GRAVETTE -- Lavon Stark is a collector. She and her husband Rickie enjoy going to flea markets and auctions together and they collect over 30 different items. They collect antiques "and junk," she says. A museum is "a building in which objects of historical, scientific, artistic or cultural interest are stored and exhibited." That connection makes Stark the perfect candidate for a museum commissioner.
Born Lavon Alsup in Woodson, a small town of about 300 in central Texas, she grew up in the panhandle town of Plainview. She played French horn in the school band and moved a lot, attending nine schools in her 12 years of public school education. She moved in her senior year to Tulia, Texas, where she met her husband. After all her moves, it was hard to believe he had never moved in his life.
Lavon and Rickie married in 1963 and moved next door to his parents. They raised two daughters on the family farm southeast of Tulia which they still own. One daughter, Angie Martin, still lives in Tulia, and the other, Michelle House, lives in Gravette. The Starks have three granddaughters and one great-granddaughter.
"We love girls," she says.
They moved to Gravette in 1987 to be near Lavon's parents.
Lavon graduated from the Plainview School of Nursing in 1964, attended Baylor University and graduated from Wayland Baptist University with a bechelor's degree in religion and a master's degree in Christian counseling. She worked as a nurse for 43 years before retiring in 2010. She worked at the Gravette clinic 10 years for Dr. Poemoceah and later for Dr. Ritz.
She has always been active in community affairs, serving as president of the Tulia Women's Chamber of Commerce and as a member of Beta Sigma Phi sorority. She recently received her 50-year pin for Extension Homemakers and served as a 4-H leader for 40 years. She is president-elect of the Gravette Kiwanis Club, is a member of the Northwest Arkansas Cattlewomen and the PieceMakers quilt club. She is a member of Heritage Baptist Church, where she writes a mission article for the weekly bulletin.
When Lavon retired from nursing, she was anxious to learn the history of Gravette. She was appointed to the Gravette Museum Commission five years ago and is now serving as secretary. She has served as chair of the two quilt shows the museum has cosponsored with her quilt club.
She has shared several of her collections with the museum. Current displays in the museum include some of her hats, brooches, figurines, linens, cups and saucers, depression glass, ladies handkerchiefs, aprons and old kitchen tools. She also has a unique collection of glass knives and collects cookbooks, dolls, angels, Santas and Precious Moments figurines.
"Our commission is lucky to have people like John Mitchael and Louise Evans who know so much about Gravette history," Lavon says, "and it is our mission to help preserve it."
She says she loves the "school room" in the museum annex with the senior class pictures and she is working to get a complete collection of annuals to display there.
She also noted work is continuing on barber shop and newspaper office displays.
"We have a couple of major projects we will be working on in the future, so exciting things are happening at the Gravette Historical Museum."
Right now, Lavon is working on preparing for the museum's "Old Fashioned Christmas" celebration Dec. 5. She has helped purchase old decorations and has volunteered to help with serving refreshments. Folks from the Billy V. Hall Senior Activity Center will be serving hot chocolate and she has arranged for the Bank of Gravett to provide cookies.
She invites everyone to "come to our 'Old Fashioned Christmas' to see the museum and meet Santa."
Community on 12/02/2015