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Article: Big man in Little Rock; A Minnesota native played a pivotal role in making integration the law of the land.(NEWS)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- September 25, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus probably had never heard of the short, mild-looking federal judge from North Dakota who pulled into the Little Rock train station in the late summer of 1957 to fill a temporary vacancy on the District Court bench.
Before long, he would never be able to forget Ronald Davies.
Nor would the nine black students whom Davies insisted be enrolled immediately at Little Rock's all-white Central High School, over Faubus' objections and the muscle of the Arkansas National Guard.
Nor would the president of the United States, who backed up Davies' court orders with the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division - underscoring as ...