The Hall of Honor was established to recognize former students, faculty, administrators and community leaders who have made significant and lasting contributions to Conway Public Schools. Inductees are honored yearly at a special Hall of Honor gala event. The Foundation board of directors welcomes nominations from the public and selects recipients based on a comprehensive review and assessment of all nominations.
Nomination Criteria
All nominees should be individuals of significant influence, high character and integrity, with deep connection to the Conway Public School District. For each category the respective criteria apply:
Distinguished Alumni
The honoree must be a Conway Public Schools graduate (minimum age of 30) or have completed a substantial portion of his or her education in the Conway Public School District, with notable scholastic and/or professional achievements and who is a positive reflection of the district’s mission to produce forward-thinking and innovative men and women.
Distinguished Educator
The honoree must be five years removed from employment with Conway Public Schools (regardless of cause) and must have made a substantial positive impact on students and colleagues during his or her tenure as a teacher, coach, staff member or administrator.
Friend of the District
The honoree must be a current or former member of the Conway/Conway Public Schools community (minimum age of 30) who has positively and tangibly enriched the educational environment or advanced the educational mission of the district.
2023 Honorees
Arch Jones Jr. – Distinguished Alumnus
David & Patti Stobaugh – Friends of the District
Reuel & Terry Shepherd – Distinguished Educators
2022 Honorees
Arch Jones Jr. – Distinguished Alumnus
David & Patti Stobaugh – Friends of the District
Reuel & Terry Shepherd – Distinguished Educators
2021 Honorees
Ernestine Acklin – Distinguished Educator
Mrs. Ernestine Henderson Acklin graduated from Pine Street High School in Conway in 1967. She earned a BSE in Special Education from University of Central Arkansas. She received her master’s degree in Elementary Education from University of…
Alex Lieblong – Distinguished Alumnus
Alex Lieblong is a 1968 graduate of Conway High School and a US Army Veteran. He has been an owner and general principal in the brokerage firm of Lieblong & Associates, Inc. since its opening in 1997….
Johnny Adams – Friend of the District
Johnny is a Market President & CEO for First Security Bank in Conway, AR. First Security is an Arkansas based financial services company with over $6.5 billion in assets and over 75 locations across the State. He…
2020 Honorees
Charles Nabholz – Friend of the District
Charles Nabholz began his long career with the Nabholz companies in 1954, first working at both Nabholz Construction and Nabholz Supply Companies. Over the next three decades he founded Con-Ark Builders (later merged with Nabholz Construction), explored…
Betty Ford – Distinguished Educator
Ms. Betty Ford is a native of Marianna, Arkansas. She graduated from Anna Strong High School in 1966. She earned a BSE in Elementary Education from Chicago State University. She received her master’s degree in Early Childhood…
Robbie Wills – Distinguished Alumni
Robbie Wills is a native of Conway, graduating from Conway High School in 1986 and the University of Central Arkansas in 1991. After working in publishing sales and banking, Robbie earned a law degree from the UALR…
2019 Honorees
Bart Castleberry – Distinguished Alumnus
Bart began his term as Mayor of the City of Conway in January, 2017. He has a vision for Conway and our future growth based on infrastructure and the needs of building a progressive sustainable community. Bart is a lifelong resident…
Jim Stone – Distinguished Educator
Jim is the namesake for the elementary school in the Conway School District. He had a 40-year career in education and also spent nine years as the first Toad Master for Toad Suck Daze, Conway’s iconic May…
Susan McNabb – Friend of the District
Ms. Susan McNabb graduated from Texarkana High School, and attended the University of Arkansas and Texarkana Community College. She met her husband, Dr. Steve McNabb while working at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. She was fortunate to be a…
2018 Honorees
Dr. Terry Fiddler- Friend of the District
Dr. Fiddler earned his undergraduate degree from UCA in 1970 and his DDS from the University of Tennessee School of Dentistry in 1973. He served the Conway community as a dentist for 43 years before retiring in…
Margaret Grimes – Distinguished Educator
Margaret Grimes, a life-long Conway resident, received her BSE from UCA. She began her teaching career in Conway Public Schools in the mid-1970s, teaching fifth grade for 15 years at Ellen Smith Elementary. While at Ellen Smith,…
Bo Connor – Distinguished Alumnus
Bo Conner is a 1970 graduate of Conway High School. During his time in Conway Public Schools, he was a three-year letterman in track and football where he served as Captain. He was president of the Beta…
2017 Honorees
Joe T. Ford – Distinguished Alumnus
Joe T. Ford began his career in telecommunications at Allied Telephone Company in 1959 as a yellow pages salesman. He served in a number of executive positions before becoming Allied president in 1977. When Allied merged with…
Herman Lasker – Distinguished Educator
Mr. Lasker graduated from Pine Street High School and later from Philander Smith College. He began his educational career as the head boys’ basketball coach at Lincoln High School in Washington, Arkansas. He later coached at Pine…
Bunny & Carol Adcock – Friend of the District
Bunny is the vice-chairman of Home BancShares, the parent company of Centennial Bank, and member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Central Arkansas. Adcock began his career at First National Bank in Conway, what…
2016 Honorees
Tab Townsell – Distinguished Alumni
Conway native Tab Townsell is a 1979 Conway High School honor graduate. In 1984, he received a degree in political science with a minor in economics from the University of Central Arkansas, where he served four years…
Carolyn Lewis – Distinguished Educator
Carolyn Lewis is a Conway native. She attended Conway Public Schools and graduated with honors from Conway High School in 1961. She earned a BSE and MSE in Early Childhood Education from the University of Central Arkansas….
Richard Arnold – Friend of the District
Richard Arnold was named Conway Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer in 1998. He began working at Conway Corporation in 1978 in the data processing department, where he served as manager until his promotion to Manager of Finance and…
2015 Honorees
John McConnell – Friend of the District
The late Conway Public Schools board member and board president John McConnell is the namesake of the Conway High School football stadium. A prominent Conway business, McConnell owned several companies but always gave his undivided attention to…
Dr. Woodrow Cummins – Distinguished Educator
A native of Marked Tree, Ark., Woodrow “Woody” Cummins attended Arkansas State Teachers College (now University of Central Arkansas), where he played football and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He also earned his specialist and doctorate…
Dr. Bobby New – Distinguished Alumnus
Dr. Bobby C. New, a 1965 Conway High School graduate, began his in public education career in Conway, where he served a decade as a teacher, coach, principal and assistant superintendent. A member of the 1964 undefeated…
2014 Honorees
Ray Simon – Friend of the District
Conway native Ray Simon is the former United States Deputy Secretary of Education. Simon began his career as a mathematics teacher at North Little Rock High School and directed computer and food services before he returned to…
A.C. Anderson, Jr. – Distinguished Educator
A 1941 graduate of the University of North Texas, A.C. Anderson worked as a chemist in the Texas oil fields after graduation and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He and his wife Mildred…
Tom Courtway – Distinguished Alumnus
Tom Courtway, a 1971 Conway High School graduate, is the 10th president of the University of Central Arkansas. He is an alumnus of Hendrix College, the University of Arkansas School of Law, and Georgetown University. Courtway practiced…