A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V WX Y Z

Abbott, Shirley (Author)
Born and raised in Hot Springs, Ms. Abbott is the author of several books about her experiences growing up and living in Arkansas, including Womenfolks: Growing Up Down South (1983) and The Bookmaker’s Daughter: A Memory Unbound (1991). She currently lives in New York City.

Adams, Julie (b. 1926) (Actress)
Born Betty May Adams, Ms. Adams was raised in Little Rock, AR. After starring in several big-budget movies, such as Bright Victory and Bend of the River, she found her niche in B-movies like The Creature of the Black Lagoon (she played the beauty carried off by the beast). Ms. Adams is a member of the Entertainer’s Hall of Fame.
-Famous Arkansans, p. 39.

Alexander, Katherine (1901-1981) (Actress)
Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Ms. Alexander was a veteran Broadway performer who also played supporting roles in movies such as The Barretts of Wimpole Street, The Painted Veil, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
-Famous Arkansans, p. 40.

Alexander, Kathleen D. (b. 1947) (Business Woman)
Ms. Alexander received her Bachelors degree from the University of Arkansas in Business Administration and her Jurist Doctorate from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1978. She was the first woman in the United States to hold both title of General Counsel and Vice President of a major utility company (Arkla/NorAm).

Allen, Dorothy (State Senator)
Ms. Allen was the first woman to serve as an Arkansas Senator in the Arkansas General Assembly (1964-1974).

Altvater, Catherine Tharp (1907-1984) (Artist)
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Ms. Altvater’s watercolors of nature hang in countless museums, including the Museum of Modern Art. She was the first woman to hold office in the American Watercolor Society.  Although, she lived most of her professional life in New York City, she spent ten years of her retirement in Scott, AR.
-Famous Arkansans, p. 40.

Anderson, Peg (Political Activist)
Ms. Anderson served on Governor Bumpers’ Advisory Committee on Land Resources Management. She was the Justice of the Peace for the Washington County Quorum Court and is a former state president of the League of American Voters. A native of Michigan, Ms. Anderson received her Masters Degree from Mount Holyoke College.

Angelou, Maya (b. 1928) (Author/Poet)
Born as Marguerite Annie Johnson, Ms. Angelou was raised in Stamps, Arkansas, where she helped her grandmother run a small general store. She was a professional dancer before trying writing. Ms. Angelou received a National Book Award nomination for her autobiographical account of her childhood in Arkansas I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings). Since that time she has received a Tony nomination for Look Away (1975) and an Emmy nomination for Roots (1977). In 1993, Ms. Angelou recited her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at former President Bill Clinton’s inauguration. The name “Maya” is her older brother’s childhood nickname for her and “Angelou” is a variation of her first husband’s surname, Angelos. Ms. Angelou is currently the Reynolds Distinguished Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
-Famous Arkansans, p. 40.
More information on Ms. Angelou

Anthony, Carol (Judge)
Ms. Anthony was the first elected judge in South Arkansas (Union County-13th Judicial district, Circuit/Chancery). She also developed Skills, Opportunities, Activities Recognition (S.O.A.R), a school within a school, Transitional Living Program and Partners Against Youth Violence. Ms. Anthony took her Masters degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law (1979).

Anthony, Katharine (1877-1965) (Biographer)
Ms. Anthony was born in Roseville, AR and is best known for her works on Catherine the Great (1925), Louisa May Alcott (1938), Dolly Madison (1949), and Susan B. Anthony (1954).
-Famous Arkansans, p. 40.

Armistead, Virginia Wheeler (Advocate)
Ms. Armistead works as an advocate for the disabled. She organized the Arkansas Association of the Crippled and lobbied for passage of the first legislation for special education for physically handicapped children.

Ardnt, Nola Locke (1889-1977) (Pianist)
Raised in DeQueen, AR, Ms. Ardnt toured with the Saint Louis Symphony and performed with orchestras in Paris and Berlin.

Ashley, Liza (Cook)
Ms. Ashley served as a cook in the Governor’s mansion for over thirty years and authored Thirty Years in the Mansion.

Axum, Donna (b. 1942) (Miss America 1964)
Born in El Dorado, AR, Ms. Axum received her Master’s degree from the University of Arkansas in Speech and Drama (1968). She was the first Miss Arkansas to be crowned Miss America (1964) and authored The Outer You, The Inner You.  Currently, Ms. Axum lives in Fort Worth, Texas.

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Babcock, Julia Burnelle “Bernie” Smade (1868-1962) (Novelist)
A novelist and founder of the Arkansas Natural History Museum (now the Museum of Discovery), Ms. Babcock was a society reporter and book reviewer for the Arkansas Democrat. She began the Arkansas Sketch Book (a quarterly report about Arkansas industry/attractions). She was a supervisor for the Federal Writer’s Project from 1935-1938 and was the first Arkansas woman named to Who’s Who In America. In 1951, she received an Arts et Belles Lettres and honorary doctorate from the University of Arkansas. Ms. Babcock is also the author of novels such as The Daughter of a Republican, The Soul of Abe Lincoln , and The Soul of Ann Rutledge.

Baird, Betty
Ms. Baird was the first woman to serve on the Commercial National Bank of Arkansas Board of Advisors and the first woman elected to Boy Scouts of America Quapaw Council (1979).

Bakker, Charlotte McWhorter (Journalist)
Ms. Bakker produced and hosted The Woman’s Touch, the first daily television show for women in Arkansas. She was also a charter member of the Arkansas Writer’s Conference.

Ballou, Norma Louise (Banker)
Ms. Ballou was the first female bank examiner hired by the FDIC (1964).

Bartley, Anne (Political Apointee)
Ms. Bartley was the first female director of the Department of Natural and Cultural Heritage and the first female cabinet member for an Arkansas governor.

Bates, Daisy L. Gatson (1914-1999) (Activist)
Born in Huttig, Arkansas, Ms. Bates was an activist for human and civil rights. She was the first woman president of the Arkansas Chapter of the NAACP and published the Arkansas State Press (with her husband L.C.). She authored The Long Shadow of Little Rock. Ms. Bates is best known for the support, advisement, and mentorship she gave the Little Rock Nine during the 1957 Central High Crisis. The Bates moved to New York in 1960 after selling the State Press. They returned to Little Rock and she revived the paper in 1984. She has been honored many times for her work in the American civil rights movement. Stevie Wonder performed at her 80th birthday party in Little Rock and recently 14th street was renamed in her honor.
-Famous Arkansans, p. 41.

Beall, Ruth (1896-1974) (Hospital Administrator)
Ms. Beall served as superintendent of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital from 1934-1961. During her tenure she transformed the hospital from an indebted facility ($100,000+) to one of the