Northeast Louisiana: A Community of Innovations

By Dr. J. Woods Watson

Northeast Louisiana is the home of amazingly innovative people who have risen above the challenges that would cripple less capable people. Despite whatever resource deficits the locals have faced, they have repeatedly shown exceptional resiliency and inexhaustible creativity. As you read the inspiring stories of innovators, you will notice that many of the people seem ordinary, but their adaptations have improved life in extraordinary ways.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798888326237

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Northeast Louisiana: A Community of Innovations

Dr. J. Woods Watson

ISBN 979-8-88832-622-0 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88832-624-4 (hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-88832-623-7 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Dr. J. Woods Watson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction

A Strategic Wartime Asset—Selman Field

A Work of Art—The Gary Ratcliff Story

An Innovative Time For These Scouting Travelers

Bottling World-wide Refreshment—The Biedenharn Family

Caring for the Children—The LBCH Story

Craftsman of Unique Stringed Creations—Danny Ferrington

Dreams of Madam C. J. Walker

Engineering Innovations to Improve Northeast Louisiana—The FBD Story

Going Where Most Men Do Not Dare to Go—Extreme Missionary Adventures

Good Guys Finish First—The Lumen/ CenturyLink Story

Heartfelt Help of Dr. King

If It Looks Like a Duck and Floats Like a Duck, It Might Be a MOJO Decoy

Little Gestures Make a Big Difference: The History of Saint Francis Medical Center

Making Duck Hunting Happy, Happy, Happy

Panola Pepper: A Hot and Innovative Company

Revolutionary Innovations for Justice

Sowing the Seed Musically—The Story of Power927.FM

Sweeping the Competition—The History of Johnny's Pizza House

The Refreshing and Ripple Effect of the Wellspring

Walking in Freedom—The Story of Freed Men Inc.

Notes

About the Author

Introduction

I am not originally from Northeast Louisiana. I just got here as soon as I could. I came when I married my wife, Anita, on June 15, 2002. She is not originally from here either; she came to Northeast Louisiana to go to what is now the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM). She moved back here when her first husband died. So while neither of us is originally from this area, and having lived in plenty of other places, we are glad to live in this community. We have put down roots here and plan to bloom here where we are now planted.

We live in Monroe. We both work across the Ouachita River in West Monroe. Our granddaughters live with their parents in Swartz. Anita's mother is from Truxno, a suburb of Farmerville. Our brother-in-law, Hut Howell, grew up in Tallulah. We like living in Northeast Louisiana and we like the people we have met here. Many of them live or have lived in places like Bastrop, Calhoun, Choudrant, Columbia, Downsville, Eros, Lake Providence, Luna, Mer Rouge, Oak Ridge, Rayville, Spearsville, Start, Transylvania, and Winnsboro.

When I lived in Phoenix, Arizona, I got to hear Dr. Leonard Sweet, an accomplished author, church historian, and Methodist pastor. He led a workshop for preachers there. As he taught us about culture, he projected that in the future the prime place to live would no longer be the suburb of big cities. Instead, the preferred homeplace would be in a county seat town. He reasoned that with the advances in technology and travel, people could avoid the major city problems by relocating in smaller but significant hamlets. He said that a major plus would be if that small town had an airport close by. Possibly because Louisiana does not have counties (we have parishes), it took me a couple of years before I realized how valuable it is to live in Monroe, which fits well Dr. Sweet's description of a county-seat town with an airport.

Monroe has been described as an oasis amid a sea of agrarian poverty. It is also the hub of Northeast Louisiana, the home of amazingly innovative people who have risen above the challenges that would cripple less capable people. Despite whatever financial deficits the locals here have faced, they have repeatedly shown exceptional resiliency and inexhaustible creativity.

The idea of a community of innovations flowed from a conversation I had with community do-gooder, Kim Golden, who has served the Monroe area in several positions. She alerted me that this community has more than its fair share of successful people. As I have worked with my research team, we have discovered that the innovative juices run deep in this part of the world.

Some people have inquired about why there are so many innovative people in this area. Why does living here motivate people to push through the problems and achieve unexpected results? There are not overtly clear answers, but I like a couple of suggestions.

One is Northeast Louisiana is so far from Baton Rouge, the state capital; it is about a four-hour drive. What is implied in this fact is because of the uniqueness in Louisiana politics, most of the funds and resources are shifted toward those communities located near Baton Rouge and other South Louisiana areas, including New Orleans. Practically, this means that the northeastern area of the state cannot depend on the state to come to the rescue (the philosophy of depending on someone else to deliver from trouble is probably not a healthy way to live anyway.). The lack of consistent government resources and has caused many Northeast Louisianians to become as self-sufficient as possible, thus proving the accuracy of the popular proverb Necessity is the mother of invention. Plenty of people have been chosen to be inventive to solve the challenges that arise in our locale.

At the same time, there is a keen sense of community here. People may be independent, but they are also pretty neighborly. The Judeo-Christian faith's mantra, Love your neighbor as yourself, has permeated the local environment. Many people here may have had to take responsibility for their own survival and success, but they do not do it alone; others gladly chip in to help. The people here cheer for one another; they are also willing to lend a hand if that is needed. Because people care about others, there is the resulting motivation to make life better for everyone here; this attitude inspires more innovation.

So, whether one is moved by necessity or neighborliness, our area is unique and has produced plenty of innovations in its history. I am not convinced that the time of innovation has ceased.

As you read the inspiring stories of innovators, you will notice that many of the people seem ordinary, but their adaptations have improved life in extraordinary ways. I have gathered these stories from many sources, including life interviews, historical references, and Internet sources. I hope you are as amazed and inspired with the information as I have been.

My hope is that this assembly of stories from our community will engender appreciation and celebration of the positive past while inspiring innovations in the bright future. Beyond the education and enrichment that these narratives will provide is the anticipation that you, dear reader, will recognize the enormous potential that you have to make a significant innovative contribution to improve our community. Even if you, like me, did not begin your story here in Northeast Louisiana, your innovation may be a great benefit to others.

A Strategic Wartime Asset—Selman Field

With the present-day United States military occupying what is arguably the top spot in worldwide military capacity and fighting capability, it is hard to imagine that when World War II started on December 8, 1941, the United States was not prepared for the challenge of that battle.¹ The economy and the military were not yet ready for war. At the time, it was necessary for some military trainees to use brooms in the training exercises because they did not have authentic rifles available to use.

New weapons of war demanded innovative approaches, but the impending threats meant that decisions had to be made quickly. Overnight, it became essential to create a large, well-trained, military fighting force, especially in the air. The war in Europe was proving the necessity of airpower in combat. The War Department had already determined that there would be a need to increase the role of army aviation. They needed a place to train air combat leaders.

During the summer of 1940, bombardier and pilot training had begun due to the war in Europe. The idea was to use the first graduates of these courses as instructors at several bases, specifically in the south. There was a shortage of airplanes, and the War Department partnered with commercial airlines to train aviators.

Delta innovations

In 1940, the commercial airline in Northeast Louisiana was Delta. 1929 is the birthdate of Delta Air Service. It grew out of the work of Collett E. Woolman, a pilot who pioneered crop-dusting. In the year 1920, after graduating from the University of Illinois with a bachelor of arts degree in agriculture, Wollman moved to Monroe in 1920, where he became an agricultural extension agent for Louisiana State University (LSU). In 1924, he worked with Dr. Bert R. Coad at the United States Department of Agriculture in Tallulah, Louisiana, to create the insecticide that killed the boll weevil, a crop pest which migrated from Mexico about 1892. The beetle had infested the cotton farms in the southeast by the 1920s with devastating results. Woolman partnered with Huff Daland Dusters Inc., founded in 1924 in Macon, Georgia, to spray crops using a biplane, making it the first aerial dusters of crops.²

In 1925, Woolman brought in three businessmen investors (C. H. McHenery, Travis Oliver, and Malcolm S. Biedenharn) to expand the fleet of aircraft to eighteen planes, making it the largest privately owned aircraft fleet in the world. In 1929, six investors, led by Woolman, started Delta Air Service in Monroe.³

While Woolman led the effort to create Delta, the Biedenharn family members were the strongest financial backers. The Biedenharn influence was felt for years.

Joe Biedenharn, Malcolm's father was the first bottler of Coca-Cola and owned the bottling company in Monroe, Louisiana. Barnard, Malcolm's brother, was the largest shareholder of Delta stock for many years and was the reason for the annual stockholder's meeting being held in Monroe from 1957, when Delta became a public company, until 1998 when the meeting was moved to New York.⁴

C. E. Woolman, C. H. McHenery, Travis Oliver, and Malcolm S. Biedenharn met at the Monroe Lotus Club and identified the need for pilots. They went to LSU to get permission to start an aviation program at the Northeast Center of Louisiana State University (now the University of Louisiana in Monroe). Dr. Paul Hebert of LSU went to see Governor Earl K. Long and obtained approval. That meant that the school offered the first civilian air pilot training chapter in Louisiana. It was one of ten schools in the nation.

Among the first ten students was Edith Dickson, the first female solo pilot on Selman Field, which was the land space used for the new aviation college at the Northeast Center of Louisiana State University. She married Mr. Ray Boyd, who flew P51 single-engine fighter planes in World War II; they had met at a Selman Field USO dance. Later they would start Boyd's Flying Service in Rayville, Louisiana. Another female made her mark there—Sally Davidson was the first female flight instructor on the ULM campus.⁵

Delta discontinued passenger service between 1930 and 1934 when the company could not secure a US mail delivery contract. In 1934, it resumed operation under the name Delta Air Corporation, headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana.⁶

By 1940 Selman Field was bustling with activity: two hangers, an enlarged terminal building, 20 biplanes, 10 airliners, and a handful of Cubs for Northeast's civilian pilot program.⁷ Monroe saw progress at its airstrip.

Air Force developments

In June of 1941, the US Army Air Corps was created as a separate command. Following the attack at Pearl Harbor, the War Department stepped up its efforts to gain aerial superiority. Colonel Lawson Moseley received orders to scout potential locations for a navigational training school in the southeast. In February of 1942, he visited Monroe's Selman Field, which was named after Monroe native Augustus J. Selman. Selman died as a result of an airplane crash while serving as a naval aviator.⁸

Moseley found adequate acreage and important rail lines and roads in Monroe. The small airport had been used since the fall of 1939 as a pilot training program for the army under the recently passed Civilian Pilot Training Act. An entering class of ten students at Northeast Junior College of Louisiana State University began pilot training. By September 1941, the training program enrolled fifty students every semester with eight planes available for training. Moseley received a warm welcome from then Mayor Harvey Herron Benoit, the Ouachita Parish Police Jury, the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, and notable citizens. All promised full cooperation.

On March 25, 1942, Monroe was selected as the site for the new School of Navigation. On June 15, 1942, the War Department designated Selman Field as an active military base. Two days later, the federal government lay claim to ownership of the field, covering 785 acres through eminent domain; they paid the police jury $267,500. They purchased an additional 1,857 acres from forty-one separate owners for $132,492.26.

Colonel Norris Harbold was chosen as project manager and was told to activate the field as soon as possible. The job of transforming empty cotton fields into a working military base had enormous challenges. With a skeleton crew of engineers and contractors, they met round-the-clock to produce a plan. Eventually, 2,800 workers were brought in to begin work. Two construction companies, T. L. James Company of Ruston and Forcum-James of Dyersburg, Tennessee, were subcontracted to build the post.

The first priority was the construction of a new concrete runway. At the outset, logistical problems arose. The foremost problem was that the fields did not drain well after heavy rains; the area was known for heavy rains throughout the year. Before they could start, the soil, described as a frog pond marsh, had to be highly compacted; subsurface water formed a spongy mix incapable of supporting weight. Engineers quickly realized they would have to generate an unorthodox solution. The only possible solution was to float the runways; this innovative move enabled the runways to handle the air traffic with ease. The runways at Selman Field still float, and the soil remains dry only because of a slant levee and an elaborate drainage system.⁹

The base was officially activated on June 15, 1942, with only six people populating it. Work continued through the summer, and eventually, there were four runways, each 5,000 feet long and 150 feet wide with connecting taxiways. The fire station was the first building to be completed. Construction of other structures soon followed.

August 1, 1942, marks the functional beginning of the base as fifteen enlisted men reported for duty; the almost daily arrival of new personnel created many logistical problems. Since the men still could not live or eat on the post, innovative arrangements were made with the Monroe City School Board to house them in temporary accommodations in locker rooms under Monroe's Neville High School football stadium. The people in the community welcomed the military men warmly.

Ultimately, there were 623 structures on the base, including barracks, mess halls, recreation halls, post exchange, hospitals, a theatre, library, and churches. The first wedding on base was held on August 26, 1942. A post newspaper, entitled True Drift, and radio show provided both base information and world news to the cadets. The symbol for the base was Joe Grope, a camel-faced character, who symbolized the constant groping around of the cadets as they attempted to plan their flight paths with the aid of crude instruments of navigation that were then available. Recreational sports included boxing, football, softball, basketball, track, tennis, volleyball, and swimming for both Black and White troops.¹⁰

The most popular spot on the base was the theatre, where a continual slate of dances, plays, and concerts, along with monthly performing USO shows, occurred.¹¹ One of the popular shows was Stepping High, an all-Black USO road show that earned rave reviews and played to a packed house of two thousand. Among the visiting celebrities was Bob Hope; all those who wished to see Mr. Hope were required to purchase a war bond of any denomination. Mr. Hope is credited with selling over a million dollars in bonds in support of the war effort. Other celebrities who came to Monroe included the Glen Miller Band, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Ozzie Nelson Orchestra, Lieutenant Hank Greenberg (former batting ace and first baseman for the Detroit Lions), and motion picture star Errol Flynn. Shelly Winters, who would become a famous actress, visited her husband Mack Mayer, who was stationed at Selman.

The USO shows produced other significant advances at Selman Field. The family of Rosemary Cascio and her sister, Cecilia, helped establish a USO club at Selman Field. They were hostesses, and their mother and grandmother watched over them as guardian and chaperones for all guests there. The girls had friends from Neville High School and other schools in Monroe who came to the USO to interact with the cadets there. A boy from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, named Johnny Tropea, met Rosemary at a USO dance; he became the head of the officers' club. When they married in 1946, they decided to stay in the area, where Johnny became a pharmacist. They had three children; the oldest was Debbie, who became a leader in the development of the Chennault Museum.¹²

On September 22, 1942, the navigational training flights finally began. Under Colonel Harbold's supervision, the base grew into a full-fledged military installation. By December 1942, base personnel climbed to 6179. Colonel Earl Naiden replaced Colonel Harbold in January 1943. From August 1942 until October 1945, 15,349 cadets passed through the preflight and advanced navigation school. Of these 1,870 cadets, approximately 12 percent died in training accidents or were killed in action in every theater of combat in World War II. A total of fifty-four classes graduated from Selman Field. By the end of the war, over one-third of all navigators flying heavy bombers had been trained at the Monroe training facility.¹³

Mission accomplished

In January 1945, the base began downsizing. The preflight school was shut down. In September, following the end of the war, the navigation training school was moved to Ellington Field in Houston Texas. Only a skeletal administrative staff remained. During the last few months of the war, from May to September, due to personnel shortages, fifty German prisoners of war from the prison camp in nearby Ruston were trucked to Selman each day to perform routine maintenance and mess hall duties on the base. In January 1946, Selman Field was closed.¹⁴

The navigation school's contributions to the city of Monroe were lasting. Many of the cadets met their sweethearts and either married them before they were deployed or came back to Monroe when the war was over; several became successful businessmen. Vestiges of the post remained, even after the base closure. The officers' club and the officers' swimming pool, operated by the Monroe Optimist Club, were open to the public for several years.

The post theater was converted into a community theater and continued as the Monroe Little Theater until the early 1960s when a permanent theater was constructed in Monroe. Several buildings were used as temporary classroom facilities by the Northeast Louisiana University and the Ouachita Parish School Board until the early 1970s. The Chennault Aviation and Military Museum and the two runways and two refurbished hangers are virtually all that remains of the once thriving military post. Those runways are a vital part of the Monroe airport.¹⁵ The present-day Waterfront Grill restaurant is the location of the old NCO (Non-Commissioned Officers Club) Club.

Selman's ripple effect

The Chennault Aviation and Military Museum, named for General Claire Chennault and the Flying Tigers, who helped change the war in China during World War II, honors military veterans and many soldiers who served America from World War I to Iraqi Freedom.¹⁶ Opening its doors in 2000 with three thousand square feet, the museum, housed in the last remaining classrooms of the Selman Field Navigation School, features an expansive collection of artifacts as well as compelling stories of military heroes, many of whom are from the local area. It also includes the story of how a small crop-dusting business evolved into the second largest airline in the world, Delta Airlines.

The museum has progressed over the years; today, its "expanded galleries have grown to 10,000 square feet providing over 11,000 artifacts and several veteran outreach programs. The aircraft restoration