Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Three Are Named Homemaker's Of The Year

Ruth Sullivan has been chosen as this year's homemaker of the year by the Bluff City Extension Club members.

She said she was embarrased to be nominated again since she received the honor in 1994 and felt all the members were more qualifed than she.

Ruth and her husbnd, Billy, moved to Whelen Springs in June of 1991 upon his retirement from the U.S. Customs in O'Fallon, Ill. Billy was also retired from the U.S. Air Force at O'Fallon in 1970 and is a Whelen native.

They have three adult children, two daughters and one son, and five grandchildren, which includes two boys and three girls -- all live out of state.

While Ruth said she never had a paying job, she did her share of volunteer work while living in Illinois by working two days each week in the Scott Air Force Base Hospital. She said she really enjoyed working with the patients and helping in any way she could.

She said she didn't even know she could do crafts and certainly didn't realize the enjoyment of making them until she moved to Arkansas and joined the Bluff City Helping Hands Extension Club. She went to her first meeting with the wife of her husband's cousin and expressed what a blessing it was that she attended that meeting.

Although she had not felt the warmth of southern hospitality before joining the club the members welcomed her with a genuine sincerity and made her feel right at home from the very beginning.

She said she enjoys all the club activities, the exchange of ideas, the fellowship and especially the show and tell.

Sweatshirts and vests are among the many things she creates and decorates for her grandchildren. She entered some of these in the Nevada County Fair this year, including a quilt she said she started a few years ago.

Crewel needlework attracts her attention and was another article entered. It was a picture of flowers in a basket-done in crewell.

Currently serving on the food committee, she helps cook and prepare meals for club members' familes in the event of death or other occasions.

She truly loves the Extension club meetings, including the council meetings and all that it involves, she said.

Because she lives in Whelen Springs she is also a valuable asset to the citizens there as well and makes herself available to them in many ways, sometimes raising money for a spray of flowers, which is sent from `Friends of Whelen' to the deceased's funeral, or preparations of a food dish to the bereaved.

Much of her time is spent in the kitchen cooking, but one never dares to guess for whom because she cooks for the ill, bereaved and the well.

If she knows you she will find an occasion to do something to endear herself to you even if its only to offer a few words of encouragement when you're despondent or cheerful chatter when all is well.

When inquiring of her health it's no surprise to hear a reply such as, "Well, today I feel meaner than a one-eyed water moccasin."

That's Ruth Sullivan!

Helen Morris has been chosen homemaker of the year in the Prescott Extension Homemakers Club. She has been a club member for 36 years or more.

Being raised on a farm and attending school at Emmet, she was an outstanding 4-H Club member and learned many things from her mother, who was almost a perfect homemaker.

Being a member of Prescott Homemakers Club, she has attended ten club meetings this year.

She presented two outstanding lessons. One on various consumer fraud, such as bying merchandise over the telephone and junk offered in the mail. She was also the hostess at the December program by having a potluck and a gift giving party at the Extension office. She states she participated in two workshops, three special interest meetings.

"I always put my heavenly Father firest in my life," she states. "I serve our Lord two times on Sunday and on Wednesday night service. I participate in Tuesday morning class. I'm a co-worker in Thursday School for the three-year-olds."

She also is an active tutor for the adult literacy class, helping two students. This is a project of the Southwest Arkansas Development Council.

Morris helped to recruit three new members this year and is the current vice president and reporter on the local level and states she voted in two elections. She had 26 items entered in the Nevada County Fair, winning 20 white, red and blue ribbons. She assited in the clean up of the exhibit buildings on September 5 before the fair.

She is a member of the Writers and Storytelling Association, who meet the first Tuesday every month at the Citizens Bank in Hope.

"I am happy," she said, "to know I have been chosen the homemaker of the year for the Prescott Extension Homemakers Club.

Homemaker of the year for the Double `C' Extension Homemakers Club is Charlotte Tinsley. She is also serving as the secretary-treasurer of the club.

"Being selected as homemaker of the year is a great honor," she said. She has been a member of the club for 12 years and has served as an officer for the past 11 years and is also currently serving as secretary of the Nevada County Extension Council.

Being originally from Fort Worth, Texas, she, along with her husband, Bob, and their two children, Karena and Jay, moved to this area to provide her children with a safe and well rounded education and environment.

Because of the EHC and the Double C, she says she had learned many different and exciting things -- topics from arts and crafts to lawn and gardening, information on health, sewing, state law and nutrition, just to name a few. All this information has been passed on to her through gathering with friends and community members.

"I have participated in many area projects and community service works," she states. "My life has been greatly enriched by just being part of the EHC. We have also had a few fundraisers that allowed our club to help purchase a Jaws of Life and bulletproof vest for our county. I love my work with the EHC, especially those events where we made gifts for the area senior citizene during the holidays each year.

Her daughter is also an active member with the Double `C' and over the years her son and husband have helped with various activities. She hopes to make her membership a lifetime one and is looking forward to all those fun times ahead.

In further expression, she said, "Thank you Double `C' for selecting me as your homemaker of the year."