Remembering Friends in the Research Room

Over the years, the Research Room in the CALS Roberts Library has seen many faces, personalities, and characters who use the space as employment, for access to technology or other equipment, for group meetings, or as a quiet area to read. Some take it upon themselves to be unofficial volunteers, as in they volunteer to share their expertise but not to wear the label of volunteer. Allow me to introduce you to four of these individuals who have assisted me in my duties, advised me about the needs of the community, or simply shared their love of history with me. Each person represents a collection of life experiences, community service, and personal promotion of library use.

Maud Eva Webster-Woods exited this world on June 5, 2026. She was a longtime educator with the Little Rock School District. Born in Hugo, Oklahoma, she shared the larger part of her life with the citizens of Little Rock, Arkansas. Her membership in Mt. Zion Baptist Church allowed her to interact with some of Little Rock’s leaders, leaders in training, and potential leaders.

She wandered into the genealogy department one day and decided she needed to share this space with others. She was the person-to-person advertisement every organization needs. She encouraged others to use the space and resources to deepen their own knowledge of their family roots. She’d also deliver me a home-cooked meal to say thank you for the service I provided.

She told me that Robert “Say” McIntosh was a student of hers and that he had expressed his disappointment to her over the closing of the Little Rock schools in 1958 to prevent integration. Her description led to a different view of how the closing of schools, known as the Lost Year, affected this student whose academic potential was disrupted and possibly derailed.

Charles Allen Brown exited this world on January 23, 2025. His family history is sprinkled across Arkansas history. He earned a master’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Arkansas under the mentorship of Cyrus Sutherland.

The University of Virginia, where he studied under architect Mario di Valmarana, awarded the certificate in historic preservation to him.

The Arkansas Territorial Restoration (later renamed Historic Arkansas Museum) was one of his first official projects when he presented a history of and a plan for the landscaping around the museum. He published several articles in historic architecture journals.

He experienced long-term COVID but recovered enough to return to the library and continue his service of helping others with their historical research.

William (Bill) Adams exited this world on December 9, 2022. He was born in Jonesboro and attended Jonesboro High School and Arkansas State University, earning a degree in journalism. He worked for the Jonesboro Sun and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

His retirement allowed him to focus on his love of genealogy. His commitment to genealogy included serving in leadership positions for Heritage Seekers Genealogy Club, the Civil War Roundtable of Arkansas in Little Rock, the Arkansas Genealogical Society, the Genealogy Society of Craighead County, the Sons of Confederate Veterans-Newton Camp, and the Tennessee Genealogical Society.

He shared his expertise with anyone who happened to sit near him in the Research Room or seemed to need some direction of what to look for next. He would give me a report of staff who met his expectations of service and those who did not during my time away from the Research Room.

He left the Research Room one day and collapsed on the way to his vehicle. Library staff attempted life-saving measures but were unsuccessful.

Eugene S. Porter Jr. exited this world on May 27, 2016. We officially met when we were both employed by the Central High Museum, prior to it becoming a National Historic Site. He is the brother of musician Art Porter Sr. and uncle of my Parkview High School classmate Art Porter Jr.

He earned a BS from Arkansas Baptist College. He taught science and served as basketball and track coach at Leflore County Training School in Itta Bena, Mississippi. He worked as a psychiatric nursing assistant at Fort Roots Veterans Hospital for ten years after serving in the U.S. Army. He earned an MS in education from Ouachita Baptist University. He was the director of the Family Planning Program of Pulaski County after his studies. He later joined the staff at Arkansas Baptist College as an instructor, Title Three administrator, and college dean.

His community service included the board of directors of the Central Arkansas Board of Zero Population, NAACP, Urban League, Richmond Masonic Lodge No. 2, and the Men of Dunbar, as well as being director of the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation. He preserved family and community history with the UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture and the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies housed in the Roberts Library. He was a lifelong member of Canaan Missionary Baptist Church, serving as president of the Brotherhood Association; director of the Baptist Training Union; member of the Trustee Board, Deacon’s Board, and Male Choir; and church historian, among other titles.

He passed out my business cards like a proud father bragging about one of his children. He often delivered documents to add to his collections. He shared his intimate knowledge of Little Rock’s West Ninth Street with anyone interested in the history. The week of his exit from this world, he made an effort to gift me a carton of cigarettes, popsicles, and a fish dinner from Hudson’s Fish Market in North Little Rock, where we routinely bought lunch when we worked together.

These four individuals are collectively responsible for my longevity at the Central Arkansas Library System, as each, in their own way, encouraged me to continue in this service to the community. Each shared a moment in time that will last me a lifetime, and I am thankful.

Come see us in the Research Room in the CALS Roberts Library. Visit the CALS website (opens in new window) for Roberts Library visiting information (opens in new window).

Rhonda Stewart is the genealogy and local history specialist for the Central Arkansas Library System’s Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, housed in the CALS Bobby L. Roberts Library of Arkansas History & Art.