Conservation kudos

Game and Fish Foundation inducts 3 into Hall of Fame

The newest inductees to the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame were invited to a Governor’s Reception at the Statehouse Convention Center on Aug. 1. The affair preceded an awards banquet to honor them. They were former Sen. David Pryor; Ross Whipple and Mark Karnes, both of Arkadelphia; and the family of the late Lt. Gov. Winthrop P. Rockefeller, who posthumously received the Legacy Award.

This is the 26th year for the awards, which recognize Arkansans’ efforts in conserving the state’s resources and expanding their use and enjoyment.

Guests at the reception also included first lady Susan and Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas Game and Fish commissioners and members of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, which hosted the event. They enjoyed drinks and passed hors d’oeuvres while getting a first look at silent auction items and a chance to meet “The Pick of the Litter,” a yellow Labrador puppy.

In addition to the induction ceremony and presentation of the Legacy Award, the sold-out banquet included a barbecue dinner from Whole Hog Cafe and a live auction. The live auction offered a variety of items for the outdoor enthusiast, including several boats, a Bad Boy mower, a custom bowie knife, a fly fishing trip, an African safari and a youth elk hunt permit. There was also a remembrance of the late Steve Smith, former foundation president who passed away earlier this year. An endowment for the foundation was named in his honor.

Money raised by the foundation supports the commission’s youth education initiatives.

Randy Milligan, Ken Reeves, Bobby and Margie Martin and Mike Freeze

Emon Mahony of El Dorado, J.D. Neeley of Camden and Jeff and Susanna Crow of Malvern

Honoree Ross Whipple of Arkadelphia, his wife Mary, and Leonette and Johnson Bryant of Hot Springs

Honoree David Pryor and foundation President Deke Whitbeck

Tracy Finn of Fayetteville shows his daughter Elizabeth how to hold a small red-eared slider turtle. The turtles were part of a display from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

Catherine and honoree Mark Karnes of Arkadelphia

First lady Susan Hutchinson and Anne Marie Hastings with a yellow Lab puppy named Haley

Lisenne Rockefeller with her son Louis