Spence & Jenni Held: Deep Roots Run Through Crittenden County

By RALPH HARDIN Evening Times Editor

When asked, Spence and Jenni Held describe themselves as “a pretty stereotypical small-town couple.” The future husband and wife first crossed paths while attending Bragg Elementary School in West Memphis, where they were even “boyfriend and girlfriend’ for a short time.

It was already a family tradition! Jenni’s parents, Rita Eubanks and Les Callan met at the same school back in the 1960s, when her family left the old Dabbs School and “moved to the city” from Mudline Road in Proctor. Spence and Jenni started dating officially in 1997, as she was going off to college at Ole Miss.

They both graduated from Arkansas State University — Spence with a degree in Ag Business and marketing and management and Jenni with a bachelors of Science in Education.

After college, Spence began in the farm chemical business, working for Helena Chemical, UAP, as well as CPS. While doing this, he also worked alongside his uncle, Jimmy Leach, who was already an established farmer.

Spence eventually left the corporate chemical business and started a farm partnership with his uncle, who in recent years, has retired and Spence has taken over full time.

Uncle Jimmy played a pivotal role in Spence's life as not only a father figure, business man, and farmer, but also a positive role model. Spence watched and learned from his uncle all there was to know about farming. Spence has worked tirelessly the last fifteen years in the rice and soybean fields and owes much of his success to his farm workers. Spence has acquired land and farm shop from Jenni’s family, the Eubanks, and has been blessed with a great crew of men that work well together. This gives a unique opportunity for Jenni to revisit the land she grew up on as her parents built a home on the farm along Highway 70.

Jenni was raised riding four-wheelers, fishing, and playing with her family and friends all over her grandparents’( Mr. & Mrs. C.L.

Eubanks Jr.) farm, the neighboring farms and the old dirt race track, the Memphis-Arkansas Speedway (see side story on Page 6).

After college, Jenni began working at West Junior High School, teaching 7th grade history. She taught there for 14 years. During the first few years of teaching, she and Spence were engaged out at Horseshoe Lake during a large birthday celebration between friends. Jenni and Spence were married at the First Presbyterian Church in West Memphis in 2005.

She later went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Library Media & Information Technology degree from the University of CentralArkansas. Jenni has put the degree to use and has been the Library Specialist at Marion High School for the past five years.

Spence & Jenni currently live on Horseshoe Lake in a cabin while they are building their new home in Marion, Arkansas. The couple have two dogs Earle, & Turrell (named, of course, after the two small communities in the county). Spence found the dogs as puppies five years ago while Jenni was on a family vacation with her parents.

The pair of pups were found in his rice fields along the interstate in Turrell, where someone had obviously dumped them the night before.

Spence was up early as usual checking the rain gauges since a thunderstorm had rolled through the night before. He said he noticed there was movement in the rice, and out popped one scrawny, scared puppy.

He scooped up the pup, who would soon be named Turrell and put her in his truck. He then looked around and he heard a second pup in the field, and Turrell’s brother, Earle, came barreling out of the muddy rice fields!

Spence assured Jenni they would both be “shop dogs” and stay around the farm. But that did not last long, and soon both Earle and Turrell were members of the Held family.

Being a farmer’s wife, it’s good that Jenni enjoys cooking and it truly makes her happy to share this love by feeding as many people as possible.

Throughout the school year, Jenni spoils her coworkers by making lunch and making sure no one goes hungry. Her coworkers often put in requests over the summer because they miss her cooking so much!

On the weekends during Spence’s busier times in the season, she will cook and deliver lunches to Spence and the entire farm crew. Jenni has a fine eye for detail and plans every part of the crew's lunch down to dessert. Her love for cooking even benefits the dogs, as she makes homemade dog food for them.

When farming and library obligations allow it, Jenni and Spence love to travel.

Their favorite place to spend time is Key West, Florida.

They try to go several times each year and love to relax there in the sun, riding on sailboats, kayaking, and snorkeling.