BMelba & Bob Petersen

Bob was raised as a Little Rock High School Tiger. Melba was raised as a North Little Rock High School Wildcat. In their age, the two were not to meet, definitely not to marry. There were some of their “friends” betting their marriage would never last. Fifty years later, Mr. and Mrs. Petersen sure fooled them.

Besides Little Rock High School, Bob is a graduate of Fort Benning School for Boys, better known as OCS, Hendrix College, and University of Arkansas.

After all this schooling, Bob began a career as teacher/coach at Jeff Davis Junior High, North Little Rock, Northwest Mississippi Junior College, Kilgore College and Louisiana College. Bob’s team won the State Junior College Championship while in Mississippi and the National Jr. College Championship at Kilgore. Realizing he was seeing his players more than his own two sons, he began a career as a pharmaceutical representative. This brought us back to North Little Rock for good.

In the midst of these careers, Bob was also serving in the Arkansas Army Guard, Arkansas Air Guard, and Air Force Reserve. During the time Bob was Commander of the 96th  MAPS at LRAFB, he and two non-coms created a course called Combat Airlift Training (CAT) to be used with Arkansas Army Guard Units. His last assignment in the Air Force Reserve was a liaison officer to the Adjutant General of Arkansas. He retired in 1986 with the rank of Colonel after 31 years of service.

While working for the Arkansas Army National Guard, as a civilian in the planning and training section, he planned the movement of guard units and their equipment by water to Michigan for their annual training

During this time, Melba graduated from NLRHS, LR Junior College, Arkansas State Teachers College (UCA), and the University of Arkansas. This was followed by teaching assignments to Lake Village High School, Jacksonville High School, University High Fayetteville and Sylvan Hills High School. Also, Melba supervised the construction of a new library while at Fuller Jr. High.

Along with the teaching assignments came two sons, Gregg and Steven, and two grandson, Joseph and Jordan. Melba retired in 1997 and now fills her days volunteering at FUMC library.

Church attendance has always been important when moving place to place. Bob grew up in the Presbyterian Church and Melba in the Methodist Church. Their first church together was FUMC in NLR followed by Methodist churches in Senatobia, MS, Kilgore, TX, Pineville and Monroe, LA and lastly NLR.

Bob and Melba’s parents are deceased along with Melba’s oldest brother. Remaining family includes Bob’s two sisters, Melba’s brother, two sons, one daughter-in-law, two grandsons, two nieces, and two nephews.