Of all the service to the community Cherry Stewart has provided to Hope and Hempstead County over the past three and half decades, she said she is most proud of her work helping the county get a new location for its most important offices.
She was on the Hempstead County Quorum Court the entire time for the purchase of its current courthouse, a former Farmers Bank & Trust headquarters, which the county renovated with proceeds from a one-cent sales that has now expired. The building opened for business May 19, 2022. As the ribbon was cut at the grand opening, Stewart was right up front near the scissors. But she still harbors bittersweet feelings about one aspect of the move, the condition in which the 1939 courthouse had fallen into.
“I was honored, honored to be able to help. Of course, it was a great sadness, because [the previous] building should have been preserved and kept like my house but it was not,” she said.
Stewart announced March 27th at the its regular meeting for that month that she would be leaving her position on the court and moving to Little Rock to be closer to family. Her 107-year-old house on East Third has already been sold, she said at Saturday’s reception, and she will move to Little Rock in about two weeks.
Asked about her late husband David’s art, which was exhibited at Hope’s Southwest Arkansas Art Center in May of 2023, she said it was all going with her to Arkansas’ capital city as well.
Stewart leaves Hope after having grown up here. “I actually started at Brookwood first, and then I moved to Garland near Fair Park. So I grew up in the Fair Park … right near the swimming pool and all the fun.”
She then ran the restaurant and diner part of a drug store with her pharmacist husband David. He passed away last year.
Phil McLarty, who has served as a minister at First Presbyterian, remembered what was good about her restaurant. “She served food at Cherry’s, whatever you wanted, and she knew what you wanted when you came in,” he said. McLarty performed the service at David Stewart’s funeral.
When still operating a business, Cherry Stewart began to take part in local government decision-making.
“I was on [the Hope] tourism board for almost 20 years. I was on the [Hope Planning and] Zoning board for about 12 or 13. I've actually had a lot of opportunities in community service, the Arts Council, and several things that I've enjoyed through the years,” Stewart said.
Several of her family members and many of her friends came to her retirement reception, which began at 3:00 p.m. Friday at First Presbyterian Church. Mack McLarty and Rep. Dolly Henley also made the event, which included a lovely flower arrangement by Wendel McCorkle, owner of Hope Floral and many tasty treats brought by members of the church, including fudge made by Stewart herself.
