NOTE: A few weeks ago, the Eagle Observer ran a photograph of a marker bearing the name of Dave Compton. This marker is located on a hill above the Crystal Lake camp area off Arkansas Highway 102, east of Decatur. Since that picture first appeared, several readers have come forward with information pertaining to the marker.
DECATUR -- David Compton, Jr., was one of the predominant citizens in Decatur during the early 1950s. Compton, along with such prominent citizens as Lloyd Peterson (cousin by marriage), Tom Edmiston, A.H. Roller, Tom North and J.C. Kincaid, formed the Decatur Financial Group, the organization which revived the city of Decatur.
Before moving to Decatur in the late 1940s, Compton was a mail carrier for the Falling Springs post office. He later ran for and was elected Benton County Judge and served several terms.
In the early '50s, Compton helped to start the Bank of Decatur, the community's first bank, and the Decatur Herald newspaper. He served as the first president of the Decatur Chamber of Commerce shortly after its formation in 1952.
In 1953, Compton, along with a delegation of Decatur civic leaders, went to Kansas City, Mo., to sell Decatur to the American Municipal League and Look magazine, which were searching for the best communities in the United States.
In an article by Annette Rowe, Compton "stole the show with his whimsical 10-minute completely unrehearsed speech, earnestly delivered in a manner that held the audience spellbound and brought the sleepy jurors to life."
In 1954, Decatur was named "All-American City" by AML and Look magazine. At the time, the population was just over 600. This made Decatur the smallest town to win this prestigious award at that time. Compton's 10-minute presentation put Decatur on the map.
Compton continued service to Decatur until his death in 1959. Shortly afterward, a group of his friends worked to get the area on the east end of Crystal Lake named in his honor.
Ellen Compton (Compton's granddaughter) remembered, "He was a superior storyteller and he could pull a quarter out of my ear. He also spoke long passages in French and English that amazed me."
The exact relationship between Compton and Claud Coffelt is still somewhat of a mystery. It is known that the two were friends and both served on the Decatur Chamber of Commerce for many years. When Compton died in 1959, Coffelt served as a pallbearer. However the origin of the marker at Compton Park is still a mystery as well.
Today, Compton Park is an undeveloped camp area of Crystal Lake. Each year, hundreds of area residents flock to the park for camping and fishing and to explore the rustic beauty of the cliffs overlooking the spring and creek that feed Crystal Lake. The park is a fitting tribute to a man whose giving spirit and charm saved a little community from oblivion.
General News on 01/15/2014