‘Faculty and Honor Students, Lewis School’ – A History

‘Faculty and Honor Students, Lewis School’ – A History

A look at a special piece and the local artist who created it

Special to the Times This painting, titled “Faculty And Honor Students, Lewis School” was painted by Carroll Cloar in 1966 and has hung in the White House as a presidential inauguration poster.

Concerning his painting, Cloar wrote; “The school is not in this picture. This is out in the yard, to the right of the schoolhouse. The little girls holding the flag backwards are standing on the recitation bench, which had been moved out in the classroom. The man in the dark suit is, as we called him, 'Fesser Shepherd.' He was the faculty. He was mean. The boy in the black suit is my brother Jack. I am at his left, at the end of the front row. They had through the seventh grade in the school. Actually we had all sizes. When I started in the first grade, there was a 16 year-old boy in my class as big as my father. The 'Honor Students' is a joke.” (“Hostile Butterflies and Other Paintings,” Carroll Cloar, Memphis State University Press, 1977) In the Spring 2000 edition of the University of Memphis Magazine, (above excerpt), it states the photograph was taken by Carroll's sister, Rhoda Cloar (Pitts) who took many photographs with her Brownie camera.

The original photograph was taken in 1917, with at least two copies being made. One copy was used by Carroll Cloar as the basis for his world famous painting; Faculty And Honor Students, Lewis School and is in Patricia Cloar Milstead's private collection. A second original photograph was discovered in March, 2017 in the Crittenden County Museum in Earle, AR., tucked away in a binder containing articles and newspaper clippings of Carroll Cloar assembled by Mrs. Katherine Franks of Earle, AR. Mrs. Franks and Amelia Cloar were close friends and attended church together. Amelia was married to Jack Cloar (Carroll Cloar's brother). There is little doubt that the photograph was given to Mrs. Franks by Amelia as a gift for the collection of clippings.

On the reverse of the rediscovered original photograph the inscription states: “Rachel Hood, Maudie Laglin holding flag at Lewis School 1917 Mr. Shepherd, Jack Cloar” In a different handwriting another inscription upside down from the previous inscription states: “Jack seated in front with suit on.” Carroll is seated to Jacks left and was about 4 or 5 years of age when the photograph was taken.

This original photograph is now proudly displayed in the Crittenden County Museum in Earle, Arkansas, the hometown of Carroll Cloar.

In the Spring, 2000 edition of the University of Memphis Magazine the original photograph used by Carroll Cloar to create his “Faculty And Honor Students, Lewis School” is ripped in the left lower corner. The rediscovered photograph is not ripped but is bent in the upper left corner and measures approximately 2-by-3 inches and is in black and white.

Family background according to Carroll Cloar as published in “Hostile Butterflies And Other Paintings” by Carroll Cloar, Memphis State University Press, 1977.

Thomas Jefferson Cloar married Amanda Martin. The couple had 13 children. They are Carroll’s grandparents on his father's side. One unknown child died of whooping cough; Luther died of smallpox; Ary died of diphtheria; Sylvester was bitten by a water moccasin; Georgy Lee choked to death on a grain of corn; Evaleander died of whopping cough; Sam Houston died of whopping cough; Ruby Jewell died of uncertain cause; Sharon Rose died of uncertain cause; Amanda Cloar died giving birth to Charles Wesley. Charles Wesley (13 child) became the father of Carroll Cloar.

Union Liberty David outlived 4 wives and fathered 18 children and lived to be 100 years.

Union was Carroll's greatgrandfather on his mother's side.

Union's wives included; Delphia, Marthy, Cynthy, and Ada May, produced 18 children.

Only Jefferson, Jackson, Isaac, Rhoda, and Carroll David survived to adulthood. Evalina died of whooping cough in infancy; Marthy Jane died of whooping cough in infancy; A.G. and J.C., (twins) died at the age of 7 when their dugout canoe overturned in a flood. Tilda Lee died of septic quinsy (a rare and potentially dangerous complication of tonsillitis); Lottie Dell died of galloping consumption (very fast developing tuberculosis); Clarence broke a leg falling from a pecan tree and was partially devoured by a famished panther; Edna May died of croup and complications; Lester died of pneumonia; Escar died from the stings of 83 hornets at the age of 8.

Everett at the age of 14, came in from the field, passed blood, and died 2 days later of swamp fever (Swamp fever, then was usually transmitted by mosquitos or leeches; two unnamed babies were stillborn.

Carroll David married Rhoda Richards. This union produced three children: Florence, died of pneumonia, Julia Eva (Evvy) David (Carroll Cloar's mother); and John.

Thomas Jefferson Cloar died around the age of 60 from blood poisoning that resulted from a “miss lick” with a poleaxe, accidentally cutting himself with an axe while chopping wood).

Thomas Jefferson Cloar's children at this time included; John Franklin Cloar, Charles Wesley Cloar, James Monroe Cloar.

John Franklin and James Monroe married. James Monroe died as the result of being thrown from a horse. John Franklin's wife died and he moved to Sweet Home, Arkansas, about 10 miles west of Little Rock. Charles Wesley bought John Franklin's interest in the home place, “loved and lost” Rachel Hood (Carroll Cloar' words). Charles Wesley then met Julia (Evvy) David at a square dance and party. Charles Wesley was 15 years older than Evvy. They met when he was 33, after his first wife, Rachel Hood passed.

Eva (Evvy) and Charles W. Cloar had 6 children: Thomas Jefferson Cloar; Charles Wesley Cloar; Rhoda Florence Cloar; John Rhodes Cloar; Bessie Marie Cloar, who died of whooping cough, and lastly, James Carroll Cloar.

Some published reports tell of a younger sister to Carroll who also died of whooping cough, but Carroll does not mention this in his family history in the Preface to “Hostile Butterflies,” published in 1977. However, Carroll does refer to his younger sister in other sources and is included in his painting, “Alien Child,” in 1955.

By Clayton Adams