December 2021

T E X A R K A N A M A G A Z I N E

BY L IBBY WHITE

I f you have lived in Texarkana for a while, you have probably heard the name James Bramlett. You might remember the decade he served as the Mayor of Texarkana, Texas, or have done business with him at Farmers Bank and Trust, or maybe you have attended the Bramlett Beans and Cornbread Community Fundraiser in the last 23 years and shaken his hand as he handed you a bowl of beans. His love for Texarkana runs as deep as his roots in our community. “My family has been in Texarkana since 1884. My great- grandfather came here in July of that year to work for the Texas and Pacific Railroad. We’ve been here a long time, almost since the inception of the community. I’ve lived here most of my life, and I love this community,” Bramlett stated. One of his favorite memories of his childhood is the 20-mile paper route he delivered for the Texarkana Gazette at 14 years old. “When I went to the Gazette to get the paper route, I met Bobbie Eaves, who became one of my first mentors,” Bramlett

15

C O MM U N I T Y & C U L T U R E

Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs