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It was 1927, the year of the Great Flood that devastated Arkansas' cotton-based economy. The Little Rock School Board decided that year to begin offering junior college classes at Little Rock High School at the urging of John Larson, the school's principal. The University of Arkansas had stopped offering extension courses in Little Rock, and Larson felt the state's largest city should have college courses available.
In 1947, Little Rock businessman Raymond Rebsamen donated 80 acres on the east side of Hayes Street for a new campus for Little Rock Junior College. The undeveloped land in far south Little Rock was covered in pine, hickory and oak trees.
The role of the Ottenheimers in building the economy of Arkansas and its capital city is a remarkable story.
The role of the Ottenheimers in building the economy of Arkansas and its capital city is a remarkable story.