David Pryor: I've done everything that I could to keep my pledges, my promises, my commitments to the people, and to make certain that our government would be one that was open, fair, honest, forthright with the people of our state.
Kyle Kellams: This is Ozarks at Large. I'm Kyle Kellams.
Randy Dixon: I'm Randy Dixon with the Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History.
Kellams: And we are going to continue our Pryor Center profiles of governors who served Arkansas since the advent of videotape.
Dixon: Or film.
Kellams: Or film. Right. I always say videotape. You've got to remind me we've had some film included in this.
Dixon: Yes. Even before television.
Kellams: Right?
Dixon: Yeah, back into the '40s. But this one that we just heard is a name well known to us, especially me. That was David Pryor.
Kellams: The namesake of where you work.
Dixon: Exactly. And he was Arkansas' 39th governor.
Kellams: We've made it into the mid-'70s now.
Dixon: We have. He was in office from '75 to '79. And he had already been in the political eye. He had been a state representative. He'd been a U.S. congressman. He had even run for the U.S. Senate against John McClellan and lost.
Kellams: Right.
Dixon: So he had been, like I say, in the public eye. And he really faced, and we mentioned this a week before last when we were talking about Dale Bumpers, the '70s was a terrible decade for the economy.
Kellams: Not good.
Dixon: No, there were major recession and that's pretty much what he had to deal with. And here's a clip from the KATV archive collection of candidate Pryor talking about his, I guess, readiness for fighting a bad economy.
Steve Barnes: What do you believe will be your major problems as governor if elected?
Pryor: I don't know what the major problem will be, Steve. I think the major issue will be economics. I think it will relate to inflation, which very honestly, I think we can be frank about this. A governor and a state administration cannot cure inflation. I think that we can set an example. I think that we can make sure that those programs that we're funding are as anti-inflationary as possible, if that is possible itself.
But I think economic development and the proper type of economic development will be one of the key issues. And one of the key challenges. Basically, if I become governor of the state, I'm the guy who's going to inherit it. I'm the guy who's going to have to make sure that those dollars and those dimes and that the state tax money is used wisely.
Kellams: Sought the Democratic nomination against who?
Dixon: Orval Faubus.
Kellams: My gosh, are we ever going to be done with him?
Dixon: And the guy we talked about last week, Bob Riley, right, who was acting governor. He was lieutenant governor, acting governor in between Bumpers and Pryor. He was governor for 11 days, but he ran for governor after that. And Pryor beat both of them without a runoff. And then he easily beat his Republican opponent, who was Ken Coon, who at the time was executive director of the Republican Party. But he beat him in the November election.
Pryor: And I'm going to be praying daily the strength and the wisdom and the courage to serve this state as governor with honor and with dignity. I'm going to do everything I can to continue the progress of our state, to make a better life for every citizen of this state, to help to preserve our natural resources, to help to build up in our conservation areas, to help in every respect those areas of interest which we hold so near and so dear. I pledge you tonight these things.
Dixon: So he's elected governor and KATV's Steve Barnes sat down with the governor-elect before he took office.
Pryor: I really feel that it will be basically an informal style, probably more informal than past administrations. And when I say that, I don't mean that it will be lackadaisical, nor will it be caring. But I just hope that we can get the work done.
And when the Legislature comes to town, the General Assembly, I'm hoping that whatever style we might have that it will be effective. I'm hoping that we will have a 60-day session rather than a 90-day session. I think we can. I think we can get the business of the state done in 60 days. And I'm going to respectfully request that we hurry on with our business and get right down to work and do it as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
Kellams: All right. A couple weeks ago, when we were talking about Dale Bumpers, we mentioned Betty Bumpers, his wife and partner in life, and she was with Peace Links and had vaccination, work to get children in Arkansas vaccinated.
Dixon: Yes.
Kellams: David Pryor was married to Barbara Pryor.
Dixon: Right. And she was very active. And before she took up her place as first lady, KATV's Liz Walker sat down with her.
Barbara Pryor: We've been in public life for 14 years, and I think it has peculiarly suited me, prepared me, if you will, for this role now. And both David and I feel very comfortable in the roles that we have. And we have worked in public life long enough to know what we feel about things in the way they should be.
Liz Walker: A lot of first ladies are now stepping out of the shadows of their husbands and going on with their own feelings and ideals. Do you consider yourself one of those types?
Barbara Pryor: Yes. I think that it's a lucky day for women in politics these days, because our people are more willing to let them be a part and make a contribution on their own. I think they expect a contribution. And I think in my case, I would like very much to make one.
Walker: Are there any things you regret about being in public life, or is it all a positive thing for you?
Barbara Pryor: I think in the beginning, it's a hard adjustment for a woman in public life because there's so many sacrifices made on the personal level, on the family level. But I think the longer that you're in it, the more you believe in it. Believe in your husband's work, that it all has equity, all balances out. And even though perhaps you don't get to spend kind of time you would like to with your husband or your children, the time you do spend is so precious that it works out.
Kellams: You mentioned the economy wasn't great for David Pryor when he becomes governor. He also wanted to update the constitution.
Dixon: Yes, Arkansas was living under the same constitution since 1874 and was ...
Kellams: It was? Aren't we still?
Dixon: Yes we are. Yeah. Come to think of it, we've had many failed constitutional conventions, and Gov. Pryor knew that. And so he tried something different, that he pushed legislation to bypass a whole convention and just have a 35-person committee maybe make limited changes and not overhaul the whole thing. That plan was quickly challenged in court, and the state Supreme Court struck it down. Let's let KATV's Bob Steel explain.
Bob Steel: State Supreme Court decision came just two days before the 35 convention delegates were to assemble to begin drafting proposed revisions to the 1874 state constitution. At a Capitol news conference, Gov. Pryor expressed his disappointment with the state Supreme Court ruling. Pryor said the decision striking down the convention showed what he called a glaring flaw in the current constitution. But he vowed to continue working for constitutional reform.
Pryor: The General Assembly by passing the bill, and I, by proposing it and approving it, were convinced of its absolute legality. We relied upon eminent constitutional authorities, as well as highly respected individuals and attorneys who concurred in our conclusions.
But the court has ruled to the contrary, and it is not for me, it is not for any other citizen to question the wisdom of the court's ruling today. It is the law of the land, and as such it must be obeyed both in the spirit and to the letter. I shall not allow the decision to deter my efforts toward revision of the present state constitution.
Steel: Pryor said he would analyze the written opinions of the high court and then decide any alternatives to pursue. He said there will be no special legislative session this year on the constitutional convention issue. Today's decision by the state Supreme Court is Pryor's first major defeat as governor, but the effects of the decision will be measured in the future. This is Bob Steel at the state Capitol reporting for News Scene 7.
Kellams: I can understand Gov. Pryor wanting to make the changes, but I can also understand public sentiment being very reluctant.
Dixon: Well, it happened and it happened twice during his two terms. Then there was the Arkansas Plan. Now, this was a Pryor proposal of state government and tax reform that was aimed to shift power and revenue raising from the state level down to the counties and local municipalities. Does that sound confusing?
Kellams: Yes.
Dixon: All right. Well, listen to David Pryor explain it.
Pryor: We called it a restructuring of the relationship between state government and local government. I think there are other aspects of the program. The idea of the quorum court basically assessing the needs of people on the local level and then deciding how much it's going to cost, and sending this issue out to the people.
And again, the quorum courts have no taxing authority whatsoever under this plan. They act only in an advisory or a recommending capacity, so they submit it to the people. And this again is new. But I think we can sell this part of the plan. But there's so much to the plan. I'm certain we're going to see 4,000 amendments in 4,000 different ideas, and we will just take those as they come.
Kellams: Got to admit, Randy Dixon, I'm still not 100% clear.
Dixon: Well, you aren't alone, OK? Neither was anyone else. The plan met immediate opposition and died only two months after that announcement was made. It was also jokingly called the Coon Dog Plan. Do you remember that?
Kellams: I don't.
Dixon: Well, there was a town hall meeting during the unveiling of this plan. And Pryor traveled around the state and talking to town hall meetings. And he jokingly said that citizens could decide whether to use their state income tax savings to either pay off local higher taxes or say, as he put it, buy a new shotgun or a coon dog. And so they jumped on that and called it the Coon Dog Plan. And if you remember ...
Kellams: Yes.
Dixon: George Fisher, the Gazette cartoonist, would often have a droopy-eyed dog next to Pryor in his cartoons.
But anyway, also early in the term, the Pryor administration dealt with masses of Vietnamese refugees flooding into Fort Chaffee up here in Northwest Arkansas because following the fall of Saigon, more than 50,000 of these refugees were processed through the military installation that's now turned into an exile encampment. The new residents ... it was called Operation New Life, and it actually made Fort Chaffee the 11th-largest city in the state.
Pryor: Things are going well. The population of refugees is now, at last night was moving towards 4,000. And to the best of our knowledge, there are no major problems.
Reporter: He says because of the tremendous influx of refugees, there have been some bobbles.
Pryor: Of course we would expect. But otherwise I think things are going pretty smoothly.
Kellams: Judging from what we've talked about so far, you might think that things were not going very well in his first term.
Dixon: Well, au contraire.
Kellams: Ah.
Dixon: Many things went right.
Kellams: And so what went right?
Dixon: Well, the administration navigated through the terrible national economy and recession. So much so that Pryor was reelected for a second term. And he was running against Jim Lindsey.
Kellams: That's right. The late real estate developer, Arkansas Razorback, Minnesota Viking.
Dixon: Yes, absolutely. Football great. That was in the Democratic primary. And then I'm not even sure who he ran against. They would just put up someone, the Republican Party would. And he beat that Republican by 86%.
So as the second term began, KATV produced a special program to take a close look at Arkansas under Pryor's leadership.
Barnes: Governor, looking back at '76, was it a good year for Arkansas, in your view?
Pryor: I think it was a good year, Steve. Our economy, we saw the economy picking up. For example, we saw in December that revenue collections were 14% higher than they were December of 1975. We enter the year 1977 in very good sound financial condition. Basically, the bills of the state are paid. We're not spending out more than we take in. And economically, I think as a general rule, the state of Arkansas has a good year in store. As I think the nation has a good year in store economically during the next 12 months, more or less.
Barnes: A theme of your administration thus far has been there are tough times ahead. Do you see more of them?
Pryor: Well, there are cautious times ahead. Just because we are probably entering, hopefully entering a period of very healthy economic growth for the state is no reason to be anything else but cautious because we don't want to get ourselves in trouble. We want to be very realistic about economic conditions and very flexible to adjust our own economic situation in state government as the country and as the state economic picture ...
Kellams: So what else can you tell us about Pryor's time in the mansion?
Dixon: Well, he made some interesting appointments that I think are worth noting. The first one, and I'm going to make you guess here, he appointed a man as the head of the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission, and he would go on to become a big name in Arkansas in Republican politics. See if you can guess who this is.
Frank White: We find those companies that are moving to the United States to manufacture are coming here primarily because of our market. And if they sell a substantial portion of their products in the American market, they find it much cheaper now to manufacture here. And household names like Sony and Volkswagen and Volvo and Michelin tires. The world is in fact coming to this market. We're the biggest market in the world.
Kellams: I'll tell you this. We're going to hear more of his voice in a few weeks.
Dixon: Yes we are.
Kellams: Frank White.
Dixon: Yeah, that was Frank White, of course. He went on in 1980, just a few years later, to upset first-term Gov. Bill Clinton. The other appointment that he made was to fill the U.S. Senate seat that opened when John McClellan died in office right after he announced his retirement.
Pryor: Since November the 28th, which, of course, was the death of Sen. John McClellan, our constitution has placed upon my shoulders the very challenging and, I must say, ominous task of appointing a United States senator to fill this term of office. In effect, one person among 2 million has that one vote to send an individual to the United States Senate to speak for our people.
It has not been easy to choose this particular person that I announced today, and who will become the junior United States senator from the state of Arkansas on Monday morning. But it is with a deep sense of pride that I have chosen Kaneaster Hodges of Newport.
Dixon: You get the irony of this situation. So this is the seat that David Pryor had unsuccessfully run for before he became governor. And he appointed Mr. Hodges to that seat temporarily. He couldn't run again. So Pryor ended up running and gaining that seat. So it's just kind of a ...
Kellams: Right.
Dixon: Full-circle thing.
Kellams: As I recall, nobody in Arkansas was shocked that David Pryor ran for that Senate seat.
Dixon: No, not at all. Because he was so popular that it just made sense. And as a matter of fact, I have his announcement for Senate and it's really more than that. I think it's a nice way that he sort of sums up his ideas on public service.
Pryor: I've worked hard for our people and I want to continue that work because working for Arkansas has been my life, and I want to thank you for the opportunity that you have given me for being your governor. And I hope that I've justified your support and your confidence.
When I became governor, things were pretty tough. Eleven percent of our people could not find a job. State revenues were declining. We were trying in state government to make ends meet. Many cried out at that time to raise taxes. Some said, "Well, let's just cut services." But I met these problems head on and I made some pretty hard decisions. Some of those decisions might not have been popular, but I kept my promise.
I held down taxes. In fact, we did not cut services. We made services better. We built a surplus in the state treasury. Very few states can say that. Our people have now gone back to work. New opportunity in Arkansas is everywhere. And I realize that we in state government have had only one commitment, and that is to serve people and to serve them well.
Kellams: All right. David Pryor does win the Senate seat, obviously, and was in there for 18 years until his retirement. Now that opens up another gap with the governor.
Dixon: Yes.
Kellams: Because he's going to take off before the term is over.
Dixon: Yes. And there was an acting governor. So we're still doing acting governor.
Kellams: Of course we are.
Dixon: Last week we talked about Bob Riley, who was acting governor for 11 days. Well, this happened again. And if you'll remember, it was the first time it had happened with Bob Riley took the seat. And he even said in an interview that we played, "Oh, I'm sure it'll never happen again." Well, it happened four years later. And the acting governor was Joe Purcell. And that's who we're going to talk about next week.
Kellams: All right, Joe Purcell next week. Randy Dixon is with the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History. Randy, thank you.
Dixon: Thank you. I'll see you next week.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline and edited for length and clarity. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
