Other days

100 YEARS AGO

Sept. 26, 1922

HUNTSVILLE — Spurning patent bee hives and homemade contrivances for their comfort, bees belonging to Sam York at Smyrna have stuck their combs to a large shade tree in the yard of Mr. York. The combs are full of honey and hang down like huge hornet nests among the branches of the trees. Mr. York has refused to allow the combs to be removed from the tree.

50 YEARS AGO

Sept. 26, 1972

ARKADELPHIA — A fouryear professional aviation program has been inaugurated this fall at Henderson State College here — the first such program at a college in Arkansas. Dr. Joe Wright, dean of the School of Natural Sciences, is administrator of the program… Wright said he got the idea of the aviation school from a similar program at Louisiana Tech… He said the school had contracted with Spa Flying Service of Hot Springs to provide the specialized aviation equipment and the planes necessary for the program.

25 YEARS AGO

Sept. 26, 1997

■ Arkansas officially took control of Fort Chaffee on Thursday after signing a license giving possession of the 56-year-old federal installation to the Arkansas National Guard. … Outgoing Fort Chaffee Commander Army Lt. Col. David Pfleeger said Fort Chaffee served the nation and local community well as an installation that not only trained three armored divisions for World War II but also trained units that participated in recent military operations in Somalia, Haiti and the Persian Gulf… It was Sept. 8, 1941, that the Army announced it would acquire about 15,000 acres of land in rural Sebastian County southeast of Fort Smith for an Army training base. It was named Camp Chaffee. … Fort Chaffee made national headlines when Cuban refugees being held there for processing rioted in June 1980.

10 YEARS AGO

Sept. 26, 2012

EUREKA SPRINGS — The Great Passion Play, the long-running outdoor drama in Eureka Springs, will close after its season ends in late October unless the nonprofit receives financial help, its executive director said Tuesday. … Since opening 45 years ago, the play has been seen by more than 7.5 million people, Executive Director Sam Ray said, but in recent years the Passion Play has been hit by declining ticket sales. … The play, a re-creation of the last week of Jesus’ life, features more than 150 actors and animals in an outdoor amphitheater. It was started by Gerald L.K. Smith and his wife, Elna, after they built the 67-foot-tall Christ of the Ozarks statue atop Magnetic Mountain… Joe David Rice, director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, said the Passion Play played a big role in transforming Eureka Springs.