This week in Southwest Arkansas history.
Born: Glen Campbell, April 22, 1936
On this day, April 22, 1936, American Grammy Award-winning country-pop singer (“By The Time I Get to Phoenix”; “Wichita Lineman”; “Rhinestone Cowboy”), session guitarist (The Beach Boys; Elvis Presley; The Monkees; Phil Specter), television personality (The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour), and actor (True Grit), born in Delight, Arkansas.
Joe Perry died April 25, 2011, at age 84
Fletcher Joseph Perry died on April 25, 2011, at the age of 84 from complications related to dementia. Born in Stephens, Arkansas, Perry was a professional football fullback who played mainly for the San Francisco 49ers from 1948 to 1963. He was the first African-American NFL Most Valuable Player, earning the award in 1954, and was known for his speed, which earned him the nickname “the Jet.” Perry was the first NFL player to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons and retired as the league’s all-time rushing leader. His career spanned 16 seasons across three decades, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969. Perry’s legacy remains connected to Stephens as the birthplace of one of the NFL’s early African-American stars, whose career set records and broke racial barriers.