May 29, 1949

Folk singer-songwriter Jimmy Driftwood received his BSE degree from Arkansas State Teachers College (now the University of Central Arkansas); he became principal of Snowball School in Searcy County. Driftwood gained national fame in 1959 when Johnny Horton recorded Driftwood’s song “The Battle of New Orleans,” but he continued to live in Stone County and promote the music and heritage of the Ozark Mountains.