A heavily-used recreational trail on the north side of town has a new name and will soon have a new bench to memorialize two of its most avid users.
On June 22, family, friends and supporters of Leslie Ann Darden filled the lobby of the El Dorado Municipal Auditorium and asked the El Dorado Water and Public Works Board, which is made up of El Dorado City Council members, to rename the walking/running/biking trail that encompasses Lions Club Park and Municipal Golf Course in Darden's honor.
Darden, 37, passed away May 16 following a battle with cancer.
Upon learning of her diagnosis, the community rallied around Darden and her family, with many saying that they were simply repaying the love, support and encouragement that Darden had shown to them and countless others in the community.
Darden worked as a lab technician for 12 years at SAMA (South Arkansas Medical Associates) Healthcare and was well known for her commitment to physical fitness and passion for running.
As a founding member of the South Arkansas Hustlers, an area running/walking group whose members connected on social media, Darden linked up with like-minded people who were not only dedicated to their personal physical fitness, but also to helping to motivate others, no matter the age or fitness level, to start and maintain their physical fitness journeys and goals.
The newly named Leslie Ann Darden Trail is the site for many a workout session with the Hustlers.
Robert Reynolds -- a fellow runner and community leader who has served on numerous local boards, committees and commissions -- told EWPWB members on June 22 that he was neither a friend nor supporter of Darden, but of local champions.
"And Leslie Darden was a local champion," Reynolds said.
He noted that Darden qualified to run in the esteemed Boston Marathon in 2020 but the race was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though disappointed that she would not be traveling to Boston for the world's oldest annual marathon, Darden was still able to participate in a virtual marathon after the Boston Athletic Association, which manages the Boston Marathon, provided an alternative for the 124th marathon.
The BAA allowed qualifying runners to participate in virtual marathons in local communities across the country.
In Union County, participants competed in a virtual marathon in Lisbon.
Darden was no stranger to long-distance running, having regularly competed in 5Ks, 10Ks and half and full marathons locally, regionally and around the country.
While running in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2018, Jackson qualified for the Boston Marathon with a finishing time of 3:30:56.
In 2020, Darden told the News-Times that while working on qualifying for the Boston Marathon, she logged beaucoup miles of running, some while pregnant with son Blanton.
On June 22, Darden's friends and supporters, many in running/exercise gear, shared memories of her, along with impassioned pleas to rename the city's 2.25-mile recreational trail for her.
"I feel that she is really, really smiling down upon us right now, knowing we love her," one said, adding that Darden inspired her and so many others in the community.
"She was such a wonderful 'encourager'... She was the most selfless person I think I've ever met," the woman said.
Another told city officials that supporters had already begun calling the trail by Darden's name, drawing a laugh from the crowd.
The trail, which had been under construction for three years before finally opening in the fall of 2011, was initially named for property owner Ester Gammill.
Gammill donated land on the north side Lions Club Municipal Golf Course and for the El Dorado School District soccer fields, which are adjacent to the Union County Fairgrounds -- all of which are surrounded by the trail.
The trail had informally been called The Lions Club Trail by many in the community.
Alexis Alexander, a member of the El Dorado Parks and Playgrounds Commission and South Arkansas Hustlers, said Darden's friends and family members are working to raise money for a free-standing memorial to be dedicated to Darden and erected along the trail.
Bart Reed
Alexander also said a ceremony is set for 2 p.m. July 8 to dedicate a memorial bench in honor of late educator Bart Reed.
During an El Dorado City Council meeting Feb. 10, Council Member Willie McGhee asked that a memorial bench be placed along the trail in honor of Reed, who frequently used the facility.
Previously, News-Times erroneously reported that McGhee had asked that the trail be named for Reed.
McGhee said Reed often shared suggestions (and lodged complaints) about how to improve the trail and that a request for more benches along the trail was a common refrain from Reed.
Reed passed away Nov. 2, 2021, at the age of 72.
He was a retired history teacher and bus driver for the El Dorado School District, where he had worked for nearly 30 years before retiring due to COVID-19.
Reed also also taught at South Arkansas Community College and Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, following a brief stint of teaching in Texas.
Known for a deep love of reading, learning and travel, Reed was often called "The Renaissance Man" among family, friends, colleagues and students.
He owned a whopping 5,000-plus books and he traveled with his sons and grandsons to many points of interest across the U.S. and in Europe, with stops in England, Ireland and Scotland.
During the June 22 EWPWB meeting and a parks and playgrounds meeting last week, Alexander said many of Reed's family members will be coming to town for the bench dedication.
She said EPPC Commissioner Karen Hicks and the South Arkansas Historical Preservation Society have worked with Reed's family on the project.
The SAHPS donated funding for the bench and Dr. Ben and Sherrel Johnson of El Dorado donated a plaque for the bench.
The Johnsons -- Ben, a professor of history -- were close friends of Reed.
Alexander said the dedication will take place on the west side of the trail (adjacent to the railroad tracks) and the public is invited to attend.
Bart Reed