Our first July 4 without him | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

James Arlius Ford’s life is remembered in a deeply personal account that centers on what the writer calls “our first July 4 without him,” highlighting an ordinary man whose impact was rooted in family and community. Born in rural Arkansas in 1946, Ford grew up in a poor household and later married Janie Harper after both attended Arkansas Tech in Russellville. He avoided being drafted for Vietnam because he was both married and a college student, and he later became a deacon in the Baptist church. Ford worked as a bus driver, served as a principal in Scranton and Ozark Middle School, and pursued gardening, fishing, trapping, and hunting. The narrative underscores how his steady home life shaped the writer’s childhood and continues to define the holiday’s meaning.