So when the eleven-year-old fifth
grader from Fayetteville found out that
Arkansas was one of only four states
that didn't have an official state fish, he
knew he had to do something about it.
Over the summer, Henry drafted a
resolution to make the Alligator Gar
the State Fish of Arkansas. He sent the
resolution off to his new friend and gar
expert, Dr. Solomon David at Nichols
State University in Louisiana, to have it
What is an
Ichthyologist?
Ichthyologists dedicate their time to
studying different kinds of fish species,
though many will focus on one family of
fish in particular. They generally focus
on the biological history, behavior,
growth patterns, and ecological
importance of these fish.
Source: environmentalscience.org
The actual bill HB1640 getting stamped in Little Rock.
Henry recording an episode of
Inside Arkansas Politics podcast
with host Curt Lanning and Senator
Greg Leding in January 2018.
With Rep. Nicole Clowney and
Henry's younger sister Caroline.
Henry with his GT teacher
Mrs. Murphy-Cox.
checked for scientific accuracy.
Henry set up a Facebook page and
Twitter account, and the social media
hashtag #Garkansas and began his
campaign to persuade state lawmakers
and the public to support his cause.
Since then, Henry has been attending
legislative meetings, writing post
cards, collecting signatures (more than
2,600 of them), drawing GARtoons,
passing out stickers and pencils at
14 • Off icialKidsMag.com APRIL 2019
Henry with
Dr. Christine Deitz,
Associate Director,
Jodie Mahony Center
for Gifted Education
Photo by Kendra Huntley
