Meet Pauline Storment, a quintessential All-American girl whose life was tragically cut short. Born to parents Paul Storment and Lillian Elam on April 3, 1944, in Ozark, Arkansas, she embodied the ideals of her time. Interestingly, Pauline's lineage also included a connection to former Monterey County, California Sheriff's Deputy Benjamin W. Storment, her grandfather.
During her time at Ozark High School, Pauline's leadership skills shone through as she took on the role of President of the Freshman Class, a detail captured in the accompanying photograph.
Those closest to her remember Pauline as a kind and gentle soul, known for her dedication to studies and her aversion to frivolity. Following two years at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, her path led her to marry Charles Joseph Pate in June of 1965 in Booneville, Arkansas. However, their marriage was short-lived, with a cloud of mystery surrounding her death in a cross-state incident involving Arkansas State Police, Memphis, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia. Despite potential divorce proceedings, no official record has surfaced as of 2022.
Curiously, an Arkansas State Police report unearthed a statement from Iris Fletcher, Pauline's former out-of-state roommate, revealing Pauline's intense fear of her ex-husband. Post-marriage to Chuck, Pauline found herself in Memphis, Tennessee, where she contributed to the Shelby County Sheriff's Department Emergency Team and also taught First Aid for the American Red Cross from 1968 to 1969.
After several years of shifting paths, Pauline decided to return to her educational pursuits, enrolling at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Her time there found her sharing lodgings with Alice Pat Murphy at 102 South Duncan. Miss Murphy recalled never witnessing Pauline romantically involved with anyone, although a peculiar encounter with two unidentified men piqued curiosity. These men invited Pauline and her roommate for drinks, an invitation the two declined. The duo later left for Gordon Cummings' place, a transition that remains puzzling due to missing case documents and DNA evidence.
Pat Murphy would also state that she could not think of anyone who would want to hurt Pauline.
A significant turning point occurred on April 12, 1971, when Pauline's story converged at the University of Arkansas's ROTC center at 7:30 pm, where she worked part-time as a secretary. Terry, a coworker, recounted an invitation extended to Pauline for a Black Gospel Music Concert at the Union Ballroom at 8 pm. Pauline declined due to a class commitment. Terry acknowledged not being aware of Pauline's romantic involvements but did mention Gordon Cummings.
Was Gordon Cummings one of the two men who came to the apartment with an unknown man? Now, bare in mind, Gordon Cummings was the son of Circuit Judge Maupin Cummings who would ironically preside of the pretrial hearings for the man accused of murdering Pauline.
Also Gordon Cummings would later in life become an attorney and become friends with young William Jefferson Clinton.
The Fayetteville Police investigation would reveal that Pauline possibly did attend the concert and at its conclusion would walk to the university library to study for about thirty minutes to an hour before leaving for home.
The chain of events surrounding Pauline Storment's life and untimely demise paints a complex narrative woven with intrigue and unanswered questions.
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