Category Archives: “Looking Back”

More Than a Banker: “Looking Back”

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Reprinted here by special permission of the author, Cindy Beckman, a retired Conway High School history teacher who writes local history.

If you have been to check out the new Lewis Crossing shopping center, you probably traveled down Thomas G. Wilson Drive. This road is part of the Conway Industrial Park that was established on the east side of I-40 in the early 1980s.

Thomas Gates Wilson (1904-1985) was a prominent banker in Conway for over 60 years. He is also remembered for his consuming drive to Continue reading →

Facilitating the Growth of Conway: “Looking Back”

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Reprinted here by special permission of the author, Cindy Beckman, a retired Conway High School history teacher who writes local history.

When most Conway residents hear the name Conway Corporation, they automatically think of the business that provides them with practically all of their utility needs. But Conway Corporation was established in 1929 with an even greater purpose in mind.

Early electrical power in Conway was generated Continue reading →

Arch Ford: “Looking Back”

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Reprinted here by special permission of the author, Cindy Beckman, a retired Conway High School history teacher who writes local history.

This week, I would like to tell you a little bit about a project I have been working on for the past year. While gathering research for what I thought would be an article on Arch Ford, I discovered that Mr. Ford had deposited 75 scrapbooks with the UA Special Collections at Fayetteville. Once I went through the scrapbooks, I knew that it would take much more than an article to tell his story. Continue reading →

Broasted Chicken and Cheese Dip: “Looking Back”

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Reprinted here by special permission of the author, Cindy Beckman, a retired Conway High School history teacher who writes local history.

In 1945, Kenneth Sullivan built a restaurant, Sullivan’s Ice Cream Parlor, on the northwest corner of Donaghey and Robinson. Patrons drove up to the south side of the building and a waitress would come out to the car to take their order for ice cream or sodas. Sullivan’s was also remembered for Continue reading →