Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ninth annual Neil Compton Day event celebrating what would have been Dr. Compton’s 108th birthday on August 1 was not held in person this year at the Compton Gardens and Conference Center in Bentonville AR.  Rather, it is being celebrated as an on-line virtual event on the Peel Compton Foundation’s website featuring a video playlist of recorded interviews highlighting Dr. Compton’s life, legacy, and contributions to the community.

The celebration website is: www.peelcompton.org

Video interviewees include:

  • Ken Smith, author of The Buffalo River Handbook
  • Sarah Anne Shipley, great granddaughter of Dr. Compton
  • Stewart Noland, past President of the Ozark Society, and,
  • Ross Noland, Executive Director of the Buffalo River Foundation.

In addition, there is a video clip of an interview with David Esterly who created the wood sculpture “Dr. Compton’s Letter Rack” which was displayed in Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville AR in 2019, and an excerpt from Larry Foley’s documentary film, The Buffalo Flows.  The Ozark Society, the Ozark Society Foundation, the Highlands Chapter, and the Sugar Creek Chapter are proud to have co-sponsored this annual event along with the Peel Compton Foundation.