Sad Day in Arkansas…

It’s a sad day in Arkansas, Bill Gwatney was shot and killed today in Little Rock.  I had the opportunity to meet Bill a few years back while I served as a consultant to a state commission and he left a great impression on me.  I think that he may have still been a State Senator serving his last term when I first met him. I remember that while getting to know him initially I had no idea that he was the same Gwatney that co-owned all of the Gwatney Auto Dealerships in Arkansas, he just seemed like a really intelligent, down to earth guy with a sincere love for the state and a knack for public service.  (…anyone who knows me, knows that I have an uncanny “Forrest-Gump-Like” ability to end up places and meet really cool people like this and find out later who they are, this is another one of those rare cases…)

The last time I ran into him was a few years later I guess, I think he was working with Governor Beebe’s campaign in some capacity at the time and I was in Little Rock for a meeting and I ran into him and said hello while we waited in line to order lunch. It’s a shame that an accomplished businessman, husband, and public servant had to leave this world in this manner.  It just goes to prove that you never know when it’s your time and you should live your life ready.  I know he’s going to be missed by his friends, family, staffers, and a ton of Arkansans.  My wife and I send our thoughts and prayers out tonight to his wife and two daughters.  It’s a sad day in Arkansas…

News Source: News & Updates Regarding the Shooting – KTHV