor of history at Rutgers University; Patrick Vaughan, American historian and scholar currently teaching at the Institute for American Studies and Polish Diaspora at the Jagiellonian University in Poland; John Prados, analyst of security, intelligence and diplomacy and a senior fellow at the National Security Archive; and Walter LaFeber, the Andrew and James Tisch University Professor Emeritus at Cornell University.
Other “policy makers” who are featured include Paul H. Nitze, Robert Bowie, Walt Whitman Rostow, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Bill Casey and Colin Powell.
After Dr. Nelson graduated from Fort Smith Junior College, she received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Oklahoma and a doctorate in history from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She has also previously taught at George Washington University, Arizona State University and Tulane University.
More information about the book is available at the publisher’s Web site, http://www.uafortsmith.edu/shell-cgi/redirect.pl?go=http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com/, where it can be purchased. “The Policy Makers” is also available at http://www.uafortsmith.edu/shell-cgi/redirect.pl?go=http://www.amazon.com/.

JOHN C. BAKER

John C. Baker, Sr., 76, of Fort Smith, Arkansas passed away January 29, 2009 in Fort Smith. He was a member of Goddard United Methodist Church, and the “Nifty Fifties”. He retired from the United State Air Force after 20 years. He served during the Korean War and was a missile launch master. He also retired from Civil Service after 23 years.

He is survived by his wife Peggy Hinds Baker; one daughter: Helen Kay Martin and her husband Alan of Fort Smith; one son: John Clay Baker, Jr. and his wife Jamie of Denver, Colorado; three step-daughters: Marcia Flocks and her husband Carl of Claremore, Oklahoma; Nancy I. Bartlett and her husband Paul of Springdale, Arkansas; Ann Grimes and her husband Dennis of Fort Smith; one step-son: Robert Hinds and his wife Suzette of Dallas, Texas; step sister: Louise Rodgers of Fort Smith; eleven grandchildren and two great grandsons. He was preceded in death by his brother Francis Baker.

Memorials may be made to Goddard United Methodist Church 1922 Dodson, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72901. To place an online tribute please visit http://www.edwardsfuneralhome.com/

JANELLE YOUNG HEMBREE

Janelle Young Hembree, 76, died Jan. 3, 2009, in her home. She was born on Oct. 31, 1932, in Fort Smith and was a graduate of Fort Smith High School. She attended Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., where she earned an Associate of Arts Degree, and she attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where she received a Bachelor of Science Degree in business. She was the former owner of Janelle Y. Hembree Stables-Breeding and Racing Thoroughbreds, past director of the Merchants National Bank of Fort Smith and past director of Trans-States Lines Inc. in Fort Smith. She was a sustaining member of the Junior League of Fort Smith, a member of the Baden-Powell World Fellowship, International Scouting, Geneva, Switzerland, past director, Arkansas Community Foundation, Little Rock, and she was a past board member of the National American Cancer Association and past president of the Fort Smith Chapter of the American Cancer Association. She was a member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority, St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Dallas and she attended St. John’s Episcopal Church in Fort Smith.
Janelle is survived by her husband of 52 years, H.L. Hembree III; two sons, H. Lawson Hembree IV and his wife Debbie of Fort Smith and Scott Hembree and wife Karen of Fort Smith; one brother, Robert Young III of Fort Smith; and four grandchildren, Lawson Hembree V, Christopher Hembree, Sara Elizabeth Hembree and Katelyn Suzanna Hembree, all of Fort Smith. She was preceded in death by her parents, R.A. Young Jr. and Vivian Curtis Young; and her sister, Marilyn Young Speed.
Memorials may be made to the Winthrop R. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, 4301 West Markham St. No. 623, Little Rock, AR 72205 or St. John’s Episcopal Church, 215 N. Sixth St., Fort Smith, AR 72901.
To sign an online guestbook visit http://www.edwardsfuneralhome.com/.

BETTY JO GRIMES STEM (Class of 1950)

Betty Stem, 76, of Fort Smith passed away Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2008, in Fort Smith. She was born Jan. 25, 1932. in Bentonville to Charles and Melinda Grimes. She was a member of Calvary
Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Bill Grimes; and her sister, Ann Bentley.

Funeral service was Friday January 2, 2009 at Edwards Funeral Home Chapel with burial at Forest Park Cemetery under the direction of Edwards Funeral Home.

She is survived by her husband, Luther M. Stem Jr. of the home; one daughter, Debra Stem of Fort Smith; two sons, Luther M. Stem III and his wife, Karen of Fort Smith, and Wendell Stem of Fort Smith,; two brothers, Bob Grimes of Fort Smith and Charles Grimes of Greenwood; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to St. Edward Hospice, 730l Rogers Ave., Fort Smith, AR 72903.
To place an online tribute, please visit www.edwardsfuneralhome.com .