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Dan Ferritor 2018 recipient In addition to being a tenured professor, Dan Ferritor served as chancellor of the University of Arkansas for nearly 12 years. Ferritor grew up in Kansas City and Dallas, and has also lived in St. Louis and Washington, D.C. In 1967, he moved to Fayetteville to go to school, describing himself as "an urban guy who settled in a small town." He taught sociology for most of his career. "I grew up during the time of the Great Soci- ety and got involved in evaluating programs," he explained. A just fit with his interest in sociology. While chancellor, he played a major role in saving Old Main. "Old Main had been empty for about seven years," he said. "Fundraising happened from 1986- 89, we started renovation in '89, and in 1991-92 it was reopened. We have thousands of students studying there now. It's an important part of not just the university, but also of Arkansas. That was the place 150 years ago that they said 'we have to bring education here.'" Ferritor also worked with the city to help develop the Walton Arts Center. "It has grown bigger and better than we imag- ined back in 1985," he said. Ferritor knew about the Wes Gordon Golden Deeds Award from walking around the square. "When Steve called me, I thought it was a joke. I saw some of those names of people who had received it, and when you are in the same club as those people, that's pretty heady stuff. When it sunk in, I was just thrilled and humbled to know I was in the company of all those people," he admitted. The reason Fayetteville is important to him goes to the very heart of who he is, he says. "Because it's home. It's where I've live, where my kids grew up, it's part of me. I've lived all over and I love big cities. But home for me is Fayette- ville. This is the place I'm supposed to be." As far as community service is concerned, Ferritor quoted Marion Wright Edelman: "Service is the rent we pay for living." It's a saying that he believes fits with the message he got early in life – it is important to give back. "People have spare time, and there's lots you can do if you can put aside the time to give back to the community. It's nice to be able to pay back." Over the years, Ferritor has worked with the United Way, Washington Regional Medical Center and The Jones Center. He currently volunteers at UAMS Northwest. He will admit that he didn't know very much about the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce until he served on its board. It was then that he developed a true appreciation for the work that the Chamber does. "I thought this was a group that brings togeth- er businesses. It was a lot more than a business group, it was a community group, bringing to- gether businesses, citizens, the university, religious organizations, and so much more. It's kind of a touchstone for what happens in our community." Recalling his impression of Fayetteville as he drove through town the first time, he said, "I thought this place is so small, what do they have besides the university?" He contrasted then with now and how much the town has grown, from a population of 20,000 to 98,000. "But Fayetteville is still a good place to live, people care about the community and as it's gotten bigger, it's still homey," he noted. "It's still a place where people can come, be respected, and can contribute to something great." While he knows that some complain about over-regulation, Ferritor believes that growth needs to be managed and controlled, and that the city of Fayetteville has done a good job of that. "We've been able to keep some of the good things, and although I curse the traffic," he laughed, "this is a good place to live, progress and grow. We're very fortunate and I really believe we're one of the best areas in which to live." He believes that his three children are doing well in life because "they grew up in a good place." 15 Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce

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