Tag Archives: Bill Clark

Little Rock Look Back: Clinton Library Groundbreaking

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bill groundbreak14 years ago today the groundbreaking for the Clinton Library took place on December 5, 2001. It was dry and about thirty degrees warmer than the actual opening would be in November 2004.

The former president was joined by then-Mayor Jim Dailey, City Director Dean Kumpuris, then-Assistant City Manager Bruce Moore, contractor Bill Clark, then-Clinton Foundation executives Skip Rutherford & Stephanie Streett, and other dignitaries in turning the dirt. The location for the ceremony is now actually the parking lot for Sturgis Hall – the home of the Clinton School of Public Service and Clinton Foundation offices.

President Clinton was the only member of his family to attend the ceremony, which drew over 400 people. His wife, then the junior Senator from New York, was expecting some important floor votes in Washington DC, and daughter Chelsea was studying in England.

At the ceremony, Clinton joked “We’re going to try to build it in less than it took to build the medieval cathedrals and the Egyptian pyramids, but if I can’t rein in my team it may cost as much!” Of course by then the date was set for November 2004. Coordinating schedules of the current and former Presidents is an intricate act.

Sculpture Vulture: National Dog Day

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Today is National Dog Day. In celebration of that, today we shine the spotlight on two canine sculptures in the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden.

DSC_0710First is Dan Glanz’s Boris.  Commissioned in 2010 and unveiled in 2011, this is a likeness of Boris Kumpuris, the dog and companion of Mary and Dr. Dean Kumpuris.

Glanz captures the friendly and inquisitive nature of Boris in this work, which can be found in the Vogel Schwarz sculpture garden. Most weekends Boris can be seen with Dean as the two walk through Riverfront Park and the River Market. Boris explores and inspects the park along with Dean. Each year during the Sculpture at the River Market show, Boris visits with Dean and meets all the sculptors.

The sculpture was donated by longtime Kumpuris family friend Margaret Clark. She and her late husband Bill were two of the earliest supporters of sculpture along the Arkansas River. They donated another piece in honor of their grandchildren. A sculpture in memory of Bill was unveiled last year and stands in the wetlands park which bears his name.

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A few yards from Boris is Ken Newman’s Forever Ready.  It depicts a hunting dog waiting but poised to spring into action.  The sculpture was donated by the Sculpture at the River Market committee in 2009.

Sculpture Vulture: Boris

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The Sculpture at the River Market Show and Sale continues today. In keeping with that, today’s Sculpture Vulture features a sculpture of an attendee to each of the shows. Commissioned in 2010 and unveiled last year, Dan Glanz’s “Boris” is a likeness of Boris Kumpuris, the dog and companion of Mary and Dr. Dean Kumpuris.

Glanz captures the friendly and inquisitive nature of Boris in this work, which can be found in the Vogel Schwarz sculpture garden. Most weekends Boris can be seen with Dean as the two walk through Riverfront Park and the River Market. Boris explores and inspects the park along with Dean. Each year during the Sculpture at the River Market show, Boris visits with Dean and meets all the sculptors.

The sculpture was donated by longtime Kumpuris family friend Margaret Clark. She and her late husband Bill were two of the earliest supporters of sculpture along the Arkansas River. They donated another piece in honor of their grandchildren. A sculpture in memory of Bill was unveiled last year and stands in the wetlands park which bears his name.

Arts & Humanities Month: Clark Wetlands and Stephens Nature Center

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Little Rock’s newest cultural destination opened last Friday.  The William E. “Bill” Clark Presidential Park Wetlands is an immersive urban wetland (which sounds like an oxymoron).  On the banks of the Arkansas River, the Bill Clark Wetlands allows visitors to meander through nature as well as witness the natural restorative process of water purification.  Nestled between two bridges, it is a serene break from the hustle and bustle that surrounds it.  It is named in memory of Bill Clark, who was a builder of physical structures as well as character and good causes.  A statue of Mr. Clark in hunting attire is placed on the edge of the wetlands.  In this statue he is not only looking for birds on a hunt but also at one his projects, the Clinton Library.

To the west of the Clark wetlands is another relatively new cultural institution which celebrates nature: the Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center, which is a project of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.  Opened in December 2008 and named in honor of a former G&FC commissioner, this nature center highlights the many outdoor recreational opportunities provided by Arkansas’ fish and wildlife resources provide. There are several interactive exhibits, aquariums, a theatre and educational programs.  The Stephens Nature Center is open from 8:30 to 4:30 on Tuesdays through Saturdays and from 1:00 to 5:00 on Sundays.   Admission is free; the Center is funded through the 1/8 cent Conservation sales tax.

This month the Nature Center is offering the following programs:

Saturday, October 8 at 2pm

  • Li’l Wild Ones: Nature Stories and Activities

Saturday, October 15 from 10am to 3pm

  • Wildlife Photography