NHPP

NORMAN HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROGRAM, INC.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR 2006

NHPP, Inc.

P.O. Box 226

Norman, AR 71960

E-MAIL CONTACT ADDRESS

Board of Directors 2006:

Shirley Shewmake Manning, president

Hodge Black, Vice President, building

Shirley Head Eudy, treasurer, nominations & membership

Betty Ruth Crump Williams, secretary

Doug Dumont, promotion

Carlton Yeargan, library assistant.

History:

Several people interested in the preservation of the old Norman High School organized and incorporated into a nonprofit corporation, called the Norman Historic Preservation Program, Inc. (NHPP) The goals of the corporation include the purchase of the old building and raising the necessary funds to restore it to its former glory. (The building was purchased in Oct. 2001.)

Short term goals included completing the purchase and getting the building in the dry, before it suffered further water damage. In the first year and one-half we replaced the roof. We had to obtain a loan in the amount of $51,000 in order to accomplish this. The cost of the new roof was $61,437, and the balance on the loan as of January, 2007 is $21,500. We have also been able to replace all the front windows (23) and eight of the sixteen side windows, and the front doors. This was accomplished by donations made by former students and placing a memorial plaques on the windows purchased by former students in honor of, or in memory of, someone they wished to honor.

The two downstairs rooms have been completed with electric, heat and air, and carpet in the library. The one-room school had the new floor installed by Hodge, Gene & Joe in January 2007. Plans are to open the school for visits in the spring. Once the entire building is completed it will be home to the Norman Educational Cultural Center, (NECC) owned and operated by the Corporation.

In the meantime, the Corporation will concentrate on fundraising, and cleaning up the outside and inside the building. The property has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. See our annual report for a list of completed projects each year.

The Board is selected by the membership at large. Memberships are being offered on several levels and anyone holding a membership and attending the annual membership meeting is eligible to vote. You can become a member by submitting a membership form. You do NOT have to be a former student to become a member. Dues are currently $20 per year, but are expected to be raised in the near future, subject to a vote by the membership. Each member who’s membership is current receives two issues of the 32 page magazine, “Norman Today & Yesterday”, as well as about four newsletters a year. They will also have other benefits as the building progresses.

MEETINGS & REUNIONS ARE ALWAYS THE 4TH WEEKEND IN JUNE, AT THE SCHOOL. HOWEVER--TAKE NOTE, this year (Saturday, June 23, 2007) we will hold a short membership meeting with no other planned events. That’s because Norman will be celebrating its 100th Birthday this year and a grand event is planned for October--date to be announced. The school will be open for visitors during the weekend and the regular Caddo Hills Alumi meeting will still take place at Caddo Hill School. (Norman & Caddo Gap, District #25, merged and constructed a new school in 1972, named Caddo Hills.)

The Bylaws and Incorporation papers will guide the Corporation in its attempt to best serve the community at large. Changes to these official papers can only be made through the passage of resolutions by the Board of Directors. Shirley Shewmake Manning is the founder of the Corporation, and its current president.

For information on our Family & Local History Library & Hours, click HERE.

For a printed copy of the NHPP, Inc. Newsletter, or to donate to the building fund, email NHPP