Win Rockefeller Honored With Exhibit At The Capitol

Late Governor Winthrop Rockefeller is being remembered through an exhibit that opened at the state Capitol today. The exhibit tells the story of how Rockefeller came to Arkansas 50 years ago to visit a friend, fell in love with the state and decided to stay. He became the 37th governor on a reform platform and almost single-handedly lifted the state Republican party from obscurity by serving back-to-back two-year terms. His son, current Lieutenant Governor Win Rockefeller, says when he was running for the position he was inspired by his father`s bust and portrait outside the office he now occupies. The exhibit in the state Capitol includes a pair of Rockefeller`s famous boots bearing his "W-R" trademark emblem. Among other items are a letter he wrote home from a foxhole in World War Two, a photo of him hand-in-hand with black leaders while mourning the assassination of Martin Luther King and political cartoons depicting his reforms and struggles with a Democratic-controlled state legislature. Posted by Mike Hellgren