Mrs. Faye Ellis took our youth choir on quite a trip

I learned so much as a teenager from many of the adult members of the First Baptist Church in Fordyce, Arkansas, where I spent my high school years. One person in particular was Mrs. Faye Ellis, who periodically served as our youth choir director when the church was in-between official choir directors. Mrs. Ellis was the wife of the long-term pastor of the church, Rev. Cline Ellis, and they lived in the parsonage behind the church. I knew Mrs. Ellis probably better than many other people because she took a strong interest in me, since I came from a single mom home (which was extremely uncommon in Fordyce in those days) and our family was extremely poor. Mrs. Ellis had attended the seminary and had earned a Master of Arts in Music, but as a Southern Baptist minister's wife, her jobs were only interim and shamefully low paid. During the six years of my high schools days, she was probably the interim music director for half that time, on and off again. Yet the church paid her only a mere $100 per month penance for her dedication and work, I guess first of all because she was the minister's wife and supposedly working for the church anyway. But also I think, and she thought as well, because she was a woman. The official music directors, whenever we had one, were paid much more. But Mrs. Ellis was a wonderful musician. Strict but good. Not only did she know music very well, she planned and took us on a choir tour during the summer between my junior and senior years in high school. That's the sort of thing I would do if I were a choir director. First of all, we had to be a member of the choir and attend rehearsals faithfully in order to get to go. Well, that's motivation, and it worked. Second of all, the itinerary she planned took us places that most of us would never have had the opportunity to see were it not for her. And thirdly, the performance agenda made us think we were masterful singers and sought after across the southern states. We sang at various churches in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. We met many other young people along the way and most of the time, slept in homes of the members of the church we visited. We also sang at Six Flags over Texas, which to us was a huge deal. We visited Six Flags in Arlington, AstroWorld in Houston, attended a Houston Astros baseball game, and roamed the 1968 Worlds Fair in San Antonio, Texas, called The HemisFair '68 for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. And she taught us sound music and how to mix fun with Christian values.

The last time I visited with Mrs. Ellis was in the early 1990s, when I ran into her in the grocery store in Fordyce, Arkansas, during one of my occasional visits with extended family. We were excited to see each other, and right there in the middle of the grocery aisle, had a hearty discussion/disagreement about current politics and what it means to be a Christian. I just couldn't believe she was a Republican right-wing Christian. How could that be, I asked her. You are the one who taught me/us to give all that we have to the poor and needy, to take care of those in need, to embrace those who are cast away and out, just as Jesus did. You are the one who said we should live modestly and not buy into the ways of the world and big business.

Mrs. Ellis smiled and I knew we would not agree. I do not know when or how that great divide happened. When the Southern Baptists for the most part joined ranks with Corporate America and somehow save Conservatism as a Christ-like endeavor. I do not know when those who embrace socialism and community became labelled Liberals because they wanted higher taxes to support programs that helped the poor and disenfranchised.

The last time I heard, Mrs. Ellis was in very poor health and living with her daughter in another state. I know I will not see her again, but her influence on my life remains still. She probably never knew that I really loved her. Oftentimes, she made me very angry because she had a tendency to stick her nose into my business for many years, even after I was married. But today I know that is because she loved me, too. If anyone sees her, tell her Sheila Witherington said hello and that I love her.

My thoughts for today.

Sheila Witherington

Singing with The Ideals in Fordyce, Arkansas...so much fun!

From 1965 to 1969, I sang with a group called The Ideals, in Fordyce, Arkansas. We were high school teens in the sixites and quite influenced by the folk and gospel music of the Vietnam era. Two of our biggest musical mentors were Erby Sparler, the music director at church who helped us get started, and Faye Ellis, the pastor's wife who had a master of arts in music and gave us hours and hours of vocal instructions.

Pictured is front left to right: Becky Vineyard (Rogers), who still lives in Fordyce and Becky Cochran (Bryant), who lives in Sheridan and works in Little Rock. Back left to right: Sherry Smith (Leary), who lives near San Antonio, Texas, and me, Sheila Witherington. I now live in Little Rock. We actually sang together again for the first time in 36 years last year. It was a great reunion. There is a deep connection we have that has survived the many years. What a blessing. I am truly blessed to have good friends.

My thoughts for today.
Sheila Witherington

Sleep-over 35 years later in Fordyce, Arkansas

A few of us who graduated from Fordyce High School in Fordyce, Arkansas, in 1969 get together every year or so during the Fordyce on the Cotton Belt Festival for a sleep-over out at a deer camp (thanks to the graciousness of Jimmy and Donna Jones). This photo was taken the morning after the sleep-over in 2004. We look pretty good to have survived on little sleep during the night. Pictured from left to right are: (back row) Linda (Slaughter) Daniels, Beverly (Spears) Nutt, Mary Sue (Marks) Harrell, (front row) Lynda (Vinson) Kerr, Sheila Witherington, and Becky (Cochran) Bryant. It is so good have friends for so many years. The older I get, the more I appreciate these sorts of things.

My thoughts for today.

Sheila Witherington

6th grade graduation class 1963 Fordyce Elementary School

This is the class photograph on graduation day for the 6th grade class at Fordyce Elementary School, Fordyce, Arkansas, in 1963. I (Sheila Witherington) am on the front row fifth from the right. I had just moved to Fordyce the previous February, from Chateauroux, France, and living in Arkansas was quite different. But I made long-lasting friends. Some of us girls get together quite often and have remained very good friends through the years. It is wonderful to have that sort of lasting connection with your past. I remember this graduation day vividly. After graduation, we had a class picnic at Ann Anthony's house. I haven't seen Ann in many years.

My thoughts for today.

Sheila Witherington

How the Fordyce Redbugs got their name

I have heard that the Fordyce school system in Fordyce, Arkansas, claimed this mascot "The Redbugs" in the 1920s, when the football team played a game on a field that had not been mowed during the previous week. When the teams played on the unmowed redbug-infested football field, the players were covered with bug bites, and the school decided on a new mascot.

My thoughts for today.
Sheila Witherington

Fordyce Redbugs in Fordyce, Arkansas

Hey, Fordyce Redbugs. My name is Sheila Witherington, and I graduated from Fordyce High School, Fordyce, Arkansas, in 1969. There is not much on the internet about Fordyce or the Fordyce Redbugs, and I decided we need to change that. My sister, Janis Hopper (Witherington), was in the class of 1966. My brother, Max Witherington, was in the class of 1975. My mother, Sue Witherington (who now prefers to be called Audrey), is 84 years old, and she spent much of her life in the Fordyce area. I have not lived or worked in Fordyce in more than 20 years, but I still have many friends, relatives, and acquaintances from there and like to stay in touch. I would love to find and get the stories of as many Fordyce Redbug folks as possible. Once a Redbug, always a Redbug. How about giving a post?

My thoughts for today.
Sheila Witherington