Biography of Gaither E. Dooley, St Francis County, AR

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Submitted by: Paul V Isbell
        Date: 19 Nov 2008
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
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The name Dooley affixed so proudly to the facade of Dooley's Dept. Store in
downtown Forrest City on the busy corner of Broadway & Rosser is of prominent
pioneer ancestry in St. Francis County and of hardy Scot-Irish origin. It
belongs to Gaither E. Dooley, son of W. G. and Addie (Leatherwood) Dooley of
Forrest City, grandson of W. A. and Sarah (Joyce) Dooley, pioneer family of
Tennessee. Mr. Dooley's great-great grandfather was from Ireland, and his great-
great grandmother was from Scotland, and they settled in North Carolina, where
Mr. Dooley's great grandparents were born. His great-grandfather was a Colonel
in the Civil War. Gaither now lives in Marianna, because he owns and operates
the New Star Dept. Store and the Thrifty Dept. Store in that town. His parents,
brother Finas, and three of his sisters, Lucy (Mrs. A. M. Farley), Virginia and
Lillian (Mrs. Ben Hamilton) are well known Forrest Citians. His other sister,
Helen, now is Mrs. Vernon Thompson of Little Rock. He had a varied career in
restaurant, grocery, and furniture business. He joined E. M. Collins, after
working for W. G. Hoyle Wholesale Grocers in 1933, in partnership, and the two
continued in business together until Dec. 18, 1941, when he sold his interest to
Mr. Collins. In Feb. 1952, Mr. Collins sold out his store to Mr. Dooley, the
Collins Dept. Store, originally Collins-Dooley Dept. Store. Mr. Dooley's wife is
the former Lola Mae Castling, daughter of Fred and Eunice (Robertson) Castling
of Fort Smith, on May 6, 1932. Mrs. Dooley is the niece of General E. C.
Robertson, a prominent figure in Marianna for many years. Mr. & Mrs. Dooley have
one daughter. The store in Forrest City is being managed by Mr. George McClure.
Other personnel: Mr. John Latham, Asst. Mgr., Mrs. C. R. (Dula) Sturch, Mrs.
Florence Culley, Mrs. I. L. McClellan, Mrs. R. B. Stephens, Mrs. Frank Morgan,
and Lee Brown.


SOURCE:
HISTORY of ST. FRANCIS COUNTY, ARKANSAS, 1954 - Robert W. Chowning

Copyright, with Permission: Weston McCollum Lewey, Publisher
-Times Herald Publishing-Forrest City, Arkansas