Arkansas Educators Professional Development Workshop

Arkansas and World War II

"Professional Development"

June 20, 2017, educators from across the state came to central Arkansas for a workshop that explored the role Arkansas played during World War II.  There were five presenters that included Shane Lind, Anita Deason, Kim Sanders,  DannaKay Duggar, and Allison Hiblong.

The workshop began at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History with Shane Lind.  Mr. Lind highlighted the museum's Allison Collection of over 4,600 World War II photographs and original posters from the War Relief Program of the United States.  The posters are currently on display through October 5, 2017.

Col. (Ret.) Anita Deason, Military and Veterans Affairs Liaison for Senator John Boozman's Office, lead a session on The Library of Congress Veterans History Project.  Colonel Deason explained that the project is focused on collecting, preserving, and making accessible the personal accounts of American veterans.  To learn more about this project, click here.

The last session that morning was by Kim Sanders from The Butler Center of Arkansas Studies.  Ms. Sanders discussed the Japanese Americans who were forced to leave their homes and relocate to military camps during World War II.  16,000 men, women, and children were sent to camps at Jerome and Rohwer in southeast Arkansas.  The center's exhibit "The American Dream Deferred: Japanese American Incarceration in World War II Arkansas" is on display through July 29, 2017.

After lunch the workshop moved across the river to the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum.  Here educators were taken through the museum to see two naval vessels that represent the bookends of World War II.  Allison Hiblong provided tours of the submarine USS Razorback as well as assistance in visiting the museum's exhibits.

DannaKay Duggar from the Jacksonville Museum of Military History portrayed Rosie the Riveter to explain the Salvage Collection Program the United States Government created for school children during World War II.  Ms. Duggar presents this interactive program to schools.  You can learn more about this program and the museum by clicking here.  

This was a very successful workshop and we plan on presenting a similar workshop in 2018.

27 Years as a National Historic Landmark

"This Day in History"

June 30, 1989

National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States.  Today, just over 2,500 historic buildings, sites, structures, objects, or districts bear this national distinction. 

National Historic Landmarks are designated because they are:

                Sites where events of national historical significance occurred;

                Places where prominent persons lived or worked;

                Icons of ideals that shaped the nation;

                Outstanding examples of design or construction;

                Places characterizing a way of life; or

                Archeological sites able to yield information.

The State of Arkansas currently has 18 National Historic Landmarks; including Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs, Little Rock Central High School, Parkin Indian Mound, and Rohwer Relocation Center Memorial Cemetery.  The 18^th landmark brought into the state was on November 23, 2015, Hoga (YT 146). 

Hoga (YT 146) is a United States Navy Woban-class district harbor tug.  The tug was placed into service on May 22, 1941; assigned to the 14^th Naval District at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  On December 7, 1941, Hoga was moored with other yard service craft near the drydocks when the attack began.  Hoga was underway within ten minutes of the first strike by the Japanese.  The tug extinguished fires on burning battleships and other vessels in the harbor and rescued wounded seamen from the oily waters.

“Hoga particularly distinguished herself through her crew’s actions in helping beach the burning and sinking battleship USS Nevada at Hospital Point as her run for the open sea was aborted by Japanese bombers who intended to sink her [the battleship] in the channel and block Pearl Harbor.” -- Application for National Historic Landmark Status

June 30, 1989, while Hoga served in the Oakland Fire Department, she was awarded the status of National Historic Landmark for her efforts in Pearl Harbor.