From the City of Arkadelphia
The City of Arkadelphia is proud to present its 2025 class of Black History Month Honorees.
These 6 individuals are either from Arkadelphia or made an impact on Arkadelphia and were selected by the city’s esteemed nominating committee.
As in previous years, the 2025 class will have banners showing their likenesses displayed in the city’s downtown area throughout February. The 2025 banners are purple and can be found on Main Street between 6th Street and 7th Street. The banners will be on display until March 1, 2025.
For more information, please call Town Hall at 870-246-9864.
Leroy Brownlee
Leroy Brownlee was a politician from Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
Brownlee’s storied career spans four decades in the Arkansas State Government. Born in Arkadelphia in 1948, Brownlee graduated from the former Peake High School in 1966. He attended college at Ouachita Baptist University as part of the second class of black students admitted to the school following integration. Upon graduation, Brownlee served as a guidance counselor with the Upward Bound Youth Program at Ouachita Baptist University. This experience allowed him to become the Director of the Black United Youth Federal Emergency School Assistance Program in 1972, serving the Blytheville, Camden, McGhee, and El Dorado school districts.
Shortly thereafter, Brownlee began working for the State of Arkansas as the Program Director and Interim Superintendent at the Wrightsville Boys Training School. In 1989, he began his 22-year career with the Arkansas Parole Board. Brownlee was appointed to serve as chairman of the parole board by four different Arkansas governors, and, under his leadership, the state legislature made all seven (7) parole board positions full-time.
Brownlee’s service to the state extends beyond the Parole Board. Brownlee served as the Secretary of the Democratic Party of Arkansas, President of the Democratic Black Caucus, and on the State Election Commission. He also served on Little Rock’s Civil Service Commission, as Chairman of the Urban League Board of Directors, and co-founded the Buffaloes Foundation in Arkadelphia.
Brownlee passed peacefully in 2019 after a lifetime of service.
Eliza Miller
Eliza Miller is the first woman to build and operate a movie theater in the state of Arkansas.
Miller was born in Arkadelphia in 1869. In 1887, she married her husband, Abraham, and relocated to the Helena area. Together, the couple managed a successful real estate business, while devoting much of their free time to volunteering in education. After her husband’s death in 1913, Miller built the Plaza Theatre in downtown Helena. The movie theatre opened in 1917, making Miller the first woman to build and operate a movie theatre in the state. Miller operated the theatre for years, allowing her son, Lucian, to take charge in the 1920s. She ran the movie theater again in the 1930s until her death in 1938.
Miller’s influence can be seen throughout Helena, especially through her philanthropic endeavors, with three local schools named after her. Her successes and entrepreneurial spirit inspire business leaders across the state.
Sarah Hill Shell
Sarah Hill Shell was an entrepreneur in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Born in Minden, Louisiana in 1918, Hill joined the Arkadelphia community in 1951 when she married her late husband, John Hill. Together, the couple owned and operated the Hill’s Hotel and Hill’s Café in Arkadelphia. The Hill’s Hotel was a notable destination for black travelers, as there were not many lodging establishments available for minorities at the time (1959). Hill’s Café was a destination for youth, as Hill welcomed students from the former Peake High School, Ouachita Baptist University, and Henderson State University daily. Using the skills she learned from her mother at a young age, Hill became known for her delicious, homecooked meals and friendly disposition. She was a mother and a friend to anyone who walked through the door of Hill’s Hotel or Café, and quickly became a notable figure in Arkadelphia’s community.
Later in life, with the help of her beloved children and grandchildren, Hill became known as “Mama Hill” to all who knew her. Surrounded by loved ones, Hill passed away in March 2010. Her story continues to inspire entrepreneurs in Arkadelphia and surrounding areas today.
Dr. Lewis A. Shepherd Jr.
Dr. Lewis A. Shepherd, Jr. is a university administrator and community pastor in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
Born in Magnolia, Arkansas, Dr. Shepherd’s storied career as an educator began in 1980s when he his bachelor’s and master’s degree in education from Ouachita Baptist University in 1980 and 1982. In 1997, Dr. Shepherd’s passion for education led him to the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, where he received his doctorate in higher education. His leadership and vision has touched Arkadelphia’s two, four-year universities. In the early 2000s, Dr. Shepherd served as Henderson State University’s Vice President for the Southwest Arkansas Technology Center. After service at the Technology Center, served as Vice President for Student and External Affairs at Henderson.
Dr. Shepherd’s career as educator has been mainly spent at Ouachita Baptist, where he has served as Resident Assistant, Assistant to the Dean of Students, Director of Student Support Services, Director of TRIO Programs, and by serving as Ouachita’s Vice President for Community and Intercultural Engagement, a position he currently holds.
During all of this, Dr. Shepherd used his service to advocate for the minority population in Arkadelphia. Possibly his greatest influence, however, is seen in his pastoral ministry. Dr. Shepherd and his wife, Dr. Joyce Shepherd, have served the Greater Pleasant Hill Baptist Church since 2000. In his ministry, he has been an encouragement and leader of many. Dr. Shepherd’s leadership reaches across campuses, congregations and communities.
Dr. Shepherd continues to serve Arkadelphia and the surrounding communities as Ouachita Baptist’s Vice President of Community and Intercultural Engagement and as the pastor of the Greater Pleasant Hill Baptist Church.
Herman Thomas
Herman Thomas was the first Black school administrator in the Arkadelphia Public School District after integration.
Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Thomas moved to Arkadelphia to serve as a French and English teacher at Peake High School in 1968. His knowledge and leadership quickly made an impact on the district, and by 1972, he was named principal of Goza Middle School. This achievement made Thomas the first Black administrator in the district following integration. During his almost 10-year tenure at Goza, the middle school received its initial accreditation from the North Central Association of Schools.
In 1985, Thomas moved on from Goza Middle School to serve as principal of Arkadelphia High School. In this role, he reorganized the Badger Scholar Program and initiated various technology-drive programs to enrich the lives of his students. Arkadelphia High School was named a State School of Excellence and a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence accreditation under Thomas’s leadership. In 1991, Thomas was awarded the Milken Educator Award, garnering national recognition for his work as principal.
The end of Thomas’s career was spent as the Assistant Superintendent of Arkadelphia Public School District. In this role, he helped implement district-wide programs, impacting the lives of countless students. Thomas retired from APSD in 2009 and now enjoys his retirement in Arkadelphia. His remarkable career as an educator and philanthropist continues to inspire generations of teachers in and around Clark County.
Professor Henry W. Wheeler
Professor Henry W. Wheeler is the founder of the annual 2nd of August Gum Springs Picnic.
Professor Wheeler spent his life serving the community of Gum Springs, Arkansas. An educator by trade, Professor Wheeler served the youth of Gum Springs as teacher and principal for many years. Professor Wheeler was an advocate for the black community. When Reynolds Metal manufacturing company purchased land in the Gum Springs area that required residents to relocate, Professor Wheeler worked tirelessly to ensure all black residents received fair payments and support in relocating their homes to their new residential lots of choice. A man of faith, Professor Wheeler proudly served as President (Worshipful Master) of the Masons for most of his adult life.
Professor Wheeler’s vision for an annual homecoming in his beloved hometown led to the creation of the 2nd of August Gum Springs Picnic. With the support of the Masons, Professor Wheeler hosted the first Gum Springs Picnic in 1904 at the St. Ruth Missionary Baptist Church–a church he started in Gum Springs. Year after year, the 2nd of August Gum Springs Picnic grew and overtime, Professor Wheeler’s vision came to be true. 120 years later, the 2nd of August Gum Springs Picnic continues to draw thousands of visitors to Gum Springs annually, serving as a reunion for families, classmates, and friends.