Bass Reeves portrait to be on display in the Arkansas Capitol

by Michael Tilley (mtilley@talkbusiness.net)

Artists will soon be solicited to paint a portrait of Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves for display in the Arkansas Capitol building. Reeves will be the first African-American and first non-governor to have a portrait in the Capitol, according to the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office.

Reeves was a U.S. Deputy Marshal under U.S. Federal Judge Isaac C. Parker. Reeves was born a slave in Texas in 1838 and died in Muskogee, Okla., on Jan. 12, 1910. Reeves was an African-American and illiterate, but captured more outlaws than anyone else, according to the book, “Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves,” written by Art Burton. Burton wrote that Reeves was an expert tracker and detective, and was able to memorize the warrants for every lawbreaker he was to arrest and bring to trial. Reeves was the first African-American inducted into the Great Westerners Hall of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City in 1992.

A 25-foot tall monument of Bass Reeves was unveiled in downtown Fort Smith in May 2012. It was created by sculptor Harold T. Holden. The larger-than-life statue of Reeves also includes his horse, Blaze, and his trusty dog, named simply “Dog.”

Bass Reeves portrait to be on display in the Arkansas Capitol

Photo of Bass Reeves and his monument in downtown Fort Smith.

Commission recommends design for ‘monument to the unborn’ at Arkansas Capitol

KUAR | By Antoinette Grajeda / Arkansas Advocate

Courtesy Photo

One of two proposals submitted by artist Nilda Comas.

From the Arkansas Advocate:

A panel on Tuesday voted to recommend a living wall of flora and fauna be constructed on the Arkansas Capitol grounds as a “monument to the unborn” in accordance with a new state law.

Approved by the Legislature in March, Act 310 authorizes the secretary of state to decide where to place “a suitable monument commemorating unborn children aborted during the era of Roe v. Wade.”

Courtesy Photo

One of two proposals submitted by artist Nilda Comas.

Abortion has been illegal in Arkansas, except to save the life of the mother, since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin in November rejected ballot language for a proposed constitutional amendment intended to ensure a limited right to abortion in the state.

Commission recommends design for ‘monument to the unborn’ at Arkansas Capitol

Michael Hibblen/Little Rock Public Radio

A "monument to the unborn" was approved by Arkansas lawmakers this week.

Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

Directly behind the Capitol stands a monument honoring those Arkansas families who sacrificed more than most. The Gold Star Family Memorial Monument reminds us daily here at the Capitol that without those sacrifices, our freedom could not and would not have been preserved.

Arkansas has citizens in nearly every community willing to make such sacrifices. Whether they volunteered, served during peacetime, or never expected to serve until their draft card arrived, those who wear our nation’s uniform represent the best America has to offer.

Honoring our veterans with words alone falls terribly short if we do not bring those words to life by honoring them equally with our deeds.

We can always offer our support. We can place flags and wreaths at their graves. We can donate to charities that provide for their families.

Business owners can offer a special veteran discount. We can volunteer at the VA hospital or pick up the tab for the table with a soldier at a restaurant.

We can also honor the lives lost by remembering and retelling their stories.

We can recognize their sacrifices by taking care of their comrades who served. In the Arkansas legislature, we strived to do just that. In recent years, we’ve eliminated taxes on military retirement and survivor benefits. And just this year, we established the Arkansas Military Affairs Council Act and Military Affairs Grant Program. The council will work with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission to promote and support military installations for state and local economic development.

President Franklin Roosevelt once said, “Those who have enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy, forget in time that men have died to win them.”

May we all remember them this Memorial Day and commit to living a life every day worthy of their sacrifice.