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Ann and Morriss Henry 2017 recipients Dr. Morriss and Ann Henry are the only couple ever to be presented with the Wes Gordon Golden Deeds Award. They are pillars of the community, each with outstanding careers and distinguished records of community service. He is a former state representative, senator, lawyer, phy- sician, and conservationist; while she is a former educator, associate professor, and faculty chair at the University of Arkansas. Ann Rainwater was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Springdale. She earned a degree in education from the University of Arkansas, and taught school in Missouri. She later returned to the University of Arkansas to earn her master's degree. Morriss Henry graduated from Fort Smith High School, attended Hendrix College, and earned his medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. He completed his residency at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary through Harvard Medical School before serving as a captain in the U.S. Air Force and chief of a military eye clinic in Germany. In 1961, Morriss opened his private ophthal- mology practice in Fayetteville and attended law school part-time. Ann and Morriss met while she was having her eyes checked at his office. They were married Aug. 1, 1964. With her husband's encouragement, Ann enrolled in law school and, at the time, was one of two women enrolled at the University of Arkansas School of Law. The couple's three children were born while she went to school part-time. Ann and Morriss both graduated with Juris Doctor- ate degrees in 1971. Their children attended the commencement ceremonies. In 1976, Ann joined the University of Arkansas College of Business as a part-time instructor. She went on to become an associate professor, assistant and associate dean, and was elected faculty chair before returning to the classroom for another 10 years. She retired in 1999. Ann served on a multitude of committees at the University of Arkansas. She served on the Fay- etteville City Council in 1977, and again in 1990 when the Walton Arts Center was being devel- oped. She was involved in many issues that shaped Fayetteville, from school tax issues to downtown development, sidewalk and park improvements, fundraising for the new library, and more. She served on the boards of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, Arkansas Commission on the Status of Women, Arkansas Teacher Cer- tification Education and Evaluation Committee, Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology, Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes, Arvest Bank, among numerous other state and local boards. As a pioneering ophthalmologist, Morriss Henry was a principal at the Henry Eye Clinic in Northwest Arkansas from 1961 to 2017, and one of the first eye surgeons in the state of Arkansas to operate using lasers. Morriss served on the Arkansas Legislature for 18 years. During this time, he sponsored and passed bills expanding emergency medical services and educational television, creating area health education centers, and supporting education reform. He served as president of the Washing- ton County Medical Society, Arkansas Medical Society, Jones Eye Institute and UAMS Northwest Advisory Campus. He served on the board of many organizations, including the Arkansas Com- munity Foundation, and has received countless awards for his service. Ann and Morriss were both longtime board members of the Nature Conservancy of Arkansas. Most recently, they co-chaired the $23 million capital campaign to fund the new expansion project at Fayetteville Public Library. The Henrys support the efforts of the Cham- ber, calling it an economic driver that seeks to provide industries and services for its citizens. They view Northwest Arkansas as a major job cre- ator and leader for the state, and that Fayetteville in particular "has good values, good people, and a welcoming vibe for all." The couple has played a vital role moving the region into the future, while protecting its natural resources and beauty. 14

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