NEWS RELEASE

Minority Affairs Council            Contact: 720-477-9659

July 7th, 2022                            DQUnity@Gmail.com  

Locals to Name Street for Longtime Pillar of De Queen with Community Celebration this Summer

DE QUEEN, AR— A beloved local leader of De Queen will be recognized with a street sign dedication and community proclamation in his honor next weekend in Sevier County. 

A celebration of the late Superintendent E.A Edwards will commence on Saturday, July 16th at 11:00 a.m in the Lewis Temple Parking lot with a ceremony that will be open to the public. The festivities will include a proclamation and street dedication delivered by De Queen Mayor Jeff Brown, light refreshments, a musical performance by Kevin Brasil, prayer, balloon release, scripture reading, and a moment of reflection by Betty Edwards, the superintendents wife of 56 years.

The move to dedicate the street and proclaim E.A Edwards day was announced by Mayor Brown during a community forum hosted by The Minority Affairs Council of Southwest Arkansas in February, during which, Mrs. Edwards was recognized for her service to The Sevier County Developmental Center. 

Superintendent Edwards served as Pastor of Lewis Temple Church of God in Christ for five decades, beginning in 1969 until his passing in 2019. His love and commitment to God was eminent in they way he lived his life on a daily basis. During his time in De Queen, Edwards made countless contributions to the people of Southwest Arkansas and he devoted his life to encouraging community members to achieve success and excel. His motto was “Everybody is Somebody" and his inspiration continues to reign through the work of his church family at Lewis Temple.  Edwards was considered instrumental in building bridges between people of different races in De Queen and was someone who often gave a voice to the voiceless. The superintendent dedicated his time, money and resources to promoting diversity, community integration, family, safety, and local support. He was known by those close to him as a man of leadership and problem-solving abilities, and his generous heart impacted many lives for generations to come. 

The Edwards family would like to invite the public out and welcome all community members to attend the celebration July 16th and join in honoring Superintendent Edwards. 

Questions about the celebration can be referred to Lewis Temple at 870-642-7667. Lewis Temple is located at 422 West Collins Avenue in De Queen.