| Judge Joel Cole | Robert Itzkowitz | Gene F Oholendt | Adolph Perin | Floyd J. Jackson |
By Cary Bradburn
Known for saying "Why sure" when people asked him for help, Joel C. "Buddy" Cole was willing to stick his neck out for people. He didn't take the easy way out, a longtime friend said.
Cole, 63, who served as North Little Rock municipal judge for nearly 22 years, died March 24 of a stroke he suffered 10 days earlier.
Circuit Judge David Bogard, Cole's childhood pal and a law partner briefly in 1980, recalled that Cole stood by him in high school after a bully challenged him to meet the next day for a fight. Cole went with him at the appointed hour, he said, but the bully failed to show.
"He was a friend you could trust," Bogard said.
Judge Cole's sons, Mike and Mark, described their father as a man of few words, but someone whom people listened to when he spoke. "He knew what to say, when to say it and how to say it," Mark Cole said.
Mike Cole said that no matter how busy his father was, he found time to attend his sons' practices, games, plays and concerts - even driving from Mountain Home in north Arkansas one evening after completing a case to make it back by the end of the first quarter of a football game that Mark was playing at Northeast.
"He wanted to be a part of his boys' lives," Mark Cole said.
Tough and loving is how they remember their father, a man who encouraged them and others to do their best.
"Dad belived in honesty to the Nth degree," Mike Cole said. "He lived it personally and carried into his professional life and into the courtroom. He believed in fairness and equity.
Bogard said lawyers and clients knew they could get a fair trial in Judge Cole's court.
Succeeding Municipal Judge Milton McLees in June 1973, Judge Cole authored and helped pass legislation that expunged the records of first offenders of nonviolent crimes who stayed out of trouble for the next year.
"He said they were people who had made poor decisions who weren't bad people," Mke Cole recounted.
On the heels of a 1977 state law, Judge Cole also established the state's first small claims court that allowed people greater access to the courts and less expense by not having to hire an attorney.
Born on Feb. 17, 1937, in Oklahoma City to Lester Earl and Mary Ruth Cole, he moved within his first year to North Little Rock where his father had been a builder and had run for sheriff. The family lived in Park Hill, where he met Bogard in the grade at Park Hill Elementary, then moved to 401 W. 19th St. in Baring Cross. His father operated L.E. Cole Bail Bonds and got him interested in the law.
During his school days he was an avid baseball player on the sandlots around town - on Cherry Hill, near the railroad shops in Baring Cross and at the school field on Poplar Street. While playing second base during a game in high school, he pulled the hidden ball trick on Bogard and tagged him out.
"I will never forget the look on his face when he ran across second base saying 'gotcha'," Bogard recalled.
Judge Cole graduated from North Little Rock High School in 1955, and the next year married Mary Frances and entered the Naval Reserves. He got a degree from Little Rock Junior College in 1957 and finished law school in 1961, when he began practicing law with Buzz Herrod in the old Matthews building at Main and Broadway.
In 1962, he served on active duty during the Cuban missile crisis and achieved the rank of lieutenant commander by the time he retired in 1978.
He maintained a private practice after his appointment and later election to the municipal bench, though he was limited in cases he took as a lawyer since he heard criminal and civil litigation and had to avoid the appearance of any conflicts of interest. As municipal judge he ruled on misdemeanor cases, such as shoplifting, petty theft, hot checks, vandalism and the like. He also held preliminary hearings in felony cases.
After winnig election five times from 1974 to 1990, Judge Cole lost in a runoff in 1994 to Jim Hamilton, longtime North Little Rock city attorney. With his typical dry humor and wit, he testified this past February during a hearing in a lawsuit over municipal court pension benefits that the voters had retired him.
He had moved to Indian Hills in the early 1960s to raise his family and then to Overbrook in the late 1970s. He married Diane Hudkins in 1992 and was living in Kellogg Acres north of town during retirement. His sons said he loved doing yard work, after which he would sit on the tailgate of his truck - what he called his "tailgate parties" - with the stray cats he adopted and visited with people who came by. A past president of the Elks Lodge, he also spent time there with his friends. He was a member as well of the Moose Lodge, the Arkansas Bar Association and First United Methodist Church.
But to keep active, Judge Cole took a part-time job at Russell Chevrolet about six months ago delivering and picking up auto parts.
"Buddy knew everybody," said Bob Russel, who heads the dealership. "He did a good job. We were glad to have him because he was a supernice guy."
Besides his two sons, Judge Cole is survived by his wife Diane Hudkins Cole, a stepson, Eric Coomes and stepdaughter Rachel Coomes, both of North Little Rock; a sister, Mary Jean Goode of Little Rock and two grandchildren, Taylor Cole and David Cole, both of North Little Rock.
Funeral services were held Tuesday, March 28, at Griffin Leggett-Rest Hills chapel.
Burial with full military honors was at rest Hills Memorial Park. The family requests that memorials be made to the Humane Society of Pulaski County, 14600 Colonel Glenn Rd., Little Rock, AR 72210.
The Times - March 30, 2000
ROBERT ITZKOWITZ
By Kitty Chism
Robert Itkowitz, owner and operator of the Square Deal Pawn Shop in downtown North Little Rock for more than 60 years, died Saturday, March 25. He was 82.
The son of a Russian immigrant who had arrived in the United States around the turn of the century with nothing but a determination to succeed, he had, at age 20, taken over the successful enterprise on West Wasington Avenue that had evolved from his father's second-hand clothing business.
And he would become a respected businessman active in civic affairs, the Chamber of Commerce and the North little Rock Rotary Club, among other groups.
In 1973 he moved the shop to its current location at 101 East Washington.
He belived that pawn shops help reduce crime by allowing people access to cash in exchange for collateral and to retain a sense of self reliance, he told a Times reporter a few years ago.
Indeed, he had lectured at the University of Little Rock on the history of pawn shops, which have been around since the biblical days and typically offer a 30-day loan for merchandise that can be sold if the loan is not repaid.
Customers come from all walks of life, including hardworking middle class folks who need a little extra cash for an emergency, he told the reporter. But over the years some of the most successful local professions swore they would never buy a watch from anyone but Itzkowitz.
"People think you get nothing but the scum, but that's not true." he once said. "It depends on how nice you keep your store and how you cater to people."
Mr. Itzkowitz had served in World War II and was a member of the Jewish War Veterans association. Over the years he had also served on the board of St. Joseph's Orphanage and was a member of the Masons and Shrine band.
He was also active in the Jewish community, a past president of Synagogue Agudath Achim, a member of Temple B'nai Isreal and a member of B'nai Brith.
A few years ago he had turned the day-to-day operation of Square Deal over to his son Marvin Itzkowitz and daughter Judy Pearlstein and even his granddaughter and grandson helped run the shop.
"I do take a lot of pride [in my store.], and that's the reason we keep it in the family. You have to take pride in anything you do," he said.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, Max and Leon Itzkowitz and one sister, Pearl Henry
Besides his daughter and son of Little Rock, survivors include his wife of 60 years, Ruth Schweig Itzkowitz; three grandchildren, Nancy Pearlstein, Sally Pearlstein Tibbs and her husband Todd and David Pearlstein and his wife Mary; and four great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at noon Monday in the chapel of Griffin Leggett Healy & Ross with Rabbis Schlomo Truzman and Punchus Ciment officiating.
Burial was at the Oakalnd Jewis Cemetery.The family requests that memorials be made to the Synagogue Agudath Achim, Temple B'nai Israel or a favorite charity.
The Times - March 30, 2000
GENE F. OHOLENDT
By Nancy Dockter
He grew up in simpler times, when service to country and community was clearly the highest calling. From his early years in North Little Rock to recent times, when his health was failing, Col. Gene F. Oholendt was a faithful worker for his church, for his country and for his community.
Even as a boy, he was serious minded and conscientious. "He was very sincere. He wasn't much for kidding, not a joker, but very dependable," remembers his younger sister, Lola Darnell.
"Dad was very patriotic - serving and leading [in the military.] was a great honor to him," recalled his son Ron Oholendt, who followed in his father's footsteps to become an Air Force pilot.
Family members gathered this past weekent to "celebrate the full and wonderful life" of Col. Oholendt, who died Thursday, Dec. 17, after years of declining health. He was 78.
Born in North Little Rock, one of three children of Walter Oholendt, a railroad conductor, and his seamstress wife, Mayme Ann, he grew up in a bungalow at 611 Poplar St.
As a student at North Little Rock High School, he played the drums in the marching band at the same time that Marie Ketzcher of Levy played the clarinet and caught Col. Oholendt's fancy. After graduation, Col. Oholendt went to work for the Ketzcher family business, the North Little Rock Electric Co., as an apprentice electrician until enlisting in the Army Air Corps on July 2, 1940. He would mary his high school sweetheart in 1942.
Trained as a pilot and later commissioned as an officer, Col. Oholendt went on to complete 33 years of active duty, flying missions in every conflict with U.S. involvement during those years aboard 26 different military aircraft, according to his son Ron.
During World War II, 51 missions took him over North Africa, Italy and Turkey. After the war, during the Berlin airlift, he flew 86 round trips from Frankfurt, Germany. In the Korean conflict, Col. Oholendt made 13 night bombing missions from Guam. In all, he logged 7,000 hours of flying time, lost 18 plane engines and brought home two wounded servicemen. But he never lost a plane and he never was captured, his son said.
His Air Force career required 20 moves over the years, and every one of his six children was born at a different base, Ron recalled.
"My strongest and fondest memories of Dad were seeing him dressed in his flight suit as he left for another mission and then going down to the air strip to pick him up, during the Berlin airlift or the Vietnam war," Ron said.
But his father never let the demands of military service interfere with his famiy responsibilities.
"When he was with us he didn't talk much about those missions; it was always more imortant to him to talk about what was going on with us kids, everyday family stuff," Ron said. "He, along with Mother, raised us right, and he made sure we were in church every Sunday - God was very important to him."
Health problems in the 1960s compelled Col. Oholendt to give up flying, but he continued as a squadron leader and commander, and toward the close of his career, from 1969 to 1972, he served in Southeast Asia and was on the staff of the commander-in-chief of the Pacific (CINPAC).
He retured to Arkansas for his last year of active duty, as the inspector general of the Little Rock Air Force Base, then retired from the military March 31, 1973.
From that point on, Col. Oholendt's life focus shifted to continuing his college education, launching a second career in management and doing service work for his city and church.
He completed his degree in business from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway and worked in management for serveral local businesses.
In 1979, during a time of deep financial troubles for North Little Rock, Col. Oholendt chaired a committee that reviewed all city services and business practices, issuing a "comprehensive survey with many valuable recommendations" for streamlining municipal operations, recalled former Mayor William "Casey" Laman.
"He was a responsible and responsive citizen who rendered a good service for the city," Laman said.
"Within a year the city was back on its feet," recalled City Clerk Mary Munns, who was assistant city clerk at the time.
His greatest passion, however, was serving as an elder and trustee for the Park Hill Christian Church, his sister Lola said. He did whatever needed to be done - mowing the lawn, painting, electrical work, fund-raising - as well as teaching a Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and an adult Sunday school class for nine years - until health problems forced him to resign, she said.
Even as his health failed, Col. Oholendt persevered in overseeing a building project at his church meeting with the architect and communicating with the congregation about the plans.
"We are all so proud of him," said his sister. "He will be respected for his honesty and faithfulness to the Lord. He not only taught the Christian life, but he lived it."
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Frances (Dutch) Oholendt.
Besides his wife Marie, Col. Oholendt is survived by his children and their spouses: Mike and Maggie Oholendt of Reserve, La., Phil and Jeanne Oholendt of Tucson, Ariz., Jack and Pam Oholendt of Bellevue, Neb., Col. Ron and Jane Oholendt of Ogden, utah, Jeanne Whitwell of North Little Rock and Billie and John Drerer of North Little Rock; 16 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren, and a sister and brother-in-law, Lola and Glen Darnell of Elkins Lake, Texas.
Funeral services were held Monday, Dec. 21, at the Park Hill Christian Church with the Rev. Miles Cook officiating. Interment with full military honors was at Restlawn Memorial Park.
The family requests that memorials may be made to the Park Hill Christian Church Building Fund.
The Times - December 24, 1998
ADOLPH PERIN
By Stephen Ursery
He was legally lind for the last 14 years of his life, but that didn't stop Adolph Perin from living by himself on acreage near the city's northwest border that has been his family's for 73 years.
There, he cooked and cared for himself and his dog, Lady, a terrier mix that bore a strong resemblance to Benji. Amazingly, Mr. Perin was even able to continue gardening on his own.
A markedly self-sufficient man with a deep love for cultivating the earth and for the animals that were his companions in his later years, Mr. Perin died at Baptist Memorial Hospital of complications from pneumonia on Monday, Dec. 2. He was 90.
His only son John C. Perin Sr. of North Little Rock said his father refused to let his near total blindness impede his independence. Withouth is sight, Mr. Perin even figured out a way to plant his garden in a straight row by placing two poles directly opposite each other, connecting them with a piece of string, repeating this process every three or four feet, and then holding on to the string as he planted.
The oldest of five children, he was the only one of his siblings born outside the United States in Switzerland. At the age of six, he moved with his parents first to Chicago and then to Little Italy, Ark., a tiny immigrant community on Wye Mountain. In 1923, the Perins settled down on a piece of farmland just outside of North Little Rock, where Mr. Perin helped the family raise and sell peas, beans, okra, squash, tomatoes, and potatoes.
In 1929, Mr. Perin married Theresia Marie Zimmerman, and the two raised one son and continued to live on the family farm the rest of their lives. Eventually when the city of North Little Rock annexed the farm and property all around it, the road in front of the farm was named Perin Road in honor of the family.
During World War II, Adolph Perin sold produce form the family farm at Camp Robinson and at aretail stand at Markham and Elm in Little Rock. After that stand closed in the late 1940's, Mr. Perin sold at the North Little Rock curb market at Second and Main streets, and did so until his retirement in the late 1960's.
After retirement, he cut back to tending a 50-foot long, private garden, the vegetables of which he continued to share with family and friends. His wife died in 1974.
In his spare time, Mr. Perin loved to go fishing in Tichnor and deer hunting just south of Pine Bluff. His son remembers how he loved to tell stories about the fish he caught and about how he shot the eight-point buck that he had mounted.
His father was a "relatively quiet man," his son said, but he had a real passion for politics and current events. He enthusiastically volunteered for Winthrop Rockefeller's 1966 and 1968 gubernatorial campaigns, doing things like distributing and installing year signs, his son said.
"If you were around him for more than five minutes, he'd start talking politics," John C. Perin Sr. said.
He also loved dogs, owning several bird dogs and a beagle who passed away more than 15 years ago. Afterwards, Mr. Perin told family members that he didn't want another pet, that he had grown too attached to his beagle. Sensing that the companionship of another dog would be good for his father, however, his son kept asking his dad to take care of a terrier-mix that his family had acquired. Then one day the son told his father that he could no longer take care of the dog and would have to give it away.
Unable to bear that thought, the elder Mr. Perin said he would take Lady, and he would love and care for that dog for the rest of his life. Poignantly, Lady died the morning of the very same day that Adolph Perin died.
Besides his son, Mr. Perin is survived by four grandchildren, John C. Perin Jr., Michael W. Perin, Richard M. Perin, and Brenda S. Satterfield, all of North Little Rock; nine great-grandchildren; and one sister, Provina Otto, also of North Little Rock.
Funeral services were held Thursday, Dec. 5, at North Little Rock Funeral Home Chapelw with Father James Mancini officiating. Burial was in Rest Hills Memorial Park.
The Times - December 12, 1996
FLOYD J. JACKSON JR.
Floyd J. Jackson Jr. of North Little Rock was a commercial contractor who oversaw many major renovations and new office projects on both sides of the river. But those who knew him best say he will be remembered most as a principled family man of many interests who really knew how to dance-and did so beautifully all his life.
Mr. Jackson died of pneumonia on Saturday, July 18, at Baptist Memorial Hospital. He was 77.
Born in Hardy, the oldest of three children of a school teacher mom and grocery store-owner dad, Mr. Jackson spent a large part of his growing up years on the banks of the river, where his dad taught him to swim by throwing him in the river, family members say.
A star athlete at Hardy High School, Mr. Jackson would make quite a name for himself on the baseball diamond, impressing the scouts from the St. Louis Browns so much they asked him to join the franchise.
But after graduation in 1938, when the world was teetering near turmoil, he enlisted in the Army instead, serving in Austria for much of World War II and earning the Purple Heart for his heroics. With the rank of sergeant, he would return home in 1947 and go off to the University of Arkansas to study civil engineering.
"He was very detail minded and he loved math," his daughter Martha Jackson, a local podiatrist, said.
Appropriately, Mr. Jackson would meet his future wife at a college dance.
They each had separate dates that night, the story goes, but during one dance the light-footed Mr. Jackson would cut in on her date and sweep her away.
"Momma went home and told Grandma that she had met the man she was going to marry," said daughter Jill Garrison.
On March 25, 1949, her prediction came true.
After college, Mr. Jackson took a job as a contractor with the Dickman, Pickens & Bond construction firm, a job that would mean many moves to many places.
Over the years the family would live in Dallas, Texas; New York City; Jacksonville, Fla.; Lexington, Ky.; Cincinnati, Ohio; St. Louis, Mo.; Springfield, Mo., and Albuquerque.
Worried about the effects of all their moves on their five daughters, Mr. Jackson eventually decided to jump ship.
"The company wanted to send him to Canada," his daughter Martha said. "He just told them 'no' and quit."
So in 1960, the Jacksons returned to Arkansas and settled in North Little Rock.
Soon he joined the G.W. Mays company in 1962 where he would remain for the next 31 years, working on such large projects as the Farm Bureau Bilding in Little Rock, the Sherwood Municipal Complex, the Riverfront Hilton Inn in North Little Rock and the Crestwood Medical Building in Lakewood, and eventually buying into the business in 1980 when the name would change to the Howell & Jackson Construction Co.
His last project before retirement was the Crestwood building in 1993, half of which his daughter Martha owned.
"He always said that he wanted to build a building for me," she said.
But he always viewed the Capitol Hotel as one of his most significant projects, family members said. In charge of all the cost estimates and bid evaluations, he always said he was proud to have been a part of such a magnificent renovation, his daughter Martha said.
In his later years, Mr. Jackson enjoyed golfing at the North Hills and Pleasant Valley Country Clubs and spending leisurely days on vaction trips to such locales as Spain, the Panama Canal and Alaska.
But his big love was dancing, a hobby he and his wife continued all their married life, teaching their daughters as well. A fan of the jitterbug, Mr. Jackson often won the dancing contests held at the Teamsters Building in North Little Rock, his daughters said.
"All the college kids would clear the floor when he got out there," daughter Martha recalled.
But even at home "Mom and Daddy would break out into dance to just the television," Garrison said.
Mr. Jackson is survived by his wife, Anne Jackson; five daughters, Dr. Martha Jackson, Valerie Davis, Jill Garrison and Sherry George, all of North Little Rock, and Carol Thompson of Grand Prairie, Texas; eight grandchildren; his brother, Robert M. Jackson of Whitney, Texas; and his sister, Sue DePriest of Hardy.
A private burial service was held at Little Rock National Cemetery.
The family requests that memorials be made to Baptist Memorial Hospital Acute Care Patient Comfort Fund, C/O the Baptist Health Foundation, Little Rock, Ar 72205.
The Times - July 30, 1998