Hector High School - Wildcat Yearbook (Hector, AR)

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The people of Hector celebrated the installation of electric power on February 22, 1938. The celebration started at 4 o’clock. J. M. Oanley of Scottsville was in charge of the program, but several others also spoke. Not too long ago, Hector got a new fire truck. It was a welcome addition to our town. The truck cost $6,085. The city of Hector paid $3,000 of it, and the Hector Ruritan Club raised the remainder. James Walker was named as the fire chief. 5

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TORNADO STRIKES On the night of April 16, 1908, Hector was almost destroyed by a tornado. It wiped out several businesses, including Craig's general store, Price and Thomas’ business house, Farmers Union store, Bewley’s gin and grist mill, the drugstore, and the Masonic Lodge Hall. The damage was estimated at $50,000. Many people were injured, some of which were critical, but luckily no one was killed. In those days, everyone helped everyone else. People from all over set to work to collect money, clothing, and food for those who lost their belongings in the storm. In one trip through the business district of Russellville, over $100 was collected. The Ladies Aid Society of near-by churches gathered food and clothing for those who suf- fered. For the first few days after the storm hit, wagon loads of goods were brought to the people of Hector. It got to the point where there wasn’t enough storage space for everything they brought. Doctors from Appleton and Caglesville came immedi- ately to help the injured. One member of the community wrote, ‘We do not | become discouraged over reverses, but with faces turned toward the future, we will go forward on the great battle of life.” 4

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HECTOR S SCHOOL SYSTEM NINETY YEARS OLD In 1886 Hector School District No. 59 opened its first school under a cotton gin shed owned by J. M. Webb with Mr. Shelby Newton as its first teacher. On October 7, 1929 a new school was finished in Hector. The building was paid for and built by local citizens. The house was built without a school tax or bond. The people of Hector raised $4,000 for the new build- ing, but after visiting other schools, the people soon realized that they had insufficient funds for the type of building they wanted. Thanks to volunteer work though, the building was built. The building was 48 feet by 54 feet and two stories high. There were three classrooms on the ground floor and an auditorium on the second floor. The school was headed by Paul Llewellyn as principal, Miss Marjorie Mathis as intermediate teacher, and Miss Lois Hurley as primary teacher. Before this, the upper grades had to walk to Newton Springs to school. The Hector school paid their tuition of $1 per month. In 1922 and 1923 the Cumberland Presby- terian Church was used for the upper grades. Later school was held in the old Masonic Lodge building as the school building built in 1923 became overcrowded. Autry Newton was the first superintendent of Hector School (1925-26). O. G. McCaroll was the first agriculture teacher (1926-27). Miss llah Forest was the first Home Economics teacher (1926-27). Easkel Horn was the first basketball coach (1926-27). The first school bus was pur- chased in 1929. The Hector School was at one time (1930-33) the largest rural school in Arkansas. 6