September 18, 1948

Arkansas native Maurice “Footsie” Britt, who was the first person in American history to have been awarded all the American military’s top awards for participation in a single war, gave the dedication speech for War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The stadium was named to honor those who had lost their lives in World War I and World War II. Britt, who had fought with distinction in Europe during World War II, had lost his right arm in 1944 when an artillery shell exploded near him. After returning to Arkansas and civilian life, he was elected lieutenant governor twice during Winthrop Rockefeller’s tenure as governor.