1916
Fayetteville’s first public library opened in the basement of the Washington County Courthouse on this day. More than 200 people attended the opening. In an unpublished history of the library, Keith Grace wrote that punch was served and visitors listened to music cranked on a Victrola, at that time the latest thing in record players.” A formal opening for children was held the next Saturday, and 100 people attended this event. Not long later, Florida Read, was the first paid librarian.
1944
The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover, was given an honorary degree by the University of Arkansas during commencement on this day. Hoover described Arkansas as a “bulwark of freedom, free of ‘isms.'”