20 Jul 2020 A love of learning: ‘To do better in life, education is the key’
Conway County’s Mary Newsome is the poster child for education — and being a good neighbor and citizen.
Mary, 58, has spent well more than half her life — 39 years on Aug. 2 — at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton. She went to what was then Petit Jean Vocational Technical College as a student in 1980, started as an “extra help” worker in June 1981 and went full-time as secretary to Director of Student Services A.O. Thompson in August 1981. After six years in that position, she spent four years as a bookkeeper in the business office. For the last 29 years, she has been assistant to the chancellor.
Mary is the longest-serving employee of UACCM, which was born in 2001 when what had become Petit Jean College merged with the University of Arkansas system. She was named the school’s Outstanding Staff Member for 2000-01 and was recognized by what was then the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges.
“I was thinking it was probably a stepping-stone to a different place, but someone told me if I was going to leave, I needed to do it in the first 10 years; otherwise, I’d be stuck here,” she said. “But I liked it here. I didn’t feel like I was stuck. I like what I do; I really like my job.”
Along the way, she finished her associate degree in business education. In 2007, she attained her bachelor of science in education in human resources development with an emphasis in vocational education from the University of Arkansas. “If you want to do better in life, education is the key,” Mary said. “That’s how you move up to better things. You’re always learning.”
Mary grew up in the Center community about two miles south of Cleveland in Conway County. She attended a segregated school there through fifth grade before transferring to the Jerusalem school for a year and ultimately to Wonderview, from which she graduated with honors in 1980 in the top five of her class.
“I always loved school,” she remembered. “When summertime rolled around and we were out, I would think, ‘What in the world am I going to do?’ I wanted to go back to school. I loved learning, and I’ve tried to instill this in my kids.”
Mary is the eighth of 10 children.
“My mom (Modiller Canady) was not able to work a public job, but she worked hard in the home raising us. She always told us to do the best we could and that is all she requires.”
At a 4-H Club Valentine’s Day party at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Morrilton her senior year, she met Harold Newsome. They were married in September 1981.
Growing up, she wanted to be a nurse, secretary or teacher. But she decided there was too much blood in nursing, and she has satisfied her teaching urge with more than 20 years of Sunday School at Spring Valley Missionary Baptist Church in Morrilton, so she spent most of her career as an administrative assistant.
Her supervisors and colleagues encouraged her to finish that associate’s degree. She chipped away at her goal as she had a son, Derrick, in 1993, and a daughter, Ciera, in ‘97. “I was trying to raise a family and going to school,” she said. “It took years to get it. Then I thought, ‘I just need to go on and get my bachelor’s degree.’”
She remembered Larry Crook, then UACCM chancellor, encouraging her, telling her she would need a bachelor’s degree to advance.
Over the years, she has seen the school advance, too. “Back then, we were considered a trade school with just a lot of technical programs — welding, HVAC, automotive,” she said. “We still have a lot of the same programs, but now everybody’s spread out across campus, and you might go a whole week without seeing somebody on the other end of campus.”
Since moving to the chancellor’s office, Mary has worked for Crook and his successors, Dr. Larry Davis and Lisa Willenberg, the current chancellor. “I’ve had great bosses, and I’ve still got a wonderful boss,” Mary said of Willenberg. “We’ve known each other for a long time. We went to school together at Wonderview. Our kids played together. I consider her kids mine, and she considers my kids hers. We’ve got that type of relationship.”
Willenberg said it was hard to describe Mary with a short quote. “I could write a book about her,” she said. “When I reflect on Mary, a word that continually comes to mind is ‘commitment’. Mary has exhibited a lifelong unparalleled commitment to everything she’s involved in. This is most obvious in her great faith and spirituality, her family, marriage and children, her career and education, her friendships, and lastly her always positive and encouraging attitude.
“Mary is a true blessing to all she comes into contact with.”
Newsome’s pastor at Spring Valley Missionary Baptist, Dr. Sherman Whitfield, agreed. “Mary is everything that she seems,” he said. “She is certainly a critical piece of our church. She is dependable; she goes above and beyond. She is what every pastor would love to have one of, and if you have two, you are more than blessed. But you are very grateful to have one, and she is all of that.
“There is no pretension there. We are very blessed and grateful to have her.”
Mary passed along her love for learning to her children. “I’ve been in school all my life, and I’ve loved school,” she said. “People tell me, ‘That’s why your kids are so smart.’”
Derrick graduated from UACCM and went on to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He is a year away from graduating from the University of Central Arkansas. Ciera graduated from the Honors College at UCA in December 2019 with a degree in math. Derrick and Ciera were named the Morrilton Area Chamber of Commerce’s Outstanding Youth Citizen of the Year in 2010 and ‘14, respectively.
For years, Mary has been heavily involved in her community. Previously, she was on the board of the Conway County Christian Clinic and Conway County Community Foundation. She’s now a board member of the Morrilton Area Chamber of Commerce, CHI-St. Vincent-Morrilton, Conway County Senior Adult Center and Conway County School Counts! She also serves as secretary of the Conway County branch of the NAACP.
What’s her philosophy of being a good citizen and good neighbor?
“I’ve found you have to give,” Mary said. “You have to want to help. I like to help people when and if I can and in whatever capacity. I’m an encourager. If there’s something I can’t do, I’ll find someone who can and reach out to them to try to gain insight on whatever the task is at hand.
“In order to have good neighbors, you have to be a good neighbor. That’s pretty easy when you live by people you can trust.”
She said her mother always said there was “good in the worst of us and bad in the best of us.”
“I try to see the good and operate from that,” Mary said. “Besides my church and prayer life, that’s how I try to live. I try to be an example for others to follow, and I’ve taught my kids that same thing. You do the right thing.”
Today Mary, who calls herself “a country girl”, and her husband live in a rural area outside Morrilton. Their children, as well as 5-year-old grandson Kendrick, live in Morrilton.
“He is the most joyful kid,” Mary said of her only grandson. “I can’t say enough about him. He was 1 pound, 11 ounces when he was born. On June 5, he turned 5. I’m his GiGi.”
In her spare time, Mary serves her church in a number of ways and enjoys Sunday afternoon drives with her husband, spending time with her grandson, shopping, cooking and dancing. “I just enjoy life,” she said. “I enjoy fellowshipping with my church family and friends. I enjoy those types of things and just love life.”
About four years ago, though, she was thrown for a loop when her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. “He’s my rock,” she said. “Thanks be to God, he made it through that. He’s not able to work, but he’s still here, and I’m so grateful for that.”
Her goal is to finally leave UACCM when she turns 62 so they can enjoy retirement together. “We want to continue to enjoy life and do the things we want to do,” she said. “We try to help wherever we are needed and treat people the way we want to be treated.
“We try to be leaders and do what we can – and be positive in life. My thing is to try to lead by example. I am all about that.”
UACCM is lucky to have her.
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