Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Students honored at Kiwanis Club banquet

Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice W. H. "Dub" Arnold was the featured speaker at the 2002-2003 Kiwanis Honor Banquet.

The banquet was held Monday, May 12, at the McRae Middle School cafetorium, with 30 Prescott High School students honored for their academic achievements.

"We are here," Arnold said, "to honor these young men and women who have been recognized for their scholastic achievement and leadership abilities. I know you've made your family and friends proud."

For many graduates, he said, the future won't be an easy task, as they'll have to work their way through college and struggle along the way.

However, he said, they shouldn't give up and should keep fighting for their dreams.

"Those still in high school need to work for their opportunities. The hope of the nation depends on you."

He said these young people have demonstrated they're not ordinary students, that they are special and their vision is needed for America.

Arnold told of the importance of the law by giving an account of an incident occurring in 1770.

American citizens and British soldiers clashed, with several of the soldiers stuck with clubs. The captain tried to quash the problem, but several of his men fired into the crowd, killing five people.

This only served to further enrage the populace as a mob grew and more soldiers arrived. The people, he said, were told if they would disperse the soldiers and their captain would be tried.

The wheels of justice began turning, Arnold said, with the English finding a man to represent the eight soldiers and captain.

Residents of Boston, where the incident occurred, told the young man not to defend the soldiers, with threats made concerning his safety and home.

He refused to listen to the threats and prepared for the trial. His first request was to separate the trials of the captain and the soldiers, telling the judge the captain never fired a shot.

The court agreed. The state called 15 witnesses, with the defense calling 23. The trial lasted five days and neither the captain nor any of the soldiers involved testified.

At the end, the captain was found not guilty.

When the soldiers were tried, the attorney said they had been in danger and were defending themselves after having been attacked with clubs. He said even if the men were found guilty, they could only be convicted of manslaughter.

Six of the soldiers were acquitted, with two being found guilty of manslaughter. Those two had their thumbs branded.

The attorney in question was John Adams, the second president of the United States of America.

Because of him, Arnold said, the rule of law prevailed, and this democracy has prevailed for more than 200 years because the law represents people in unpopular situations.

Arnold told how he first became involved with the law.

When he was 15, his father was elected sheriff of Clark County. The family moved to Arkadelphia, living in the quarters provided at the county jail.

The teen was around officers, lawyers and judges, and seeing them at work made him want to become a lawyer himself.

After graduating high school, he attended Henderson State University (then Henderson State Teacher's College), but dropped out in his third year because his wife was pregnant.

"I thought my dream of becoming an attorney was gone," he said. "I never thought it would come true."

However, he went to work for an insurance company and was allowed to work during the day while attending college at night.

After graduation, he returned to Arkadelphia to practice law.

"For me," he said, "this has been a dream come true. To say where there was no apparent way for me in my highest imagination to be a lawyer, not only an attorney but get elected as the highest judicial officer in the state."

It would have been easy, he said, to have given up on his dream, but he didn't, and encouraged the students not to give up on theirs.

He urged them to take advantage of every opportunity they get and live their dreams.

To be eligible for the Kiwanis Honors, a student must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 and not less than a GPA of 3.6 for the previous semester.

Eight sophomores, 12 juniors and 10 seniors were honored. The sophomores and juniors received certificates, while the seniors were given certificates along with a pen and pencil set.

Gary McCauley, a member of the club, gave the closing remarks, telling the students he has been lucky enough to be able to return to Prescott and raise his family here.

"I was away for 15 years," he said, "and there's no place like home."

He congratulated the students and their families, wishing them good luck in the future.

He told the sophomores to enjoy their days at PHS, as they will soon be gone.