The founder of publicly traded USA Truck Inc. of Van Buren, Robert “Bob” Powell, was among the notable Arkansans who died this year. Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial writer Paul Greenberg was another, as was the founder of Hudson Cisne & Co. Here are a few of big names lost.
Former State Senator Gene Roebuck of Jonesboro has passed away…this information from a source close to the family. Roebuck served two terms in the Arkansas Senate District 29 in 1997 and 1999.
He served as chair of the Legislative Audit and held numerous Vice Chair positions, including Vice Chair of the Education Committee, Children and Youth Committee, and Public Transportation, Aging, and Legislative Affairs Committees. He was a candidate for the Arkansas State House of Representatives, District 74 in 2002 and a candidate for the Arkansas State Senate District 21 seat in 2014. You can see his legislative work here.
He was an officer in the US Army in 1959. He coached for Jonesboro High School from 1960-1966. He was also an Air Force Lt. Colonel. He owned an insurance agency for many years. He was also the founding member of the Grace Baptist Church in Jonesboro.