TASD announces distinguished alumni

Texarkana, Ark., School District Distinguished Alumni awards will be presented to David Pope, Lewis Thompson and posthumously to Dr. Carl "Cheesie" Nelson during a reception from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 25 in the Arkansas High Student Union.

The school district recognizes Arkansas High School, Washington High School and North Heights High School alums who have made outstanding contributions in business, professional or vocational endeavors as well as being a person of high moral character and integrity.

Dr. Carl Nelson was born and raised in Texarkana, Ark. He graduated from Arkansas High School in 1956 and worked on his undergraduate degree at Texarkana Junior College before attending the University of Arkansas to complete his bachelor of science degree in geology in 1961. He continued his education at the University of Arkansas by obtaining a master of education degree in education administration in 1965 and a doctorate of education degree in education administration in 1968.

After obtaining his doctorate, he became Coordinator of Secondary Education Programs for the Region XII Education Service Center in Waco, Texas.

Nelson decided to come back home in 1975 to take the position of president at Texarkana College. He was known throughout Texarkana as a humorist, public speaker, duck hunter and tennis champion. In his earlier years he was noted as one of the first Elvis impersonators.

Friends and family enjoyed Dr. Nelson's artistic talents by receiving fun, hand-drawn Christmas and birthday cards, which have become cherished keepsakes.

Nelson served as president of the Texas Junior College Association; distinguished guest professor at University of Texas and Virginia Tech University Community College Doctoral Programs; and president of the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce, from which he received the C.E. Palmer Award.

He has also served on the board of directors of Regions Bank and president of the Hempstead County Hunting Club and was a member of the Methodist Church, Texarkana, Ark.

He provided leadership as chairman, board of directors Leadership Texarkana; president, United Way of Greater Texarkana; vice-president, Caddo Area Council, Boy Scouts of America; and national trustee, Ducks Unlimited and chairman, Texarkana Ducks Unlimited.

Nelson was married to Tamar Hall Nelson. The Nelsons have two sons, Carl M. Nelson III and wife, Melody, of Tulsa, Okla., and Clay Matthew Nelson and his wife, Julia, of Wellington, New Zealand. Dr. Nelson had five grandchildren, Drake, Merrell, Elissa, Rosie, and Conner.

David Pope has spent the majority of his life in the Texarkana, Ark., school system. He graduated from Arkansas High School in 1962 and received a bachelor of science in education at Henderson State University in 1967. He later attended East Texas State University at Commerce, where he received a master of education degree and did post-graduate work, receiving an administrative certificate. He also was a doctoral candidate.

Pope began teaching fifth grade at Fairview Elementary School in 1966. He later served as principal at Fairview, Washington Intermediate School and College Hill Junior High. He then moved to Arkansas High School, where he was assistant principal for 18 years.

He has been a member of Phi Delta Kappa, Arkansas Education Administrators Association, National Association of Secondary School Principals, a PTA Life Member and the Advisory Council for Community School.

Pope is a past president of the Library Commission, served on the board of directors for the Library Commission, served on the ground committee for Conifer Girl Scout Council, is a past president of Texarkana Association of Education, was a relief house parent and activities director for Haven Home and sang with the Community Singers for the Edna May Atkins Foundation. He is well known to many children of Texarkana as Santa, having appeared in many homes as the jolly old man for 27 years, including Santa in the downtown Christmas parade for 15 years.

The Janice Pope golf tournament, which was organized in his wife's memory in 1992, has raised more than $40,000 for the Razorback Booster Club. An award is presented each year in Janice's name to the best female athlete at AHS and a scholarship is presented to a deserving female athlete.

He is a member of Walnut Street Church of Christ, where he has served as a deacon and leads singing.

Pope is married to Cheryl, a nurse at CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System, has two daughters, Jennifer Bland of Shreveport and Laura Stull of Memphis, and has two stepdaughters, Marti Welch of Little Rock and Tanya Johnson, who is a senior at AHS this year.

He is best known for his relationship with and concern for the students he has worked with through the years. This attitude earned him a nickname among the students, "Big Daddy Pope."

Lewis Thompson Jr. was born in Homer, Ark., and moved to the Texarkana, Ark., area during his early childhood. During his high school years at Booker T. Washington, Thompson participated in many successful championship football games.

With graduation on the horizon in 1956 and several football scholarships on the table, he chose to attend Texas Southern University in Houston Thompson went on to play for several different colleges and took time out to join the Army for two years.

After the Army, Thompson earned his bachelor of science in education degree at Mississippi Valley State University. He received his master of education in education administration from Texas A&M University-Texarkana in 1976.

During Thompson's years at Mississippi Valley State, he was inducted into the MVSU's Hall of Fame and was selected All-American.

After a brief stint with the Canadian Football League, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Thompson returned with his family to Texarkana, Ark., and was immediately employed with Texarkana, Ark., School District. He has served as a physical education teacher, science teacher, head football coach, assistant principal and principal.

Thompson also coached the semi-pro football team called the Texarkana Phantoms of the Southern Football League.

Thompson retired from TASD after 30 years of service, but retirement was quickly interrupted when he was offered an interim principal position for two years at Linden High School in Linden, Texas. Thompson's retirement plans also included being a juvenile probation officer for the Lantz Lurry Juvenile Detention Center and executive director of the Texarkana, Ark., Boys and Girls Club; he also volunteers at the Inghram Swimming Pool.

Additionally, Gov. Mike Huckabee appointed Thompson to the Arkansas State Board of Education and he serves on the National Educational Board, which meets periodically in Washington, D.C.

Thompson is married to his high school sweetheart, Margaret Denmon Thompson. The Thompsons have four children, Calvin Thompson of Texarkana, Ark., Lewis II "Mike" Thompson of Atlanta, Ga., James Thompson of Pine Bluff, Ark., and Sonya Thompson of New York City. He has three granddaughters and three grandsons. The Thompsons are members of 11th Street Baptist Church, Texarkana, Ark.

Texarkana Arkansas School District proudly named Horace G. Shipp, Mayor of Texarkana, AR, the 2007 Distinguished Alumni. Horace Shipp was born December 8, 1944 in Texarkana and grew up in the College Hill area attending Texarkana, AR public schools. He graduated from Arkansas High School in June 1962 and went to work at Red River Army Depot. He retired in September, 1997 after a 35-year career with the depot.

As mayor, Horace has emphasized economic development through marketing and promoting our city, establishing the Crossroads Business Park in North Texarkana, and promoting revitalization in the downtown area. He has vigorously supported the premise that municipal and educational leadership must not only cooperate but work very closely to achieve the community's full potential. As a long-time member of the Arkansas Municipal League, Horace has served on league advisory and executive boards, the cash and pension management trust board, and as the league's 2nd Vice President.

Horace has received the 2000 Idalee Hawkins Award for Community Leadership presented by Leadership Texarkana, the 2005 Texas A&M University - Texarkana BAAS Club Distinguished Alumnus Award, the 2005 Texas A&M University - Texarkana Distinguished Alumnus Award, and Four States Living Magazine's 2007 "Best City Official" Award.

Horace and Teresa Ramsey Shipp (AHS '65 and retired TASD elementary teacher) were married in August 1965 and have two children - daughter Julie Shipp Davis and son Justin Shipp, both AHS grads and both residents of Fayetteville. Horace and Teresa have three grandsons - Trey Davis, age 22: Brad Davis, age 11, and Ethan Shipp, age 4.

He will be honored at a dinner to be held in the foyer of the new high school the evening of October 23. On Friday morning, he will be recognized at the Homecoming Pep Rally and shortly before noon there will be a brunch and reception for Ed at the School District's Administration Building. Friday evening he will be honored at the Homecoming Football Game (AHS vs. Watson Chapel)

Ed Arnold is the co-host and managing editor of KOCE-TV's nightly news magazine
show, "Real Orange" , and the announcer for Dr. Robert H. Schuller's internationally
syndicated "Hour of Power". He joined KOCE-TV in January 2000 after over thirty years as a
sportscaster/anchor in Los Angeles. He has been with the "Hour of Power' since it began in
1970.
Ed who was recently honored with the 2007 "Lifetime Achievement Award" presented by the
Radio and Television News Association of Southern California is an Emmy and Golden Mike
award winner. He began his broadcasting career at the age of 14 in his hometown of
Texarkana, Arkansas.

The Marine Corps veteran, a former Garden Grove resident, is a graduate of Santa Ana College
and Long Beach State.

Ed is extremely involved in his community and serves on a number of board's. He just retired
from the March of Dimes after thirty-five years on the board of directors. Ed is a forty year
volunteer of his local Boys and Girls Clubs and is chairman of the Huntington Beach-Fountain
Valley clubs largest annual fundraiser. In 1968 Arnold was a founding board member of the
California Special Olympics and still plays an active role in the organization's events. In 1975,
he was selected as one of California's Five Outstanding Young Men (FOYC). Ed was the 46th
President of the California Jaycees, served seven terms as president of the Orange County
Multiple Sclerosis Society, five terms as president of the Southern California Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation, two terms as president of the Southern California Sportscasters Association and
was the charter president of the Fountain Valley Rotary Club.

Among the many honors Arnold has received are the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the
March of Dimes, the "Breath of Life" from Cystic Fibrosis and the "2001 Visionary of the Year"
award from Coastline Community College. Other tribunes include West Coast Father of the
Year, the Foundation Valley "Distinguished Service Award" and the "Distinguished Citizen
Award" from the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame. Second Harvest Food Bank has named
their Humanitarian of the Year Award in Ed's name and Santa Ana College has honored Ed by
adding his name to the annual SAC golf tournament.

Five times the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association named the KTLA sports
team of Ed and Stu Nahan as the "Best Television Sports Anchor staff". Ed and his wife, Dixie,
were honored with the "Americana Award" as Orange County's "Man and Woman of the year" in
2003.

Ed and his wife, Dr. Dixie Arnold, Chair of the Liberal Studies Department at Vanguard
University, make their home in Fountain Valley. Their son, Dean, daughter-in-law, Rachel, and
grandsons, Jacob and Luke, also reside in Fountain Valley.