Individual Details

Press Argus-Courier, Little Rock, Arkansas, November 19, 2003: Melvin M. Tompkins Sr., of Little Rock died Friday, Nov. 14, 2003. He was born Nov. 16, 1914, in Hartford. He worked on many special assignments for the war effort during World War II involving the allocation of ball bearings for the production of fighter aircraft, bomber airplanes, especially the B-29, and he solved the gyro problem that was the cause of American torpedoes missing enemy targets. In 1947, he founded a ball bearing distribution company Allied-Arkansas Bearing Company of Little Rock, Fort Smith, Pine Bluff and Texarkana, Ark. He served as an active deacon at Calvary Baptist Church for many years and deacon emeritus in recent years. Funeral will be 3:30 p.m. today at Roller Chenal Funeral Home Chapel in Little Rock with burial at Riverwood Memorial Gardens. He is survived by his wife, Gail; a son, Kirk Tompkins; a brother, Robert Tompkins of New York; several grand- children and several great-grandchildren. Visitation will be at the home of the family.

Birth	16 Nov 1914	Hartford, Sebastian Co., Arkansas
Marriage	21 Jul 1934	Wilburton, Latimer Co., Oklahoma - Emma "Gail" Kirkpatrick
Death	14 Nov 2003	Little Rock, Pulaski Co., Arkansas
Burial		Riverwood Memorial Gardens, Little Rock, Pulaski Co., Arkansas

Spouse	Emma "Gail" Kirkpatrick (1917 - )
Child	Melvin M. Tompkins Jr. (1936 - )
Child	Laurence "Kirk" Tompkins (1938 - )

Father	Jarvis Jackson Tompkins (1871 - 1928)
Mother	Pearl Elisabeth Brassfield (1889 - 1979)