5 selected for the Newport Alumni Hall of Fame
NEWPORT — The 12th annual Newport Alumni Hall of Fame Banquet, which was set for Aug. 19 at the Newport Country Club, has been postponed as a result of the rapidly increasing COVID 19/Delta-variant cases in Jackson County and the concern for participants’ health. Members of the Newport Special School District Charitable Foundation look forward to honoring the inductees as soon as it can be done in a safe manner.
The following outstanding graduates have been selected to be inducted into the Newport Alumni Hall of Fame, which was created to recognize and honor Newport alumni who have made exceptional contributions in their chosen field while exhibiting outstanding leadership, character and service to their communities.
JANE PARNELL
Jane Parnell, a member of the Newport High School class of 1964, graduated from Arkansas State University in 1968 and began teaching in Bradford. She later transferred to the Newport School District, where she taught language arts for 30-plus years until her retirement in 2000.
Since age 10, Parnell had lived in Newport, where she participated in almost every community activity. She was involved in Chapter R of the PEO and the Newcomers Club and served on the boards of the Newport Planning Commission, the United Health/Harris Hospital Foundation Board, the Jackson County Historical Society, the Newport Special School District Charitable Foundation and the Newport Country Club. She served on the selection committee for the Edith and Roy Evans Scholarship Fund and the Beverly Tapp Memorial Scholarship Fund and as president of the Newport Country Club Ladies Golf Association.
After retiring, Parnell became a long-distance traveler and went on adventures throughout the United States, Europe and Paradise Island, Nassau. She played on golf courses all over the country and enjoyed playing tournaments with both men and women partners in Newport and around Arkansas, winning several trophies.
Parnell died on Nov. 15, 2018.
JUDGE HAROLD ERWIN
Judge Harold Erwin is a member of the family who helped establish Jackson County and Newport in the 1800s. He graduated from Newport High School in 1963 and went on to graduate from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in banking and finance. He later graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1974 with a Juris Doctorate degree.
Upon graduation, Erwin set up a law practice in Newport and became the deputy prosecuting attorney and was later elected city attorney as well, practicing law while holding those offices. In 1986, he ran for the circuit judge’s position in the 3rd Judicial District, which covers Jackson, Lawrence, Randolph and Sharp counties. While in office, he created one of the leading drug-court programs in the state, trying to prevent incarcerating people who had drug-abuse problems.
Erwin was chosen as the Outstanding Trial Judge in Arkansas, sponsored by the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association. He is a Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International and a member of the First Baptist Church, where he has served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher for 36 years. Erwin also helped to bring Explorers Bible Study, an offshoot of the worldwide Bible Study Fellowship for smaller communities, to Newport. He coached many Bradford and Newport High School “Arkansas Mock Trial” teams in competition at the regional and state levels.
MIKE BRAND, RODNEY BRAND AND RODGER BRAND
Sons of John and Etta Brand, the Brand brothers were raised to be hardworking, honest, competitive citizens.
The eldest son, Rodney Brand, is a 1965 graduate of Newport High School. He excelled in track and football during his junior and senior years and was named all-district and all-state linebacker his senior year. He graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree.
While at the U of A, he was starting center for the Razorback football team all four years and was named All-American in 1969.
He helped beat Georgia in the 1969 Sugar Bowl, played in the 1969 and 1970 Sugar Bowls and the 1970 Hula Bowl. He was drafted by the New York Giants and played in the Coaches All-American Game in 1970. He was named to the All-Decade Team for the 1960s Razorbacks and is a member of the University of Arkansas Hall of Fame. After college, Rodney worked as a coach and teacher at Istrouma High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was head coach at Sylvan Hills Junior High School. From 1985 to 2000, he served as owner and president of Brands Universal Products Co. in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Rodger Brand, a 1969 NHS graduate, was voted Most Athletic by his classmates his senior year. He was a three-year letterman as guard and tackle for the football team, earned all-conference, all-region and all-state football honors and was named to the Gazette Super Team. Rodger attended the University of Arkansas for four years, majoring in business. He played for the Razorback football team all four years, earning a place on the All Southwest Conference Freshman Shoats Team. After college, Rodger returned to his hometown and participated in many athletic organizations and civic clubs. He coached T-ball and peewee football, umpired both Little League and Pony League baseball, and joined the Jaycees and the Greyhound Booster Club. He was chosen as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Newport Rotary Club, for which he served as president. Rodger captured the Newport Country Club championship four times and has served as club president twice and vice president eight times. He is an active member of First Baptist Church. Upon returning to Newport, Rodger started B&D Insurance with classmate Terry Dillon. Rodger then moved on to serve as manager of the Independence Savings & Loan for four years, followed by a 25-year career at C&C Distributors, where he became vice president. He is currently owner of Brand Storage Building and owns B&B Investment Co. with his brother, Mike. The youngest brother, Mike Brand, NHS class of 1970, was a three-year letterman for Greyhound football as center and linebacker, earning all-conference, all-region and all-state honors, plus was part of an undefeated season in 1968. He was voted Best All Around by his senior classmates. Mike earned a football scholarship to the University of Arkansas and also worked four years toward a business degree. He played on the last “Shoat Team” in football at the U of A. After college, Mike chose to return home to Newport, where he re-started the Newport Booster Club with John Pennington, sponsored Friday Night Football for many years, started the Jackson County Bass Club and was co-chairman of the local Ducks Unlimited organization. He was a member of the Lions Club and served several years on the Newport Country Club tournament committee. He is a member of First Methodist Church. Mike joined his father in the auto-repair business, and upon his father’s retirement, Mike continued to run the successful company. He served as president of the Northwest Arkansas Body Repair Association, has been an adviser to the Arkansas State University-Newport Auto Repair Program and has been voted Best Auto Repair Shop numerous times by the people of Jackson County. He currently owns B&B Investments with his brother, Rodger, and Brand2 Investment Co. with his son, Michael. At age 93, Etta Brand still cheers on her “boys” to be great citizens.