Nathan Burton

Now you see him in Fort Smith... now you don't! Unless you are wandering around in Pusan, South Korea, you won't be seeing Nathan Burton around Fort Smith until March 2001. Our former child prodigy of a magician is booked for a year in the fancy, new Las Vegas style Hotel Lotte in Pusan Korea of all places! 

Nathan Burton moved to Fort Smith when he was 10, when his father, an Episcopal minister, was assigned to St. Johns. By that time he had already been wowing his friends with magic tricks for 5 years. Already generating cash by working birthday parties and church groups, it was about this time that he attracted the attention of "The Father of Fort Smith Magic" Bill Pitts, who invited him to attend the local magic ring meetings. 

Hardly having time for high school for all the magic contests he entered and after bombing a few times, Burton revamped his show and started including his own off the wall brand of wicked humor in his act. One of his first hits was to stuff a full grown man dressed like a policeman into a toilet. Next came his "Tanning Bed of Death" stunt, where he freed himself from the jaws of a particularly mean tanning bed only to emerge as a rather crispy African American. 

Stunts like these soon caught the attention of TV producers and after appearing in several magic specials, Nathan hit the big time traveling all over the world.

But while traveling through Canada, real magic by the name of Sarah Scherger came into his life. A showgirl and magicians assistant from a talented family, it appears Sarah was the one weaving the magic on Nathan. Faster than you can levitate a bus, Nathan and Sarah joined forces and are now known as Nathan Burton & Sarah. Handsome as he is, winning the drop dead gorgeous Sarah proves that Nathan is a master magician of the first order and Fort Smith is proud of this 20-something wizard who has gone so far in such a short amount of time.

James Hampton

Though born in Oklahoma City on July 9th 1936 and raised in Dallas, James Hampton spent time at his parents home on North 34th street. His late mother ran the office for Dr. Bernard Paul, a podiatrist at the old Cooper Clinic. Probably best known as Caretaker, Burt Reynolds right hand man in prison in the 1974 movie The Longest Yard, James Hampton's face is probably more familiar than his name. Starting as Private Hannibal Dobbs in the TV show F Troop, then the Doris Day Show, Dukes of Hazzard, Centennial, The Mary Show with Mary Tyler Moore and many more prove that Jim has been kept busy for 35 years.

 His other movie credits include Soldier Blue, Hustle, W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings, The Cat From Outer Space, The China Syndrome, both Teen Wolf movies and also a good part in Sling Blade  (see the trailer) made by another good Arkansas Boy, Billy Bob Thornton. He also is in two movies released in the year 2000, Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel and Missing Link.

Add to this long list many commercials through the years and it would be a good bet that Fort Smith's own James Hampton has been seen by more people than anyone else to come out of our city. He was last seen in Fort Smith several years ago jogging down North 34th street while staying here attending to his father in his last illness, which shows even Hollywood can't remove the good and decent quality instilled by growing up in the South. James Hampton, Fort Smith is proud of you!

James Bridges  

OK! As often happens, Fort Smith is taking credit for someone who was actually born in Paris, Arkansas...But heck, that's close enough to include in our list of famous people.

James Bridges was born in Paris, Arkansas on February 3rd 1936 and died in Los Angles on June 6th 1993 of either kidney failure or cancer or both - reports differ. In those 57 years he went from a skinny kid with dubious acting abilities to one of the most gifted and intelligent writers and directors in Hollywood. Starting with The Appaloosa with Marlon Brando in 1966, followed by Colossus: The Forbin Project in 1969 and then the controversial The Baby Maker in 1970, which he wrote and directed, his films were noticed. He flew high in the 1970s with The Paper Chase, both the film and  TV show and September 30th 1955, a movie about the day James Dean died. 

James Bridges directed the award winning The China Syndrome in 1979 and then changed our culture by directing and co-writing the smash hit Urban Cowboy in 1980. The strangely, incredibly, lovely, Debra Winger also starred in his next movie, Mike's Murder. In 1985 he paired his directing abilities with the acting talents of John Travolta once again in Perfect.  Bridges' last movie of the 80s was the rather disappointing film of Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City. His last writing effort was with director/star Clint Eastwood in 1990's White Hunter, Black Heart.

His companion, often co-producer and best friend, Jack Larson who played cub reporter Jimmy Olsen in the 1950s The Adventures of Superman series honored Bridges memory after his death by donating money from the Bridges/Larson Foundation to UCLA. The generous donation, along with money from the Cecil B. DeMille Foundation will help renovate the old Melnitz Theater on the UCLA campus, which will be renamed the James Bridges Theater. 

Anne Woods Patterson

Anne Woods Patterson can trace her roots in Fort Smith back to 1870 when her great-great- grandfather P.R. Davis rolled into town from Tennessee. He started a wholesale grocery business that lasted 70 years. Later generations would be involved in manufacturing and banking. The daughter of John Davis Woods and Carol Taylor Ackley Woods, Anne Woods graduated from Wellesley College and joined the Foreign Service in 1973.

Working her way up the ladder while gaining awards and commendations along the way, she was a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs and prior to that Director for the Andean countries. Mrs. Patterson has served in dangerous assignments, as she has been serving as the Ambassador to El Salvador since 1997.  In April of 2000, President Clinton nominated her to be the next Ambassador to the Republic of Colombia or Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Colombia as the job is officially titled. 

At the age of 50 when most people are thinking about taking more time out to enjoy life, Mrs. Patterson is packing up and heading into a country that Dan Rather has scared us with for years. Fort Smith is very proud of Anne Woods Patterson, but by all means, Mrs. Patterson,  lock the doors at night, be careful talking to strangers and duck at the first sign of gun fire!

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