Biographical And Historical Memoirs of Pulaski, Jefferson, Lonoke, Faulkner, Grant, Saline, Perry, Garland And Hot Spring Counties, Arkansas
Charles T. Meyer, Jr.
Charles T. Meyer, Jr. of Little Rock died 
Wednesday evening at the age of 85.He was the son of Lena and Charles T. Meyer, Sr. founder of Meyer's Bakeries. Mr. Meyer literally grew up in the baking industry spending much of his time in a bread box under the counter while his mother, Lena Ruck Meyer, handled sales at the Bakery originally located on West Seventh St. here in Little Rock. After graduating from Little Rock Central High as class president 1934-35 Meyer then graduated Cum Laude from the University of Arkansas with a degree in Business Administration. Meyer immediately embarked on a career in the family business, building Meyer's Bakeries into a national company. Meyer's grew from one small wholesale bakery here in Little Rock to six plants serving customers throughout the United States under more than 300 different brands. Meyer pioneered the process of "Brown N' Serve" rolls, breads, specialty items and English Muffins. During the 1990s, Safeway recognized the company as "Baker of the Year, " Shurfine-Central selected Meyer as the "Supplier of the Year" and Super Value Bakery/Department awarded The Bakery with the "Outstanding Customer Service Award." Meyer's development of a trucking company for interstate distribution is another ingredient that set Meyer's apart in the baking industry. It gave the company the ability to serve customers coast to coast with fresh bakery products and contributed significantly to the Bakery's growth. Charles also believed deeply in, and was appreciative of, the over 1,000 employees and associates who helped him grow the company. He also believed in professional management inviting Arkansas business leaders Gus Blass II, Vernon Giss, Harold Engstrom and Louis L. Ramsay, Jr. to serve on Meyer's Board of Directors.
Charles Meyer is survived by his wife Mildred Williams Meyer, his children, Chuck Meyer and Marietta Nowicki of Little Rock and Caroline Finley of Saline County. He is also survived by seven grandchildren, Clay Cook, Lan Cook, Marley Meyer Jones, Carissa Meyer Pereira, Matthew Finley, Stuart Finley, Sam Finley and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by Jeanne Hester Meyer the mother of his children.
In a 1986 PROFILE article for the Arkansas Democrat, Charles was asked "How would you like to be remembered" His response was "As having helped better the life of others." He did that well in all areas of life.
Meyer attended Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church where he taught youth and adults for15 years. His past service included Chairmanship of the Official Board and Chairman of the Finance Committee as well as 1977-1979 Chairman of the Board of Trustees United Methodist Children's Home.
He was also active in many community and civic causes as a Charter Member of the National Board of the Salk Institute, State Chairman of V.I.P.'s March of Dimes Teleramas, President of the Arkansas March of Dimes, State Chairman of the Heart Fund, Director of Arkansas Easter Seals Campaign, Chairman of Community Chest/United Fund, State Chairman of the Arthritis Foundation, YMCA Board of Directors, Executive Board of Little Rock University, Organized and was President of the North Little Rock Kiwanis Club, and served as Lt. Governor Kiwanis International.
Charles Meyer served others in business as well either Chairing or as a member of five separate committees of The American Bakers Association. He was on the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of the American Institute of Baking and a Board Member of the Independent Bakers Association, Chairman for the National Day of Bread, and member of the Food Marketing Institute. Charles was a Director of the American Management Association, Member of the Development Council University of Arkansas/Fayetteville, Member of the Council of Community Advisors/St. Vincent's Infirmary and Founder of the Charles T. Meyer Scholarship Awards. He also served on the National Advisory Board of First Commercial Bank.
There will be a visitation from 5:00 to 6:30pm Thursday at the Ruebel Funeral Home followed by funeral services at 10:30am, Friday, at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church in Little Rock officiated by Rev. Vic Nixon. A reception will follow immediately after the service in the fellowship hall at the church. Private burial will be at Roselawn Cemetery. Pallbearers are: Clay Cook, Lan Cook, Matthew Finley, Stuart Finley, Sam Finley, and Blue Russell. Honorary Pallbearers are: Robert M. Goff, Louis Ramsay, Vernon Giss and the Butler Class of Pulaski Heights Methodist Church.
In lieu of flowers please make memorials to Hospice of Arkansas or Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church in Little Rock.
Ernest Messer
Ernest Messer, a 25 year resident of Austin, TX died there of natural causes on February 9, 2003, at the age of 94. He was born
in Tokio, AR on July 15, 1908 to Rev. C. F. and Anna Messer.
Mr. Messer had an extensive career as a mining and civil engineer. He got his academic training at the university of Michigan. His first job was with Mobil Oil Corp. of Texas. Among his Arkansas Connections, he helped build the Army-Navy Hospital in Hot Springs in the mid 1930’s, worked for Alcoa Aluminum Co. in Bauxite during WWII and headed their Oregon Exploration Operation from 1945-50. His subsequent work included the Bob McIlwaine Co. of Little Rock and the Utah Mining Co. of San Francisco. He ended his career with the Espey-Huston Company in Austin, TX from 1978 to the early 90’s.
He is survived by his loving wife, Josephine Weatherton Messer of Austin and formerly of Little Rock; son Paul Messer, daughters Martha Barker and Mary Messer; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Elizabeth Ossorio. Private burial arrangements at Roselawn Memorial Park are being made by Ruebel Funeral Home of Little Rock.
Cecil Edwin "Mickey" McSwain, Jr.
Cecil Edwin "Mickey" McSwain, Jr., of Little Rock died in his sleep on November 11, 2003. He was born
on November 2, 1926 in Morrilton and is predeceased by his parents, C.E. and Frances McSwain, son, William T. McSwain and brother, W. Johnson Witt. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Ann McCrary McSwain, sons Michael E. McSwain, Lonoke, Mitchell W. McSwain, Little Rock, daughter Frances M. McSwain, Lonoke, brother Charles M. McSwain, Fort Smith, sister Frances M. Pruitt, St. Petersburg, FL., as well as, grandsons Jackson C. Whitfield, Andrew E. McSwain, W. Tate McSwain and M. Kess McSwain, daughters-in law, Patti G. McSwain and Yoko T. McSwain and a large extended family.
Mickey was graduate of Little Rock High School where he played percussion in the band and was a member of Delta Sig fraternity. He attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where he was a cheerleader and a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He was veteran of the U.S. Air Corps. Mr. McSwain followed his father into the food brokerage business, McSwain Sales where he retired after 50 years. For twenty-five years, he was a member of Alcoholics Anonymous where he touched many lives. He was a lifelong member of Pulaski Heights Presbyterian Church where he taught a young adult class for many years and sang in the choir. Mr. McSwain played in a jazz trio and loved sharing his extensive jazz collection with his many friends. He was a member of the Ozark Society and loved canoeing Arkansas's rivers and streams. He enjoyed sailing, sports cars, and handball and traveling with his wife. For many years he studied the works of Carl Jung with a Center Point group.
Visitation will be Friday, November 14, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Ruebel Funeral Home. There will be a private burial at Roselawn Cemetery, Saturday, November 15 followed by a memorial service at Pulaski Heights Presbyterian Church at 11:00. Arrangements are under the direction of Ruebel Funeral Home.
Memorials can be made to Wolfe Street Foundation, 1210 Wolfe Street, Little Rock, AR 72202.
Sidney Sanders McMath
Sidney Sanders McMath came into the world on Flag Day, June 14, 1912, in a dogtrot cabin on the "McMath Homeplace" near Magnolia, Columbia County, Arkansas. He was the son of Hal Pierce "Pap" McMath and Nettie Belle Sanders McMath. He had as forebears, a Revolutionary War soldier who met George Washington; a great uncle who was killed in the Texas War of Independence; two Civil War great-grandfathers; and his father's father was Sidney Smith McMath, a sheriff killed in the line of duty.
Young Sidney lived on the McMath Homeplace, but the family moved around to such places as Taylor, Foreman and Bussey, Ark. It was at the latter he attended a one-room school to read and say the Pledge of Allegiance as well as fighting another boy over the privilege of carrying Old Glory, a symbol for which he had a lifelong devotion.
Life was fraught with all the difficulties and joys of the rural South. His memory could not recall a time he was not riding horses, hunting, listening to stories and choring, till, at age 8, he started picking cotton for a penny a pound. Shortly afterwards he rode a mule named "Old Mamie" to Magnolia with his sister, Edyth, sitting behind for some shopping. He bought a new cap, shirt, overalls, a collar for his dog and chocolate for his mother, which melted in his pocket on the ride home.
In a word, he experienced the happiness unique to the American South. But he also saw something else: poverty, ignorance and injustice visited upon white and black by the legacy of slavery, Civil War and the so-called Reconstruction.
In his autobiography, Promises Kept, he states:
"My roots were planted deep in the South, the Old South, the South that remembered. The South that could not forget the memories of the Civil War and its aftermath, occupation by Union troops, carpetbag rule, economic depression, and hard times."
As a boy he promised to do something about it.
They went with Pap to the Smackover oil boom, then to Hot Springs, where 10-year-old Sidney felt the revolution of going from farm to town. Pap sold the horses and got a job, while Sidney felt his first paved street. (He would admit with a smile that paving roads henceforth became something of an obsession.) More importantly he went to public schools.
Picking cotton succumbed to hawking newspapers to tourists, horses unsaddled for cars, and tales for movies and books; the one-roomer was exchanged for a school that offered speech, debate, history, English and drama. He was kidded about his accent but lost enough to play the lead in The Valiant - it won the state prize. (Yet he always spoke with a trace of the Deep South, purring out as a mellifluous lilt, soft and hard, gentle and charming, like the evening light just touching the cotton.)
The final line of The Valiant was: "Cowards die many times before their death; the valiant n'er taste of death but once." In a sense, it was his motto.
He made Eagle Scout, went to Henderson and the University of Arkansas; was class president, played Hamlet, got a law degree and was the honor ROTC graduate. The latter led to the U.S. Marines, fulfilling a childhood promise to wear the Eagle, Globe and Anchor and serve his country.
A 2nd Lt. in '36, his commander was Lewis "Chesty" Puller and, after returning to Hot Springs to marry his sweetheart, Elaine Braughton, Sidney, seeing war on the horizon, returned to uniform in '40. He trained officers (including two future Commandants, ) helped organized a new division; promoted to major, he ran the Jungle Warfare School on Samoa; went to Guadalcanal; led a secret landing on Vella Lavella; served on New Georgia and was the staff officer of the 3rd Marines during Bougainville campaign. He was cited for bravery, directed the Battle of Piva Forks to victory (the pivotal action), received a battlefield promotion to Lt. Colonel and was awarded the Silver Star and Legion of Merit. He retired as a Major General - was every inch a Marine's Marine.
After the death of Elaine, he married
Anne Phillips, his partner for almost half a century, as the post war years brought Hot Springs and the GI revolt. "We had fought for democracy abroad and thought we ought to have some at home." Sidney was elected Prosecuting Attorney and his GI slate swept to victory in a stunning defeat of an entrenched political machine.
As a boy, Sidney had promised himself he would do something about Hot Springs and he did.
In '48 this success led to two terms in the governor's office. During his tenure, he paved more roads than anyone, built the Medical School, fought for civil rights, defeated the Dixiecrats as an ally of Truman, repealed the "whites only" rule for the Democratic Party, helped Ark. A.M. and N., integrated the Medical and Law schools. But he also insisted on bringing rural electrification to the counties in the dark. This ran afoul of the utilities and they conspired to defeat him for a third term.
Following this he organized his law firm with his good friends Henry Woods and Leland Leatherman and it became one of the premier trial firms in America. The young man who learned debate at Hot Springs High was eventually elected President of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, as he, in his favorite scripture, strove to "to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow."
He is survived by his wife, Betty Ruth Dortch Russell McMath and five children, Sandy, Phillip and Bruce McMath, Melissa Hatfield and Patricia Bueter; 10 grandchildren, McKenzie, Savannah and Ian McMath, Robert, Phillip and Sid McMath, Sydney Bueter Blackmon and Bonnie and Jennifer Bueter and Carl F. Keller III; and one great-grandchild, James McMath.
Sidney Sanders McMath loved his family, Arkansas, the South and his country. He was as great a man as one can know or ever hope to know. And he kept his promises.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers memorials be made to Henderson State University or Lions World Services for the Blind.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, October 7, at 2 p.m. at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church officiated by Reverend Victor Nixon. Burial will follow at Pinecrest Memorial Park. Former Governor McMath will lie in state at the Capitol Rotunda from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 7th. There will be reception held at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church following the interment
in Pinecrest Memorial Park.
Arrangements are under the direction of Ruebel Funeral Home.
Patricia Louise Hays McGehee
Patricia Louise Hays McGehee, of Little Rock, a devoted wife, mother and grandmother, died on Wednesday, January 15, 2003. She was born
in Little Rock to Patrick Hercules and Sallie Mae Sullenberger Hays. She was a graduate of Little Rock High School and attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority. Pat was a loan assistant for 16 years with the Veteran’s Administration in North Little Rock. She was a life-long member of Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church and a member of the Upper Room Sunday School Class. She was a member of AARP Chapter 34, where she enjoyed playing bridge, and the Leawood Garden Club. Pat was a gracious hostess to her many friends for whom she loved to cook and entertain. She loved to travel in the United States, especially to the beach and beautiful gardens.. She is survived by her husband of twenty-two years, Frank Thomas McGehee, her children, Steven R. Brown and his wife, Debbie of North Little Rock, Robin L. Boe and her husband Jeffrey of Aurora, CO, Gary W. Brown of North Little Rock and Shelley K. Brixey and her husband Jason of Mablevale, a sister, Katherine Treece and her husband Bob of Little Rock and three grandchildren, Laura and Katie Boe and Lauren Brixey. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 21, at the Ruebel Funeral Home Chapel. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church.
Mary Stewart McGehee
Mary Stewart McGehee of Little Rock, widow of Abner McGehee, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Harry C. Schmeisser of Memphis, TN, passed away at home on June 11, 2003, of natural causes. Known as "Stew" to her closest friends, she was born
in Memphis, TN on May 3, 1926. Stew was educated at Hutchinson School, graduated Bennett Junior College, and earned her B.A. degree at Vanderbilt University. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity. She was a past board member of the Junior League, Little Rock, a member of the Little Rock Country Club and a member and past Steward of First United Methodist Church. She was a past board member of the Boys Club and Children with Learning Disabilities, and a member of the American Red Cross.
She is survived by her two sons, Stewart B. McGehee of Little Rock and Abner "Chip" McGehee, Jr. of Irvine, California. Her daughter-in-law, Melanie McGehee and grandchildren Daniel Patrick McGehee, Chelsea Alexandra McGehee, and Emily Marie McGehee, all of Irvine, California also survive her.
Memorials should be sent to the Child Development Center of First United Methodist Church of Little Rock or American Red Cross.
The viewing will be held at Ruebel Funeral Home on 6313 Markham St. in Little Rock on Monday, June 16, 2003 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Funeral service will be held at First United Methodist Church on Center St. in Little Rock on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. Internment immediately following services at Roselawn Cemetery
in Little Rock. Arrangements are by Ruebel Funeral Home.
Helen Holmes Browning
Helen Holmes Browning died Wednesday morning, June 3, 2004, in her Little Rock home. A true daughter of Arkansas, she was born
in Batesville on October 1, 1918, into a large and loving Independence County family. She was one of six female first cousins who grew up there together, and who, as the years passed, delighted in being referred to as "Steel Magnolias."
After Batesville High School, she first attended Arkansas College, and then graduated from Hendrix in 1939, having been elected May Queen her senior year. She remained active in the Alumni Association all her life.
A lifelong Episcopalian, she was baptized, confirmed, and married
her best friend, George W. Browning, Jr., at St. Paul's in Batesville on September 3rd, 1941. They were able to celebrate their 60th Anniversary just before his death in 2001.
Upon his graduation from the University of Arkansas in 1951, they and their two children, George III('Sparkie") and Elizabeth, moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she taught Middle School English while George worked for Sandia National Laboratories. Immediately endearing and sweet to all she met, this little lady, all 4'8" of her, and with the deepest of Arkansas accents, came home the first day her son started school in New Mexico, having been elected president of the PTA! She went in knowing no one; by the time the meeting ended, she knew them all.
Thus did the little lady lead her life, with a smile, a southern gentility, and an earthy graciousness not often found today.
They were founders of St. Mark's on the Mesa Episcopal Church, active in the Meriwether Society, raised their children, founded the New Mexico Razorback Club, and all the while maintained their ties to their beloved Arkansas and to their extended family. When they both retired, they returned home to Little Rock in 1984. Active in St. Mark's Episcopal Church, they ministered to those with Aids through it's care team within the R.A.I.N. Network. This they did at their advanced ages and in their retired years, out of Christian love for those in need, when knowledge was scarce and volunteers were few.
She loved her volunteering at the Arkansas Arts Center, she loved her bridge, her church, her friends, and above all, her family. Her sport was "talk".
George, Jr., died on September 24, 2001. Her daughter, Elizabeth Holmes Browning Durrie, died in Georgetown on June 6th, 1999.
She is survived by her sons, George W. "Sparkie" Browning, Ed Viereckt, both of Baltimore; her son-in-law, and his wife, Nick and Sandy Durrie, of Santa Fe; by her grandson and his wife, Justin Durrie and Jenelle Giordano of Portland, Oregon; and by her granddaughter, Kyle Durrie, of Portland, Maine.
But beyond them, she leaves behind a very large circle of admirers whose lives she touched quite deeply, a devoted following who were proud to claim her as surrogate grandmother, as dear cousin, as a friend for life, as a member of "Helen's Boys, bridge partner, and church associate. She gave to them all a bit of wisdom, love, and steely grace from a time that is slipping away.
Her family will be forever thankful that Baptist Home Hospice sent them Janet Evans to guide Sparkie and Ed through the end of her days, surrounded by her antiques, her photographs, her memories, friends and family.
A Celebration of her Life will be held at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Mississippi at Evergreen, on Monday, June 7th, at 2p.m. with a reception following in the Parish Hall. She asked that in lieu of flowers, a donation in her name be made to St. Mark's, 1000 N. Mississippi, Little Rock, AR 72207. Cremation arrangements are by Ruebel Funeral Home.
