This Leaves Me Okay \;explores the lesser-known Arkansas Black rural experie nce through the eyes of a grandson as he reflects upon the life of his gra ndmother Lucille &ldquo\;Mama \;Ceal&rdquo\; Hatch Eldridge. \;Mam a \;Ceal \;wrote to her grandson Walter Pryor weekly for \;nea rly \;thirty \;years\, from his boyhood until she died at \;ei ghty. Pryor weaves \;in \;his grandmother&rsquo\;s stories as a li ve-in \;maid \;raising other people&rsquo\;s children\, \;as w ell as \;the societal struggles she and others \;encountered \ ;in rural Arkansas. \;
\nThis Leaves Me Okay \;will be for sale at the program\, courtesy of Pyramid Art\, Books\, &\; Custom Framing\, and there will be a signing to follow the talk.
\nWe are excited to offer&
nbsp\;a lunch including \;a sandwich\, chips\, a cookie\, and a drink
to in-person attendees in 2026\, courtesy of the CALS Foundation. Meals ar
e limited and will be offered on a first-come first-served basis. \;We
cannot accommodate dietary restrictions or allergies\, and registration d
oes not guarantee lunch will be available. \;
\;
Walter Pryor \;serves as Southern Bancorp&rsq
uo\;s Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel. Pryor was raised i
n Pine Bluff\, Arkansas\, and currently \;resides \;in Chicago. He
is a graduate of Hendrix College in Conway\, Arkansas\, where he studied
political science\, \;and \;he \;earned his Juris Doctor from
Georgetown University Law Center in Washington DC. He has served on the He
ndrix College Board of Trustees since \;2012 and \;is also \;o
n the boards of \;American InterContinental University \;and \
;Washington Children&rsquo\;s Foundation. \; \;
\;
Martie North \;serves as Huntington Bank's Senior Vic
e President of Community Development and Engagement for Emerging Markets.
Martie is a graduate of Harding University and has a Bachelor of Science\;
has had certifications in Homeownership and Community Lending\; is a grad
uate of Leadership Greater Little Rock and has completed graduate work in
Community Economic Development at the University of Central Arkansas. Thro
ughout her professional and volunteer career\, Martie has successfully imp
acted hundreds of communities and thousands of lives across the United Sta
tes. \;She has served several financial institutions across the state
of Arkansas and recently served on the Central Arkansas Library System's C
apital Campaign Committee. She was named an Arkansas 250 Most Influential
Leader by Arkansas Business in 2020.
Legacies &\; Lunch is a hybrid program offering participants the opportunity to attend eithe r in person or virtually via Zoom. To participate in person\, join us at - \;NEW LOCATION \;- Darragh Center\, 5th Floor\, CALS Main Library (with elevator access). Parking is available in the surface lot or the CA LS Parking Deck which you can access from Rock Street. Parking will be val idated. To participate virtually\, register for the webinar using the butt on above. \;
\nAll abilities are welcome. To request ASL interpr etation or other accommodations\, call 501.918.3069 or email hzbinden@cals .org 7 business weekdays before a program.
\nThis program will be li ve-streamed to YouTube and the recording will be available immediately fol lowing the event.
\nLegacies &\; Lunch is a free monthly p rogram of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies about Arkansas-related t opics.
\n