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