El Dorado is the site for several annual events, including the Mayhaw Festival hosted by the South Arkansas Historical Foundation the first Saturday of each May (with a crawfish boil the same weekend), a Fantastic Fourth Celebration during July (including a 5k run, an antique car show, and fireworks), the SouthArk Outdoor Expo in September, the two-day MusicFest in October (with pop, rock, blues, and country performers, among other events), and various winter holiday events, including the largest Christmas parade in the state. The above mentioned Crawfish Boil has become so much more. It now hosts a "Battle of the Bands", a Bike show/one day motorcycle rally, a motorcycle parade, a Pool tournament, and much more. The official name of the event is "Bugs, Bands, and Bikes".
Local Companies:
Murphy OilMurphy Oil Corporation NYSE: MUR is a petroleum corporation. It is a S&P 500 company. In 2007, it was ranked as the 169th largest company in America on the Fortune 500. Corporate headquarters are in El Dorado, Arkansas.
The current President & CEO is Claiborne Deming.
Murphy is a partner in the Hibernia Oil development off Newfoundland and Labrador.
Murphy owns the Spur brand of oil and gasoline.
The company operates a chain of retail gasoline outlets throughout the southeast and mid-west marketed under the name Murphy USA, located at Wal-Mart locations on land once leased from Wal-Mart. The company announced in May 2007 that it would purchase all land in which it owns outlets, from Wal-Mart and would also close 47 locations.
The Murphy USA stations offer a discount to consumers of 3 cents per gallon by purchasing a gift card from Wal-Mart and using it at the station or by using a Wal-Mart credit card at the station. Some states, such as Alabama, have loss-leader laws against such practices. In those cases, the company rebates 3 cents per gallon on Wal-Mart Credit Card purchases at the time of the statement, not at the pump.
In an effort to reduce credit transaction processing fees from major credit card brands, the company announced in January 2007 that it signed an agreement with National Payment Card to implement Driver's License ACH payment system to break the Credit/Debit Card processing stranglehold where by consumer will receive a per gallon discount when used.
At the end of August, 2005, Hurricane Katrina damaged part of the large Murphy facility in Meraux, Louisiana, but, as of August 2006, the facility is back in working order.
The United Kingdom subsidiary is Murco Petroleum Ltd.
Deltic Timber,
Lion Oil,Lion Oil Company was established in 1922. Thomas Harry (Colonel) Barton was instrumental in the development of the company.
In 1955, Lion Oil was sold to Monsanto Chemical Company along with what is now El Dorado Chemical Company. Lion Oil is the only oil refinery which Monsanto has owned. Lion Oil was later sold by Monsanto to Tosco.
In 1985, Lion was struggling and on the verge of shutting down and was sold by Tosco to a partnership of Ergon Refining of Jackson, Mississippi, and a group of local investors.
Lion Oil continues as a petroleum supplier with its headquarters located in El Dorado,
South Arkansas Community College,South Arkansas Community College (SouthARK) is a public, two-year institution located in El Dorado, Arkansas with an open-door policy, providing educational programs, services, and resources for the residents of Union County and the surrounding area. With a philosophy that affirms the value of education, the importance of academic freedom for students and faculty, the worth and dignity of each individual, and an abiding belief in the ideals of a democratic society, the college encourages innovation, excellence, and leadership in its mission as a comprehensive community college.
South Arkansas Community College was established by a vote of the citizens of Union County on March 31, 1992. Voters approved forming a community college district for the county, merging Oil Belt Technical College and Southern Arkansas University-El Dorado Branch, and approving a tax levy to support the new college. The college is governed by a nine-member Board of Trustees initially appointed by Governor Bill Clinton. The Board of Trustees approved the appointment of a 16-member committee co-chaired by Billy McGehee and Dr. Kermit Parks. It made recommendations to the President and Board of Trustees on administrative structure, policy, and procedures and worked to unify the two institutions into a comprehensive community college. On April 14, 1992, the Board of Trustees elected Charles Thomas to be Board Chairman, appointed Dr. Ben Whitfield as President, and named the new college.
South Arkansas Community College is accredited by the North Central Association of College and Schools. The Higher Learning Commission is part of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Association was founded in 1895 as a membership organization for educational institutions. It is committed to developing and maintaining high standards of excellence. The Association is one of six regional institutional accrediting associations in the United States. Through its Commissions it accredits, and thereby grants membership to educational institutions in the nineteen-state North Central region: Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
The institution is approved by the Arkansas State Department of Higher Education and the Veterans Approval Agency of the Arkansas Department of Education. The college also holds institutional membership in the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT), and the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges (AATYC).
The nursing program is approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing. Allied Health programs are accredited by their respective accrediting organizations: The Committee on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon recommendation by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences for the Medical Laboratory Technology Program; the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE); and the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology. The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence accredits the Automotive Service Technology Program.
Mayhaw Festival
Mayhaw is the name given to the fruit of three species of hawthorn that are common in wetlands throughout the southern United States.
Mayhaws grow in moist soil in river and creek bottoms under hardwood trees. The fruit ripens in late April through May, thus the name mayhaw. The fruit is also found in bayous surrounding lakes, such as Caddo Lake on the Texas/Louisiana border. Mayhaws are often collected out of the water from boats to be used to make jelly. Mayhaw jelly is considered by some[who?] to be among the finest jellies in the world.
Maymaw JellyFamilies used to go on outings to collect mayhaws and create stockpiles of the jelly to last throughout the year, but the tradition has declined as with the increasing urbanization of the South and the destruction of the mayhaw's native habitat. The fruit has also been cultivated to grow outside of wetlands and this is increasing the source of the jelly.
As a celebrated delicacy of Southern U.S. cuisine, many communities associate themselves with the fruit: for example, Colquitt, Georgia, is considered the Mayhaw capital of the world, and El Dorado, Arkansas, celebrates a mayhaw festival each May.
What's a Mayhaw?
The mayhaw resembles a small crabapple. The tree is in the Rosacea family and the genus Crataegus. The mayhaw is a Hawthorne tree and it bears its fruit in May, hence the name mayhaw. The mayhaw fruit ranges in colors from pink to dark red, and one or two selections are yellow. The size of the fruit averages from one half to about one inch in diameter. The mayhaw is found in the Southern United States from East Texas to the Panhandle of Florida. The heaviest concentrations of native mayhaw trees are found in Grant Parish, Louisiana, near Winnie, Texas, and in the Pearl River swamps of Mississippi. Commercial mayhaw orchards are found as far north as the Louisiana and Arkansas state line.
Mayhaw fruit fresh from the orchard.
Where are Mayhaw fruit grown ?
The Mayhaw is found in the Southern United States from East Texas to the panhandle of Florida. The heaviest concentrations of native mayhaw trees are found in Grant Parish, Louisiana, near Winnie, Texas and in the Pearl River swamps of Mississippi. Fruit growers in other area's are testing mayhaw to determine exactly how far North the tree will bear fruit. Commercial mayhaw orchards are found as far North as the Louisiana and Arkansas state line. The tree will actually survive 20 degrees below zero, but the primary problem is that the mayhaw is subject to blooming very early in the Spring and many times the blooms are lost due to frosts and freezes. Trees that have this characteristic are referred to as being "low chill trees." Several people are breeding mayhaw trees in order to develop trees that will bloom later in Spring.
South Arkansas ArboretumThe South Arkansas Arboretum 13 acres (53,000 m²) is an arboretum and botanical garden owned by the local school system but operated as Arkansas's 50th state park by the South Arkansas Community College. It is located next to El Dorado High School in El Dorado, Arkansas, USA and open daily except for holidays.
The arboretum features plants indigenous to Arkansas's West Gulf Coastal Plain region, plus flowering azaleas and camellias. Signs identify many of the trees, including shortleaf and loblolly pines, southern and sweet bay magnolias, black gum, white ash, American sycamore, Carolina beech, American holly, black cherry, sugar maple, and oak species such as water, post, southern red, white and overcup.
Opened in 1965, the arboretum is Arkansas's only state park located within a city. It includes more than two miles (3 km) of paved trails.
The purpose of the South Arkansas Arboretum, Arkansas's 50th state park, is to preserve the flora and fauna of the West Gulf Coastal Plain, the natural division covering most of southern Arkansas, and to serve as an educational and recreational resource for local residents and visitors. Operated by the South Arkansas Community College, the park is located in El Dorado on Timberlane Road one mile north of U.S. 82-B. For more information and to arrange guided tours led by knowledgeable botanists, phone (870) 862-8131, ext. 194 or visit the Website at: www.ArkansasStateParks.com.
EL DORADO -- Beneath the forest canopy of the 13-acre South Arkansas Arboretum, runners and walkers frequently exercise on more than two miles of paved trails. Spring visitors take advantage of numerous benches along the routes to enjoy a show of azaleas and dogwoods in bloom, while birders and those simply seeking a little solitude make use of them year-round.
Opened in 1965 and tucked between a residential neighborhood and El Dorado High School, the arboretum is Arkansas's only natural state park located within a city. Besides its trails, the arboretum's other major facilities are limited to a pavilion with picnic tables, restrooms and a bulletin board. It has no on-site staff.
The late James Riley, a biology teacher at the high school, is credited with being the driving force behind the arboretum's creation. Land acquisition and early development were funded through federal education grants, since the primary intent was for the arboretum to serve as an educational resource for El Dorado schools.
Initial development included a perimeter fence, the trails, and the construction of several wooden bridges and two small retaining dams to create ponds. Though the rolling terrain of the property was intended to preserve vegetation native to the West Gulf Coastal Plain, flowering azaleas and camellias were imported to make the arboretum more attractive to casual visitors.
By the early 1990s, the arboretum had fallen on hard times. In 1994, the state legislature authorized an agreement placing the arboretum under the auspices of the state Department of Parks and Tourism, making it Arkansas's 50th state park. Ownership of the site remains, however, with El Dorado schools, and it is leased to and operated by the South Arkansas Community College.
Small signs identify many of the arboretum's trees, valuable to those seeking to improve their identification skills. Available for comparison, for example, are shortleaf and loblolly pines and southern and sweet bay magnolias. Among oak species on hand are water, post, southern red, white and overcup. Black gum, white ash, American sycamore, Carolina beech, American holly, black cherry and sugar maple are among many other trees at the park.
Limited numbers of wildflowers bloom from spring through fall, while the purple fruit of French mulberries, commonly known as "beauty berries," are abundant in autumn.
Birds seen year-round include those one would expect to find in an urban wooded area, such as northern cardinals, blue jays, Carolina wrens and chickadees, tufted titmouse, northern mockingbirds and American robins. Summer tanagers and Acadian and great-crested flycatchers have also been reported. And the arboretum hosts -- for a short time -- a variety of warblers during their spring migration.
The arboretum, located about a mile west of El Dorado's restored "oil boom" downtown, is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for designated holidays. Admission is free. The arboretum lies adjacent to the parking lot on high school's north side, where ample parking is available for visitors.
South Arkansas Regional Airport
South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field (IATA: ELD, ICAO: KELD, FAA LID: ELD) is a public airport located eight miles (13 km) west of the central business district of El Dorado, a city in Union County, Arkansas, United States. It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline. Service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.
As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 2,182 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2005 and 1,954 enplanements in 2006. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2007-2011, it is a general aviation airport (the commercial service category requires at least 2,500 passenger boardings per year).
Notable natives and residents:
Donna Axum, 1964 Miss America,Donna Axum was Miss America in 1964.
Axum from El Dorado, Arkansas, now lives in Fort Worth and is a member of the boards of the National Committee for the Performing Arts for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Fort Worth Symphony, the Van Cliburn Foundation, and the Texas Christian University College of Fine Arts Board of Visitors.
Axum first married Michael Alan Buckley and had one child, Lisa. She divorced Buckley and married Gus Franklin Mutscher who served as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives from 1969 to 1972; the couple divorced.
Donna has held many titles since serving as Miss America: university instructor, author, television executive producer and TV hostess, professional speaker and civic leader. Her Miss America scholarship was used to complete her Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees at the University of Arkansas in Speech/Drama, TV and Film. In 1988, Donna was named a Distinguished Alumnus and serves on the National Development Council. She also served on the steering committee of a seven year capital campaign that raised over one billion, forty six million dollars for the university.
Odie Blackmon, Grammy nominated country songwriter,
Lou Brock, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame,Louis Clark "Lou" Brock (born June 18, 1939, El Dorado, Arkansas) is an American former player in Major League Baseball. Brock was a left fielder who played his career with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. He batted and threw left-handed. He is currently a special instructor coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Brock was born in El Dorado, Arkansas and played college baseball at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He signed with the Cubs as an amateur free agent and broke into the Majors in 1961.
Charlie Daniels, Arkansas politician,Charlie Daniels (born December 7, 1939), is am American Democratic Party politician from Arkansas. He has served as the Arkansas Secretary of State since 2002.
Charlie Daniels was born in Parker's Chapel, Arkansas, and grew up in El Dorado, Arkansas. He attended South Arkansas University, and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. From 1974 to 1980, he served as Director of the Arkansas Department of Labor in the Cabinet of Governor David Pryor until 1979, and was retained in that post for a year under Governor Bill Clinton. He served as Director of Government Affairs for Arkansas Electric Cooperatives from 1980 to 1984. In 1984, he was elected as Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands, and was subsequently reelected to four-year terms in 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998. He was elected as the 32nd Arkansas Secretary of State in 2002, defeating the Republican Party nominee, Janet Huckabee, the wife of then-Governor Mike Huckabee, and was reelected in 2006.
Candice Earley, actress,
Candice Jean Earley (born August 18, 1950) is an American actress.
Earley was born in Fort Hood, Texas to Harold E Earley and Jean D Daily. She is most famous for her role as Donna Beck Tyler Cortlandt Sago Tyler on the soap opera All My Children, a role she played from 1976 to 1992. Donna was originally a troubled youth , who was a runaway and a prostitute who had been sterilized and beaten up by her pimp, and was only slated to be a short-term role. However, Earley's portrayal proved to be popular with viewers. So much so, in fact, that she won an award for Most Exciting New Actress in the first annual Soapies held in 1977 (these awards are now known as the Soap Opera Digest Awards). Over time, the character of Donna grew into a mature woman with a gift for singing.
When Earley was written out of the show in 1992, it was explained that Donna had to take care of her daughter Emily Ann (product of her marriage to Benny Sago) after she had a nervous breakdown.
Shane Feazell, internationally recognized master of reality,
Michael G. Fitzgerald, film historian and author,
Michael G. Fitzgerald (1950 – February 14, 2006) a native of El Dorado, Arkansas, was a leading film historian and author.
His best known work was 1976's Universal Pictures (published by Arlington House), which chronicled the history of the studio.
He also co-authored two books with Boyd Magers, Western Women and Ladies of the Western, both from McFarland & Co., which consisted of interviews with many leading ladies of western films.
Fitzgerald was also noted for co-hosting the annual Jivin' Jacks and Jills Hollywood Reunion in Studio City, California for over 20 years. Named after a dance troupe that performed in Universal films in the 1940s, the event began as a reunion for Universal actors. Fitzgerald was also an active participant in organizing the annual Memphis Film Festival from the early 2000s.
He worked as an accountant in Shreveport, Louisiana, until retiring a couple of years ago, He died at the age of 55 from undisclosed causes.
David Frizzell, country music singer,David Frizzell (born September 26, 1941) is an American Country Music Singer. He is the younger brother of Country Music legend Lefty Frizzell. His career first started back in the late 50s, but his biggest success came in the 80s, thirty years into his career.
Frizzell was born in El Dorado, Arkansas, in 1941. He began performing in his brother's show at the age of 12. He toured with his brother throughout the 1950s and 1960s and served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. He signed with Columbia Records in 1970 and finally achieved solo success, placing the single "I Just Can't Help Believing" on the Billboard top-40 country charts.
Frizzell appeared regularly on Buck Owens' All American TV Show during the 1970s, and recorded for Capitol Records. In 1981, he recorded his first number-one country hit, "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma," a duet with Shelly West. The song won the Country Music Association's "Song of the Year" and "Vocal Duet of the Year" awards in 1981 and was featured in Clint Eastwood's film Any Which Way You Can. Frizzell and West also won the Academy of Country Music award for "Vocal Duo of the Year" in 1981 and 1982.
Lefty Frizzell, country music singer,William Orville 'Lefty' Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country music singer and songwriter of the 1950s and a leading exponent of the Honky Tonk style of country music. His relaxed style of singing was a major influence on later stars Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and George Jones.
Frizzell was born in Corsicana, the seat of Navarro County in east Texas, but moved with his family shortly after his birth to El Dorado, Arkansas, where the Frizzells remained until the early 1940s. Frizzell began playing the guitar as a young boy. By the age of twelve, he was appearing regularly on a children's show at a local radio station KELD.
The family returned to Texas when Frizzell was still a teenager, his music career having received a significant boost when he won a talent contest in Dallas.
Lefty, who was known as "Sonny" to his family, acquired the nickname "Lefty" at the age of fourteen after a schoolyard scrap with another student. Part of Frizzell's early music lore pushed by his record company suggested the name came from winning a Golden Gloves boxing match, but this version was deemed untrue.
In his late teens, he was performing at fairgrounds and other venues, developing a unique, soulful voice. Like his father, he got work in the oilfields, but his growing popularity as a singer soon gave him regular work on the Honky Tonk nightclub circuit. At the age of nineteen, he had a half-hour show on a small Texas radio station, getting a big break when a record producer, Don Law heard him sing. Signed to Columbia Records, he immediately had a string of hits that broke into country music's top ten; several of them reached # 1. In 1950, he was invited to perform at the Grand Ole Opry; the following year he appeared on the prestigious Louisiana Hayride radio program that broadcast from Shreveport, Louisiana and then he and close friend 'Cowboy' Ralph Spicer began touring with country music's biggest star of the era, Hank Williams. Handbills of the time refer to them as "Kings of the Honky Tonks". A prolific songwriter, Frizzell had four songs in the country top ten at the same time in 1951 — a feat that would not be repeated on any chart until The Beatles one-upped him, on the popular music/pop charts, with five songs in 1964.
Dave Gibson, country music singer,
Walter John Giller, III, Deputy Surgeon General of the Air Force,
Gerry Haner, singer, song writer and guitarist for Kcor (band),Gerry E. Haner (born July 19, 1967) is an American rock musician best known as the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist and co-founder of the 1990 American rock band Kcor (pronounced /ˈkɔr/). Formerly on the Sun Studio’s 706 Records label in Memphis, TN. and current member of The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
Glen Ray Hines, professional football player
Glen Ray Hines (born October 26, 1943 in El Dorado, Arkansas) is a former American college and professional football player.
Hines played collegiately for the University of Arkansas and was drafted by the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals and the American Football League's Houston Oilers in 1965. In 1966, he signed with the Oilers and played for them until 1969 in the AFL, and in 1970 in the NFL. He played the 1971 and 1972 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, and retired after his final season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1973. He was an AFL Pro-Bowl selection in 1968 and 1969.
Hines was a consensus All-American in 1965, and was selected to the Southwest Conference All-Time Team in 1996.
Lamar Hunt, sports promoter and member of Pro Football Hall of Fame,
Lamar Hunt (August 2, 1932 – December 13, 2006) was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, tennis, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee of the first three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League (AFL) and Major League Soccer (MLS), as well as MLS predecessor the North American Soccer League (NASL). He was also the founder and owner of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, the Kansas City Wizards and at his death owned two MLS teams, Columbus Crew and FC Dallas. The oldest annual team tournament in the U.S. in any sport, soccer's U.S. Open Cup (founded 1914) now bears his name in honor of his pioneering role in that sport stateside. In Kansas City, Hunt also helped establish the Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun theme parks. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972; into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1982; and into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1993. The National Soccer Hall of Fame bestowed upon Hunt their Medal of Honor in 1999, an award given to only 3 recipients in history thus far. He was married for 42 years to second wife Norma, and had four children, Sharron, Lamar Jr., Daniel and Clark Hunt.
E. Fay Jones, architect & student of Frank Lloyd Wright,E. Fay Jones, (born 31 January 1921, died 31 August 2004) was a noted American architect and designer. He was an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright.
E. Fay Jones, (first name Euine which is pronounced U-wan and is an old Welsh form of John), was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, on 31 January 1921. Jones became the only surviving child in his family after losing both of his sisters at an early age. His family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, and later to El Dorado, Arkansas. Jones was a longtime member of the Boy Scouts of America and earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
Jones' interest in architecture began with the design of treehouses in high school and seeing a short film about Frank Lloyd Wright. Jones hoped to earn an appointment to the United States Naval Academy and took engineering classes at the University of Arkansas to improve his chances. Jones' hopes were dashed when his congressman was defeated for reelection and was unable to offer an appointment.
Charles Portis, author,
Charles Portis (born December 28, 1933) is an American author who has been described as "one of the most inventively comic writers of western fiction". His books have inspired cult-like devotion amongst their fans.
Brandon Pridgen, Former member of music group New Kids on the Block,
William Ragsdale, actor,William Ragsdale (born January 19, 1961, in El Dorado, Arkansas), also known as Bill Ragsdale or Will Ragsdale, is an American actor.
After attending Hendrix College where he appeared in plays with Sling Blade actress and fellow Arkansan Natalie Canerday, he gained attention as the young hero of Fright Night and Fright Night II, a series of humorous vampire films co-starring Roddy McDowall. He also performed in theatre productions of Neil Simon plays Biloxi Blues and Brighton Beach Memoirs.
Ragsdale starred for three years in the Fox Network sitcom Herman's Head. He was cast in the pilot for Charmed, but turned down the series to star in the short-lived sitcom Brother's Keeper. He appeared on Ellen as a boyfriend of the character Ellen Morgan (Ellen DeGeneres), before Morgan (and DeGeneres herself) came out of "the closet" as a lesbian.
Despite losing roles in both Glory and the film version of Biloxi Blues to Matthew Broderick, he works with Broderick in the 2008 film Wonderful World.
Albert Rust, former U.S. Representative,Albert Rust (1818–1870) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas and a Brigadier General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
Adam Setliff, two time Olympic discus thrower,
Adam Setliff (born December 15, 1969 in El Dorado, Arkansas) is a retired discus thrower from the United States, who represented his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics (1996 and 2000). He placed fifth both at the 2000 Olympics and at the 2001 World Champs. He set his personal best (69.44 metres) in the men's discus throw on 2001-07-21 at a meet in La Jolla, California. He retired prior to the 2004 season.
Reece Tatum, of the Harlem Globetrotters,
Reece "Goose" Tatum (May 31, 1921 – January 18, 1967) was an African American multi-sport athlete.
Born in El Dorado, Arkansas, Tatum played Negro League Baseball before becoming a star basketball player with the Harlem Globetrotters. He is considered to be the original "clown prince" of the Trotters. He wove numerous comic routines into his play, of which many would reach cult status. Some of these routines were based on his stature — it is reported that he had an arm span of about 84 in (210 cm) and could touch his kneecaps without bending.
He is credited to have invented the hook shot (a.k.a. skyhook), a shot for which later superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would become famous.
Reece Tatum died in 1967 at age 45 in El Paso, Texas. A veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, he was interred in the Fort Bliss National Cemetery. Military Ceremony was done with seven gun salute.
Dave Whitlock, light heavyweight professional prize fighter who fought Floyd Patterson in September 1955
Leon "Pee Wee" Whittaker, African American trombonist lived in El Dorado in the early 1950s. Leon "Pee Wee" Whittaker (1906–July 22, 1993) was an African American musician from the Mississippi River delta country of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas who was particularly known as a trombonist of jazz, blues, and rock music. From 1919 until his death, Whittaker performed with minstrel shows, carnival bands, swing orchestras, and rhythm-and-blues groups. He played alongside Louis Armstrong, Louis Jordan, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Born in Newellton in northern Tensas Parish in northeastern Louisiana, he was the only child of Tom and Kizzie Whittaker. His parents separated, and Kizzie, herself a talented musician, took Pee Wee on a musical tour until he could enter school. While he was in elementary school, Pee Wee lived with his maternal grandfather, who played the violin. He also studied under a Professor Smith from Alcorn State University (then Alcorn State College) near Lorman, Mississippi. He learned how to read music and to master the clarinet, guitar, string bass, and mandolin, as well as the trombone.
