Gerald Elmer Higgs
U.S. Army, WWII
"Jerry" was born in Wichita, Kansas to Elmer Floyd Higgs and Leone May Brady Higgs, the second child and the only brother to three sisters. Jerry grew up during the Depression in Wichita, where his father was a stillman at Barnsall Oil Refinery. He recalls taking left-overs from a meal to "Shanty Town" where people who were traveling to find work lived temporarily. Most were on the road to California. His paternal uncles and their families lived nearby, and the families spent much time together, enjoying homemade ice cream and watermelon feasts. "I want to say this: We had a lovely life. We have love in our families," Jerry recalls. He also classifies his family then as "very poor". Because rabbits abounded in the area, his father, like other men, shot the game for the family table. "So we lived on rabbit in the wintertime. Rabbit and rabbit and more rabbit," he remarks. The family, except for his father, attended church each Sunday. Jerry graduated from Wichita High School North, but had a "delayed graduation". He quit school and joined the navy on 16 November 1942, but was not called up for boot camp until February of 1943 in Farragut, Idaho. To read the entire biography please click the link above.
If you or someone you know would like to share stories with us, please call (318) 865-4201 ext. 122, or contact ohp@rwnaf.org.
The R.W. Norton Art Gallery will be closed on Easter Sunday (20 April 2014).
As our regular patrons are aware, we've been doing some remodeling and reorganizing here at the Norton. Those of you who visit us regularly have noticed the striking changes in our central galleries and North Wing. Now it's the South Wing's turn. Unfortunately, this means we'll have to close down the wing for a time in order to debut our new look later this spring. The South Wing will be closed beginning Monday, February 3rd. When will it re-open? As soon as possible. We'll be sure to let you know, so be prepared to rejoin us for a bright new spring opening!
The R.W. Norton Art Gallery will be closed to the public Friday, 2 May, Saturday, 3 May, and Sunday, 4 May 2014 for an Education Conference.
Men of Letters Exhibition
8 February 2014 - 1 June 2014
Saturdays and Sundays Only
Men of Letters features some of the remarkable works from the autograph section of the Norton's Rare and Antiquarian Book Collection. Among the collection are works by Louisiana natives Lyle Saxon and Harnett T. Kane who autographed copies for the Nortons themselves. Other autographed copies include some by major political figures and presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.
Moved to 2nd Saturday May Only
10 May 2014 @ 2:00 pm
The Idiot's Guide to Impressing Your Friends at an Art Museum
Want to be an art aficionado? Join us for this tour and learn how to razzle-dazzle 'em with technical terms.
Eloquence in Motion Tour
7 June 2014 @ 2:00 pm
Long before planes, trains, and automobiles, families still had to trek over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house for the holidays. In this holiday season, we celebrate how they got there from the horse and carriage to the afore-mentioned planes, trains, and automobiles through the works of the artists who utilized and memorialized them.
Depictions of Native Americans Tour
5 July 2014 @ 2:00 pm
Delving into the evolution of early white explorers' and settlers' understanding of and relationship to Native Americans, the Depictions of Native Americans Tour explorers images of the original inhabitants of North America that evoked curiosity, terror, and/or sympathy in the viewer.
A Century of Turmoil: Nineteenth-Century Art and Politics
2 August 2014 @ 2:00 pm
We often think of the 19th century as a placid, tradition-bound, and rather stodgy period of Victorian morals and mores. However, it was actually an era of violent revolution and epoch-shattering scientific and technological innovation.
Around the Gallery Newsletter:
A Burning Mill at Night with Villagers Scrambling to Extinguish the Fire
by Egbert Lievensz van der Poel (1621-1664)
There were numerous artists working in the Netherlands during the 17th century, which is often called the Golden Age of Dutch painting. Between 1605 and 1635, more than one thousand paintings were produced in Haarlem alone. This often made for a difficult life for artists, as supply often surpassed demand. A number of later famous artists, like three of those displayed in the "From Renaissance to Enlightenment Gallery", along with Van der Poel, died in povertystricken obscurity - Rembrandt van Rijn, Jacob van Ruisdael, and Meindart Hobbema. To read the whole article, please click on the link above.
Featured Publication:
I Remember the Difficult Times...
In their own words, 15 men and women from the Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana area relate their experiences of World War II in "I Remember the Difficult Times...". Their stories take the reader from America's entry into the war at Pearl Harbor through the surrender of Germany and the Occupation of Japan. To purchase this book from Amazon, please click here. The book is also available for purchase from our store located in the foyer.
Featured This Month:
If you catch a whiff of grape bubble gum in the air, look around to see if there is Texas Mountain Laurel nearby. The large purple clusters of wisteria-like flowers look as good as they smell! Texas Mountain Laurel is an evergreen, has glossy green foliage and is one of the cleanest, small trees around. It is a good choice for patios, because they grow slowly to about twelve to fifteen feet tall and wide. The black seedpods contain red to red-orange seeds, which are sometimes used in jewelry. Yellow dye was once made from the sapwood. Both the seeds and the flowers are quite poisonous, so frequent monitoring for its primary pest, the Genista moth larvae (known as "the worm") is needed, because it can decimate the foliage in a few days. This tree is difficult to find in large sizes in our area, so you may have to start with a small plant, but its well worth the wait. Plant in the full sun and well drained soil. Mountain Laurel is very cold hardy to USDA Zone 7. The Norton southwest garden has several Mountain Laurels, one of which is the Silver Sierra, which will be blooming soon and is well worth a visit to see and smell.
