MERIWETHER II (VETERAN), ROBERT WINSTON - Greene County, Arkansas | ROBERT WINSTON MERIWETHER II (VETERAN) - Arkansas Gravestone Photos

Robert Winston MERIWETHER II (VETERAN)

Linwood Cemetery
Greene County,
Arkansas

SERGEANT US Army
May 17, 1928 - May 8, 2010

Born Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee.
Died Conway, Faulkner County, Arkansas.
Son of William Winston & Rosalie Diffey Meriwether.
Married Sylvia Kuraner.

Obituary from Roller Funeral Homes Website:

Robert Winston Meriwether II, 81, educator and civic leader in Conway, died Saturday, May 8, at Heritage Living Center, after a long illness. Bob was born June 17, 1928, in Memphis, the son of William Winston and Rosalie Diffey Meriwether, and grew up in Paragould. He graduated from Paragould High School in 1945, from Hendrix College in 1949, and graduated with a Master of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University in 1951.

He served two years in the U. S. Army and was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant.

Mr. Meriwether's teaching career began in 1947. He taught in the Lakeside School District, Lafe School District, at Greene County Tech High School, and in the Delaplaine School District. He was a social studies teacher at Paragould Senior High School, and he taught at the Anna-Jonesboro (Illinois) Community High School in 1954-55. He was principal and teacher at Paragould Senior High School from 1955 to 1959.

Mr. Meriwether served as dean of students at Hendrix College from 1959 through 1965 and was Professor of Education, Political Science, and American History there until his retirement in 1993. He was head of the Social Sciences area from 1982 through 1986. He was also director of workshops for the Arkansas Association of High School Student Councils from 1950 through 1970. In order to remain in touch with the reality of the public school classroom, Meriwether took sabbaticals from Hendrix and taught civics at Booker Junior High School (Little Rock) in 1973 and social studies at Greenbrier High School in 1981. He was the director of Arkansas Governor’s School for the Gifted and Talented in 1981 and 1982.

Mr. Meriwether was an active citizen of Conway and was well-known for his warm but bellowing voice as he went about his civic duties. He was a member of the Arkansas Constitutional Revision Study Commission in 1967, serving as chair of the Declaration of Rights Committee and leading in preparation of the report to the people.

Mr. Meriwether was elected to the Faulkner County Quorum Court (1973-1980) and presided over numerous marriages in Faulkner County during that time, donating his fees to charity. He was appointed by Gov. Dale Bumpers and re-appointed by Gov. David Pryor as the Arkansas delegate to the Education Commission of the States, serving four years. He was appointed by U. S. District Judge G. Thomas Eisele as the 9th “tie-breaking” member of the South Conway County School Board (1980-81).

He was interim executive director of the Arkansas Ethics Commission (1993-1994) and was appointed by Gov. Jim Guy Tucker to the Governor’s Task Force on Ethics, serving as chairman in 1994. Meriwether was appointed by Sen. Stanley Russ to the Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners. He served six years as a member of the Oak Grove Cemetery Commission in Conway.

Other civic and professional activities included president of the Greene County Teachers Association; president of the Hendrix chapter of the American Association of University Professors; treasurer of the Clifton Day Care Center in Conway; chairman of the committee to re-stock the Van Buren County Library; president of the Faulkner County Historical Society; chairman of the Faulkner County Committee for the Bicentennial of the U. S. Constitution; original member of the board of directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Conway; board of directors of the United Methodist Historical Society of Arkansas; editor, Faulkner Facts and Fiddlings (1983-89); chairman of the editing committee for History 2000 of the Arkansas United Methodist Church; president of the Conway Kiwanis Club (1995-96), and a member of the local Salvation Army Board.

Mr. Meriwether authored many articles dealing with constitutional revision, Arkansas newspapers, Hendrix College, and Faulkner County history, and the book Hendrix College: The Move from Altus to Conway. Meriwether also had a bit part in the 1973 film “White Lightning,” starring Burt Reynolds.

His many awards include Outstanding Student at Hendrix College; Kiwanian of the Year, Conway; Distinguished Service Award, Conway Chamber of Commerce; Distinguished Service Award, Conway Public Schools; James E. Major Service Award, Hendrix College; Faulkner County Leadership Institute Award; Kiwanis International Tablet of Honor; and the Hendrix College Sports Hall of Honor.

Mr. Meriwether was a member of First United Methodist Church in Conway.

He is survived by his wife of over 57 years, the former Sylvia Kuraner of San Antonio, and by three sons and a daughter: Will Meriwether (Joy), of Conway, and his daughters, Ariana and Rosalie; David Meriwether (Tine) , of Hood River, OR, and his children, Drew and Emily; Nick Meriwether (Janet), of Portsmouth, OH, and his children, William, Katherine, and Jacqueline; and Sarah Kate Meriwether Coker (Keith), of Conway, and her sons, Sam and Joe. He is also survived by a sister, Rosemary Meriwether Rapley (Gene), of Fort Smith.

Visitation will be held at the Roller-McNutt Funeral Home in Conway on Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m.

A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church in Conway on Thursday at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Robert W. Meriwether Scholarship Fund at Hendrix College or to the First United Methodist Church of Conway.

(Photo courtesy of Vera Reeves)

Contributed on 5/6/11 by maxparnell
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Record #: 522335

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Submitted: 5/6/11 • Approved: 5/7/11 • Last Updated: 9/10/12 • R522335-G0-S3

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