
After more than eight decades, the memories of a boyhood in Searcy are still vivid for Ray Toler. He has collected them in a new book that
has just been published in memory of his wife Juanita, who died last year. "The Searcy I Remember,
1922-42" was produced with the assistance of the White County Historical Society. Ray Toler has been a member of the Society for
many years and has shown his devotion to his hometown by contributing his memories of his youth to numerous articles in the WCHS publications.
He paid for printing the new book and, except for a few copies that he is giving to friends and libraries, has
donated the entire printing to the Society to be used as a fund raiser. He never planned to sell the book himself. His book describes a
young, 1930s era boy as he occupied his time. His tales of the people and places of that time afford the
reader the opportunity to step back into an earlier era. The front cover of the
book features
a 1922 photo of the Searcy town band, which included his father, dentist R.W. Toler. Ray Toler was born in Searcy in 1922 and spent his
boyhood on Spring Street just north of Courthouse Square. He worked a variety of odd jobs, from
Western Union delivery boy to serving sodas and sandwiches at Headlee's Drug Store.
Ray Toler graduated from Searcy High School in 1940 and entered the University of Arkansas that fall. After completing his junior year in 1943,
he was inducted into the U.S. Army. Following the war, he completed his degree in electrical engineering and began a 40-year career with Arkansas
Power and Light Company.
Upon his retirement, he and Juanita moved to Springdale, where he lives today. "The Searcy I Remember,
1922-42" is available for $8 at WCHS meetings or by mail for $10. Send orders to WCHS, P.O. Box 537, Searcy, AR 72145.