BROTHER (AND SISTERLY) LOVE: Anthony Hicks, 61, of Memphis and his sister, Jo Ann Terry, 58, of Warren, are searching for their long-lost brother.
More than half a century ago, Anthony's younger brother, whose birth name was Marshall Hicks, was adopted in Union County. The siblings, whose parents have since died, hope someone in Arkansas will read this and reach out.
The story begins in the mid- to late 1950s in Parkin (Cross County), 35 miles west of Memphis. Before she died in 2006, the siblings' mother told the story of their brother, who the siblings believe was born March 15, 1957, to their then-unwed 20-year-old mother who already had Anthony, then 2. Soon after Marshall was born, he became ill and was taken to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock about 100 miles away. After recovering, the parents didn't pick him up from the hospital soon enough, and he was made a ward of the state and ultimately adopted in Union County in 1962.
"We were encouraged about 3½ years ago after learning that our brother contacted the Arkansas Mutual Consent Voluntary Adoption Registry apparently from out of state to confirm that he has family in Arkansas," Hicks said Friday while visiting his ailing sister in a Little Rock hospital. "But he still needs to fill out some paperwork in order to reconnect with his family."
LOCAL ANGLE: The New York Times' special section "Your Money" last Sunday featured a collection of articles on residents around the nation and their financial challenges. One of those dozen profiles focused on an Arkansas husband and wife, both military veterans, from Bryant. The article, written by longtime journalist Rob Moritz of North Little Rock, recounts how Tanya and Chris Brashers are dealing with Tanya's layoff from her job in February and the couple's plan to move to Alabama to improve their financial situation.
BREAKING NEWS: Little Rock native Jessica Dean, formerly a news anchor at KARK-TV, Channel 4, and now the evening news anchor for the CBS affiliate in Philadelphia, KYW-TV, will appear as a guest co-host on The Talk on April 26. The second local connection? One of the show's five hosts, Sheryl Underwood, 53, is an Arkansan, as well, having been born in Little Rock before moving to California where she attended high school. The comedian, actress and TV host is best known for hosting BET Comic View. The Talk airs at 1 p.m. The week Dean is set to appear, four other news anchors from CBS stations in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., also will serve as guest co-hosts.
ROCK SOLID: The central Arkansas-based Top of the Rock Chorus last weekend attended the Sweet Adelines International's Region 25 conference and competition. The group scored first place in Division AA for midsize choruses and third place in the overall category.
Contact Linda Haymes at (501) 607-0675 or lindashaymes@gmail.com.
SundayMonday on 04/02/2017