Men and Women of Distinction: John Paul Hammerschmidt

Former U.S. Senator and Arkansas Governor David Pryor sit down with John Paul Hammerschmidt to discuss his years as a congressman during the administrations of six presidents – from 1967 to 1993. Hammerschmidt was born in 1922 in Harrison, Arkansas and started his professional career working as the third generation in the Hammerschmidt Lumber Company. In 1942 Hammerschmidt enlisted in the Army Air Corps and became a highly decorated World War II combat pilot before returning home in 1945. Hammerschmidt was the original sponsor of congressional authorization for a national Vietnam Veterans Memorial to be located in Washington, D.C. He was also the author and initiating sponsor of the legislation which preserved the Buffalo River as a free-flowing stream, designating it as America’s first national river.

Based on the Arkansas PBS series Men and Women of Distinction, each course features an Arkansan whose life has had a profound effect on the development of the state, the character of its people, or its image beyond our borders. By highlighting these men and women, the series allows history to be told by the voices of those who lived it. This course meets the scheduled Arkansas history requirement as set forth in the Rules Governing Professional Development and required by ACA 6-17-703.

John Paul Hammerschmidt: May 4, 1922 - April 1, 2015

Disclaimer: Segments in this course may contain content inappropriate for some students. Viewer discretion is advised. 

Agri Arkansas - Agri Economics

It can be said that Arkansas is an agricultural state. Agriculture impacts our state's economy on just about every level. Join us for a closer look at agricultural economics. Along with exploring Arkansas agriculture in general, we will travel down to the Cummins Prison in South Arkansas for a look at one of our state's largest agricultural operations. And, have you ever wondered just where to find the perfect peach? Well, we will show you a Peach Pickin' Paradise in Clarksville, Arkansas. 

This course meets the scheduled Arkansas history requirement as set forth in the Rules Governing Professional Development and required by ACA 6-17-703.

Agri Arkansas - Rice

Arkansas is the nation's leading producer of rice. It began in the early 1900s when W.H. Fuller was approached by citizens telling him they did not believe he could produce thirty-five bushels of rice per acre on his seventy-acre farm.  Mr. Fuller proved them wrong when his rice fields yielded seventy-five bushels an acre that year. Today, Arkansas has approximately 1.5 million acres of rice fields. In this course, learn more about the history of rice in Arkansas, rice production at the present, and problems facing rice farmers in the future.

This course meets the scheduled Arkansas history requirement as set forth in the Rules Governing Professional Development and required by ACA 6-17-703.

Agri Arkansas - Dairy

Dairy in Arkansas was once big business, but the past few decades have seen a fall off of the number of active dairy farmers in the state. This course takes a close look at the dairy industry. Recent legislation has made it legal to sell raw milk in Arkansas. Discover where you can find it and what you need to know before you drink it. And finally, we visit with Kent Walker, a cheese maker based out of Little Rock.

This course meets the scheduled Arkansas history requirement as set forth in the Rules Governing Professional Development and required by ACA 6-17-703.

Agri Arkansas - The Honeybee

The hardest worker in all of agriculture? Some say it is the honeybee. This course will take a closer look at Arkansas's state insect. Plus, it explores if the phenomenon of Colony Collapse Disorder, the spontaneous die-off of entire colonies of bees, has affected Arkansas. And finally, backyard beekeeping - what you need to know.

This course meets the scheduled Arkansas history requirement as set forth in the Rules Governing Professional Development and required by ACA 6-17-703.

War in the '60s - A Civil War Documentary

When Arkansas seceded from the Union on May 6, 1861, it was a divided state, politically and economically. During the war, it was the site of major military engagements such as the Battle of Pea Ridge, which effectively saved Missouri for the Union, and the Battle of Prairie Grove, the bloodiest conflict west of the Mississippi River. It was also one of the most difficult places for civilians to live, as both armies devoured or destroyed everything in their paths.

This course features War in the '60s, an hour-long documentary film that recounts the military history and the human story of what happened in Arkansas during the American Civil War. Through interviews with historians, and the words of soldiers and Arkansas citizens who experienced the war, the documentary helps viewers understand what it was like to live in Arkansas during this tragic time in America's history, and how the war changed the state forever.

Photographed in locations across the state, War in the '60s is the last film produced by Jack Hill, one of the most prolific documentarians of Arkansas history, and the first full-length piece on Civil War Arkansas in more than 20 years. Jack Hill died in July 2012.

This course meets the scheduled Arkansas history requirement as set forth in the Rules Governing Professional Development and required by ACA 6-17-703.

Sanatorium Hill

From 1910-1972, Arkansas State law mandated that victims of tuberculosis (TB) be isolated in a sanatorium located in Booneville, Arkansas. Some patients returned home, free of their symptoms. Others died there, either of the disease or of the gruesome operations prescribed by the doctors. This course features Sanatorium Hill, a documentary that tells the story of patients who survived the morbid treatments, recovered from the disease of TB, but were unable to forget the pain, suffering and despair.

This course meets the scheduled Arkansas history requirement as set forth in the Rules Governing Professional Development and required by ACA 6-17-703.

• Warning: This documentary depicts actual events and may contain sensitive images or descriptions.

Dream Land: Little Rock's West 9th Street

After their families were dropped off in Arkansas and forced to start new lives with nothing but determination and the instinct to survive, former slaves erected Blissville, a part of Little Rock that would become their safe haven. Over time, this area became a part of West 9th Street known as "The Line." Merchants and patrons of The Line created a mecca of business and entertainment despite racism, segregation, and destruction. Today, Taborian Hall is the last original structure on West 9th Street. Eventually, implications of federal programs such as Urban Renewal, school desegregation, the Housing Act of 1949, and the Eisenhower Interstate Program left the district barren and broken for business owners and residents as they helplessly witnessed the destruction. Taborian Hall, restored as Arkansas Flag and Banner, stands as the crown jewel that remains as part of a once vibrant community.

This course features the Emmy Award-winning AETN documentary, Dream Land: Little Rock's West 9th Street. The documentary seeks to recognize, memorialize, and share the history of West 9th Street and Dreamland Ballroom, and is filled with historic photographs and personal stories of Arkansans who once lived in the community. An educator guide and standards alignment document is provided as a resource within this course for middle and secondary teachers who wish to use Dream Land in the classroom. 

This course meets the scheduled Arkansas history requirement as set forth in the Rules Governing Professional Development and required by ACA 6-17-703.

Agri Arkansas - Introduction

This course is based on the AETN series Agri Arkansas. The program celebrates agriculture in Arkansas and features experts, innovators, and challenges all present in the state's largest industry. The show is designed to not only inform viewers about agriculture in Arkansas, but to also initiate conversations on complex agricultural issues.

Arkansas’s agricultural effects on the state’s economy are discussed in this introductory segment. An overview of the major crops grown in each region of the state is reviewed as well. The future of agriculture in Arkansas is explored afterward and includes an examination of camelina, a relatively new crop for Arkansas farmers that is used in biodiesel. 

This course meets the scheduled Arkansas history requirement as set forth in the Rules Governing Professional Development and required by ACA 6-17-703.

Agri Arkansas - Poultry & Beef

Beginning with the introduction of raising poultry in the late 1940s, to the billion-dollar industry it is today, in this course you will learn of the success and contributions of the poultry business. Also, we will visit with the 2012 Farm Family of the year, the DeSalvo family from Conway County. And if you're looking for an easier way to eat local, the Arkansas Agriculture Department has some online tools you'll want to know about.

This course meets the scheduled Arkansas history requirement as set forth in the Rules Governing Professional Development and required by ACA 6-17-703.