From a special section of the Waldron News newspaper of 23 April 1981, consisting of interviews of Scott County citizens 80 Years of age and over. The interviews were done as part of a celebration of the Bank of Waldron's 80th anniversary.

BESSIE HARRIS

Bessie (Evatt) Harris, age 97, was born in Waldron, Arkansas on August 27, 1883 to William P. and Ida (Rawlings) Evatt. She has lived in Waldron all her life and says it is the best place she knows of to live. Bessie Evatt was married to the late William Paul Harris. Mr. Harris died in 1936. They have four children - Fred Earl Harris of Waldron, Ida Mae Stevenson of Little Rock, Arkansas, Louise (Cox) Billingsley of Dallas, Texas and William Paul Harris of Waldron, Arkansas. Mrs. Harris attended school in Waldron, but completed the tenth grade at Ouachita College in Arkadelphia. Mrs. Harris was a homemaker, and has been a member of the First Baptist Church in Waldron since she was 16 years of age. She very distinctly remembers the hard times in the 30's. She also recalls that during World War II, both of her sons served during the war - Fred was in the Army stationed in Germany and Bill was in the Navy on a ship in the Pacific. She and Frank Hawkins ran Harris Motor Company while they were in the service. She says there weren't very many automobile sales during that time, but they managed to keep the business going. Mrs. Harris has been a resident of Pinewood Nursing Home since March 9, 1979. Mrs. Harris has lots of friends and relatives in Scott County. She is a very proud grandmother and great grandmother with seven grandchildren and ten great grandchildren.

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