On March 4, 2021 we celebrate National Pancake Day!   In Batesville, the word “pancakes” may bring to mind the well-established Kiwanis Club Pancake Day.  The following excerpt is from an article by Dr. O.E. Jones in The Batesville Daily Guard on October 8, 1971:

“In July the Board of Directors of the Batesville Kiwanis club approved a move to change the name of the Kiwanis Pancake Day to Chubby Menard Day in honor of the man who brought more innovative ideas to Kiwanis in Batesville than probably any other man in the club’s 43-year history . . .

Chubby will be especially missed at the Pancake Day by his many friends.  He was a super pancake ticket salesman, and he always had some scheme for one of his fellow Kiwanians whereby he could good naturedly swindle you out of your tickets and resell them—always for the benefit of Kiwanis Boy’s and Girl’s work.”

Kiwanis Club breakfast.  Jim Edwards is on the left, cooking pancakes.  Polaroid picture.  Conner Collection.  (Powell-Guard Collection # 1771)

Chubby Menard is in a happy mood as he reports to the shirt-sleeved Board of Batesville Chamber of Commerce that Ten-Cent Ball put the club in the black for the year (September 1941 meeting). (Estate, Bess Wolf collection)

:     Menard Grocery # 1 with Chubby Menard in front.  This building currently houses Big’s of Batesville restaurant.

Children at Central School PTA and Halloween, 1968, Batesville. They are shown eating and drinking bottled Coca Cola.  Both white and black children at dining tables. (OIRM Estate of John Purtle collection)

Finley family home on Rock Street in Batesville with family in front, taken about 1922. Chickens are in the yard with a small barn in back.  

L to R: Frank Denton Finley (died as young man), Charlie Richard Finley, Carl Leviticus Finley, Gravelly Eugene Finley, Samuel Tisby Finley, Jr., Bessie Gravelly Finley holding Effie Magnolia Finley (Davis), Samuel Tisby Finley, Sr., Bessie Irene Finley (Waddy). 

Samuel Jr. became a musician and cosmetologist, Gravelly a physician, Carl (named Leviticus by his mother because it was the 3rd book in the Bible and he was the third child) who also became a musician and cosmetologist and worked most of his life for Westinghouse. Charlie became a funeral director in New York, Frank went into military service and died of Desert Fever, Bessie became an assistant principal at Jane Adams elementary school in Cleveland OH, Effie became a real estate broker. 

All the children but Frank earned college degrees.  Their father sent each child to Little Rock to get their high school education because a school for Black children was not available in Batesville. (OIRM Finley/Davis collection)