From the humble town of Marianna, Arkansas " said to be one of the poorest areas in America " rose a man who "dared to dream." Rodney B. Slater's dreams have taken him all the way from that humble town to Washington, D.C., where he now serves as the Secretary of Transportation. He is only the third Arkansan in American history to hold a position in the President?s Cabinet.

In his nomination speech, President Bill Clinton praised Slater as having "built bridges both of steel and of goodwill to bring people closer together." Slater oversees a department that has 100,000 employees and a budget...(more)

The medical profession will be forever enhanced by the contributions of the late Dr. Samuel Lee Kountz. During his lifetime, the internationally known pioneer of organ transplant surgery performed some 500 kidney transplants..

An article in the Arkansas Biography Newsletter specifically lauds Kountz as being responsible for discovery of the effectiveness of methyl prednisolone in reversing acute rejection of the transplanted kidney; and the advocacy of earlier implantation -- or, the implantation of a second kidney at the earliest sign of the first kidney rejection.

Kountz was barn Oc...(more)

Retired NFL tight end Keith Jerome Jackson has been referred to as "one of the National Football League's most productive tight ends over the past decade." His career culminated with his helping the Green Bay Packers sweep to a club-record 16 victories and the Super Bowl XXXI Championship in 1996.

Born in Little Rock, Jackson excelled in football early. As a senior at Parkview High School, he became a Parade magazine All-American pick. He also was an all-state selection in both the tight end and safety. He went on to become a four-year starter at the University of Oklahoma, earning a con...(more)

Dr. Lloyd Elam, longtime president of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, has made an indelible and much-welcome mark on the field of mental health as well as the education of the nation's finest block physicians.

Born Oct. 27, 1928 in Little Rock, Elam earned a bachelor of science degree at Roosevelt University at Chicago in 1950, and seven years later earned a medical degree at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. From 1957 to 1958 he did his internship at the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago. His 1 958-1961 residency in psychiatry was at the Universi...(more)

Gretha Boston's fame lies in her voice, which has earned her a Tony Award for her role as Queenie in the popular revival of Showboat, as well as many words of praise from New York critics.

The mezzo-soprano was born in Crossett, Arkansas, the oldest of seven children. Her first singing experience came at the age of 2, as a member of the Gates Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church's kiddie choir. At the age of 15 she saw her first opera, Carmen, at Northeast Louisiana University at Monroe, La. She knew then that her voice, which she always knew was different, was destined for opera. She ...(more)

At the age of 12, Barbara Higgins Bond began painting and drawing as a hobby. Today, her work for the U.S. Postal Service and corporate clients has earned her a national reputation as an illustrator and commercial artist.

Born and raised in Little Rock, Bond decided her career after taking an elective art course at Phillips University in Enid, Okla. She transferred to Memphis College of Arts, earning a bachelor of/inc arts degree in advertising design.

Book covers, posters, record album covers, television commercials, magazine covers and collector's plates are just some of the bearers of...(more)