I’ve known Calvin Murphy for several years, and the more I’m around him, the more I learn.
Calvin, and his wife Mrs. Carolyn, operate O&M Oil Co., on East Gaines street.
Mr. Calvin has always lived in Drew County, and was born in the “Sipio” community, south of Ladelle and Lacey. At the time, the Ashley, Drew, & Northern Railroad had a stop in that area. Calvin grew up and graduated from Monticello High School.
Calvin started out as a meat cutter at “Clay’s Grocery Store”, which was located on North Main St., across from where Union Bank is now.
Calvin served in the U.S. Army, and was stationed at Ft. Chaffee, AR, Ft. Sill, OK, and was sent to Germany, shortly after the Korean War. After he was released from the Army, he joined the National Guard, and served there until he’d completed 39 years of service to his country.
Next month, Calvin & Carolyn Murphy will have been married to each other for 50 years.
They have 2 grown children. Their son, Les lives in Star City, and runs O&M’s bulk plant there. Les is married to Jacque, who teaches 1st grade.  Calvin’s daughter, Kim, lives in Springdale, and teaches 1st grade there. Kim is married to Rob Tanksley, who works at the Tyson corporate office.
Calvin got into the oil business back in the 1950’s, when he went to work for his father-in-law, Mr. Hellums Owen. Back then, the station was at the corner of S. Main, and Shelton streets, and the bulk plant was located right where O&M is now. This was when all “service stations” were “full service” stations.
Mr. Calvin told me, “I believe a man should work 5 days.” He added, “Saturday is mine, and Sunday belongs to the Lord.”
On Saturday’s, if the Razorbacks play a home game, Calvin is usually somewhere close. If the Hogs are playing an away game, he’s probably at Monticello Speedway.
On Sunday, he’ll be at Northside Baptist Church. Calvin is the senior deacon at Northside and sings in the choir. “Quietly,” he adds. Northside has been the only church he’s been a member of.
Over the years he has served as Sunday School teacher and director, “Training Union” teacher and director,  youth and building committees, and anywhere else that there was a need.
Calvin is also a member of Gideons, Int., which provides Bibles to schools, hospitals, and to our soldiers.
Mr. Calvin’s other passion, besides Mrs. Carolyn, is cars. He has two “older” cars he’s working on restoring now. “Very slowly”, he comments. One is a 1948 Lincoln Continental Mark I, and the other is a 1939 Cadillac LaSalle.
As you can tell by the photograph, Calvin Murphy loves his cars, and Mrs. Carolyn doesn’t like being in pictures.
Thanks, Calvin Murphy, for sharing your One Monticello Life.Â
After a banner first year of activity, interaction, new relationships and community news and information, we’re ready to set MonticelloLive aside. We’ve loved having the interaction with people from all areas of Monticello and the surrounding community. We truly live in a wonderful area! Amazing people. Perhaps one of the most well-loved features of the site has been One Monticello Life – the weekly feature of your friends, neighbors and family.
The 
Teresa Belew, Executive Director for the Arkansas 
The 4-H Shooting Sports Progam has been a “blessing” for Terry. He does not get paid financially for his involvement or time but says that watching the kids grow and learn is payment enough for him. Terry is passionate about the organization and what it teaches the kids.
It’s about making a difference. Recycling is a concern across our nation, and it’s no different here in Monticello.
Monticello’s recycling center currently services only between 300-400 homes, but even that makes a difference. The recyclables from Monticello are compacted into large bundles using the machine pictured here and then sold to ORE-Recovered Material of Clinton, Arkansas. Last year, ORE reported concerning just the paper from Monticello that was recycled. 209.54 tons of paper was recycled from Monticello between the months of January and June, six months. Most of the shredded paper is from UAM but not all of it.
Although Cathy is doing a great job at recycling there are some steps to be taken to make this program even more effective. Recycle products are picked up each Wednesday morning within city limits. To be added to the route and begin recycling, please call Cathy Davis at 367-4407. She is more than willing to answer questions in order to help more and more people get involved.
At the end of the internship she was voted on by her peers and manager for the 
This past week at the 
In looking toward the future, she mentioned that the church is starting a new building project.
You may have seen a "Pray for Chase" bumper sticker around town with 
Pictured here is Chase with 
Along with his close-knit family, Chase’s friends love and support him. Twelve-year-old Colby Capps has known Chase for six years and says he’s her best friend. Colby remembers lots of time spent with him when they were younger and before he moved. In between giggles, Colby tells of fun times playing spy and sneaking up on their moms, who taught school together, to listen in on the grown-ups! She truly admires Chase for his energy and great sense of humor and can’t imagine life without him. Colby loves the fact that Chase laughs even when he doesn’t feel like it when she makes funny faces at him or pulls other silly antics to cheer him up!
Priscilla Hopkins Houdlette Smith was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1918. Her father was a civil engineer who designed the majority of interstate highways in that state. Her mother was a house wife who died during the birth of Priscilla’s sister, Claire. Priscilla was seven years old at the time. She and her sister were raised by their grandmother for most of their lives.
"When I met Smitty, he was changing his son’s diaper. I knew then he needed a mother for his kids," Priscilla smiled.
As she received her personal tour of South Arkansas Rehabilitation this past week, she was wheeled into the children’s room that has been dedicated to her. On the wall there is a picture of Priscilla working with a child who was a polio victim. The words below the photo say "In appreciation of your contribution to the physical therapy profession and the many patients you served, and for the inspiration you have provided those of us who have followed in your footsteps… Thank you! We love you! Your friends at South Arkansas Rehabilitation." Priscilla Smith will never be able to estimate the lives she’s literally touched over the years. Our community is grateful for such a life: One Monticello Life.
Her freshman year she married a schoolmate, Tommy Simpson. After her first year in college, they moved to South Carolina for two years where Tommy served in the Air Force. In 1970, the couple moved back to Monticello and had their first child.
Unwilling to simply go to work and return home, Mae is currently on a committee to restore her old school house in Selma. She and several others are worked towards making Selma Junior High School a historical site. The building is used now for banquets and group meetings like the Masons and Eastern Star organization of which Mae is a member. Mae is also an active member of 16th Section Missionary Baptist Church. 
"High school was a tough period for me and my family," Rob said. "Basically everything I ever believed was called into question. I went from the kid whose dad preached at the biggest church in town to the kid who didn’t really have a church anymore. I didn’t know what was going on."
When asked why he and the MBSF spend so much time trying to reach students, Rob responded, "Because Jesus changes lives."
This is how you would describe Ruth & Ruby Brown. You might have seen these identical twins around town on Fridays. This is their day to eat lunch at a local restaurant. And most days, they wear the same color. This is by coincidence usually. Not only are Ruby and Ruth twins, they also married brothers! Here is their story: Ruby and Ruth Barrett Brown were born in 1930. They were raised in Warren. Their father was a farmer, and they have two brothers and two sisters. Their father died when they were young. Their mother raised the six children with the help of their grandparents who also farmed. The Brown brothers moved from Cleveland County to Bradley County in 1945. The Browns also farmed. There were five children in their family, four boys and 1 girl. It was at Macedonia Baptist Church that T.H. and Larkin Brown met the twins. "We were at church, and there they were, sitting on the pew," Larkin recalls about the first time he met Ruby and Ruth. "Back in those days, we didn’t date until you were 16. Me and Ruth were 15 at the time." Ruby also said they were all friends until they could start dating. "We rode to school in a taxi. So we went to school together before we dated," she said. Both T.H. and Larkin served in the U.S. Military. T.H. served in China during World War II. Larkin served during the Korean War. But war did not keep these brothers and twins apart for long. After T.H. returned from the war, he finished high school. In 1948, Ruth and T.H. married. One week after Larkin came home from Korea in 1952, Ruby and Larkin were married. Each couple moved frequently, for the mens’ jobs. T.H. attended Chicago Electrical School and worked for Entergy for 42 years. Larkin attended 
T.H. and Larkin were asked what it was like being married to twins. Larkin said it was "great," because "If I want to go somewhere, all I have to say is, ‘Ruth called,’ and she’d go over there. Then I can go and do what I want to," he said with a grin. T.H. said, "I haven’t been married to anybody else, so I don’t know. All I can say is I got the best looking of the bunch!" Larkin is quick to respond, "That’s the only one that would have you!" Ruby and Ruth drink coffee together every morning. The twins do not do much without the other. They all attend 
Mr. Carpenter was on his way to the car wash so he could look for change. He said, “If I had not got beat up or ran over, I would worked at Wal-Mart 14 years today and could have retired 3 years ago.”
