HSU banquet to honor former educator
Henderson State University at Arkadelphia will honor eight alumni at the Alumni Association’s annual awards banquet at 6:30 p.m. April 1, including a former Dollarway School District superintendent.
The event will be held in the Garrison Center’s Grand Ballroom. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at hsu.edu/RSVP.
Distinguished Alumni awards will be presented to the late Maurice R. Horton Sr. from Pine Bluff, along with Brown Hardman, Anita Cabe and the late Charles Cabe. Lloyd Jackson and Chris and Debra Wewers will receive the “H” Award, and the Young Alumni Award will be presented to Beau Baker, according to a news release.
Horton became the first African-American student to receive the B.S. degree from HSU, then Henderson State Teachers College, in 1957. He also was the first African-American to receive both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Henderson after earning a master’s degree in mathematics.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Horton frequently stated, “It’s all about the children,” during his 43 years of service in education.
He was the first African-American principal of the integrated Dollarway High School, and later became superintendent of the Dollarway district. Horton helped establish the Peake High School Foundation, serving as president and seeking funding for the restoration of the historic Rosenwald Building at Arkadelphia.
The Horton family established the Maurice R. Horton Sr. Emerging Leader Scholarship in 2012 through the Henderson Foundation, and the HSU Black Alumni Chapter initiated the Maurice R. Horton Sr. Awards Ceremony in 2018. In 2021, Horton’s portrait was unveiled and is currently on display in Henderson’s Garrison Center.
Forestry scholarship available
Applications for the Foresters for the Future scholarship are being accepted through June 15.
The scholarship will provide $4,000 per semester, for four years, to an incoming freshman pursuing a forestry degree at the University of Arkansas at Monticello’s (UAM) College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources.
Students interested in the scholarship can details at uamont.edu/academics/CFANR/index.html.
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division and UAM announced the scholarship’s availability Thursday.
“Arkansas has nearly 19 million acres of forests with over 12 billion trees,” said State Forester Joe Fox in a news release. “This scholarship is a wonderful opportunity for a future forester to obtain a quality education and move into a dynamic and rewarding career field.”
UAM and the Forestry Division hope the scholarship will entice students to pursue forestry as a career.
“The forestry industry is a pillar of Arkansas’s economy that impacts every area of our state,” said UAM Chancellor Peggy Doss. “The Foresters for the Future Scholarship will support our efforts to attract and to retain a diverse group of future foresters and to prepare them for a career path that offers extensive job opportunities in the wood products industry.”
A&P panel reschedules meeting
The Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion Finance Committee will meet at noon March 28 at offices of the Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion Commission, 623 S. Main St. Participants are asked to notify the A&P office about plans to attend the meeting, according to a news release. Details: Betty Brown, administrative assistant, A&P Commission, (870) 534-2121 or bbrown@explorepinebluff.com.
Maurice Horton