Read the full stored bill text
*ZRC170* 04/07/2026 2:45:08 PM ZRC170
State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly 2
Fiscal Session, 2026 HMR 1001 3
4
By: Representative Pilkington 5
6
7
HOUSE MEMORIAL RESOLUTION 8
IN RESPECTFUL MEMORY OF SENATOR GARY DON STUBBLEFIELD 9
AND IN RECOGNITION OF HIS MANY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE 10
STATE OF ARKANSAS AND HIS LOCAL COMMUNITY. 11
12
13
Subtitle 14
IN RESPECTFUL MEMORY OF SENATOR GARY DON 15
STUBBLEFIELD AND IN RECOGNITION OF HIS 16
MANY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STATE OF 17
ARKANSAS AND HIS LOCAL COMMUNITY. 18
19
WHEREAS, Arkansas State Senator Gary Don Stubblefield, formerly of 20
Branch, passed away on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at the age of seventy-four 21
(74); and 22
23
WHEREAS, Senator Gary Stubblefield was born on February 28, 1951, in 24
Charleston, Arkansas, to H.T. "Tottie" Stubblefield and Beulah Mae 25
Stubblefield; and 26
27
WHEREAS, Senator Gary Stubblefield was raised on a small family farm on 28
Mill Creek Mountain, before his family moved to a farm in Branch, where his 29
family cleared the land by hand and raised Holstein milk cows; and 30
31
WHEREAS, Senator Gary Stubblefield would milk cows before and after 32
school each day, and would ride his bicycle for two (2) miles each way to 33
catch a school bus to and from the County Line school, where he played 34
basketball in junior and senior high; and 35
36
HMR1001
2 04/07/2026 2:45:08 PM ZRC170
WHEREAS, Senator Gary Stubblefield attended the University of Arkansas 1
in Fayetteville where he successfully walked on to the Arkansas Razorbacks 2
football team, despite having never played football as County Line schools 3
did not have a football program at that time; and 4
5
WHEREAS, Senator Gary Stubblefield had a successful football career 6
with the Arkansas Razorbacks football team as a cornerback and on special 7
teams and with whom he played in the Liberty Bowl and the Cotton Bowl; and 8
9
WHEREAS, while attending the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, 10
Senator Gary Stubblefield met his wife, Kathi, whom he married in 1974, and 11
with whom he raised his daughter, Amber, and son, Joshua, while running his 12
family dairy farm; and 13
14
WHEREAS, Senator Gary Stubblefield subsequently began a life of public 15
service, serving as a Justice of the Peace on the Franklin County Quorum 16
Court, as a member of the School Board of the County Line School District, as 17
a member of the Arkansas Milk Stabilization Board, to which he was appointed 18
by Governor Mike Huckabee, as a board member of the SFA Farmers Co-Op, as a 19
member of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers, and as a member of 20
the Convention of States; and 21
22
WHEREAS, Senator Gary Stubblefield was elected to the House of 23
Representatives as Representative for House District 67 in 2011, where he 24
served a single term before running for election in the Senate; and 25
26
WHEREAS, Senator Gary Stubblefield was elected to the Senate in 2013, 27
where he served as Senator for Senate District 23 until his passing in 2025; 28
and 29
30
WHEREAS, during his time in the Senate, Senator Gary Stubblefield 31
served as Chair of the City, County and Local Affairs Committee, as Chair of 32
the Senate Committee on Judiciary, and as Vice-Chair of the Game and 33
Fish/State Police Subcommittee of the Legislative Council; and 34
35
WHEREAS, during his time in the Senate, Senator Gary Stubblefield 36
HMR1001
3 04/07/2026 2:45:08 PM ZRC170
served as a member of the Legislative Council, the Claims Review Subcommittee 1
of the Legislative Council, the Charitable, Penal and Correctional 2
Institutions Subcommittee of the Legislative Council, the Highway Commission 3
Review and Advisory Subcommittee of the Legislative Council, the Joint Budget 4
Committee, the State Insurance Programs Oversight Subcommittee, the Senate 5
Committee on Judiciary, the Senate Efficiency Committee, the Joint Committee 6
on Energy, the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee, and the Committee on 7
Counties and Municipalities of the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee; and 8
9
WHEREAS, Senator Gary Stubblefield was known for his strong faith and 10
diligence, and was a lifelong member of the First Baptist Church in Branch, 11
which he became a member of in 1976, and where he served as a deacon, as 12
Sunday school superintendent, and as a Sunday school youth boys' teacher for 13
thirty-four (34) years; and 14
15
WHEREAS, Senator Gary Stubblefield is survived by his wife of fifty-one 16
(51) years, Kathi Stubblefield, by his two (2) children, Amber Sullivan and 17
Joshua Stubblefield, and by his ten (10) grandchildren, 18
19
NOW THEREFORE, 20
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL 21
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 22
23
THAT the House of Representatives remember Senator Gary Don 24
Stubblefield and recognize his enormous contributions to the State of 25
Arkansas and to his local community. 26
27
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT upon adoption of this resolution, an appropriate 28
copy be provided to Kathi Stubblefield and family by the Chief Clerk of the 29
House of Representatives. 30
31
32
33
34
35
36