Harold E. Henson Jr.

Harold E. Henson Jr., "Sonney", 85, of Van Buren, Ark., passed away Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013, in Fort Smith at Mercy Hospice. He was born July 18, 1928, in Fayetteville to the late Harold E Henson Sr. and Dollie Croxdale Henson. Sonney grew up in Springdale where he graduated from Springdale High School and was later inducted as one of the first inductees into the Springdale High School Hall of Fame where he participated in the state high school championship in football and basketball. He attended the University of Arkansas in 1945 on an athletic scholarship where he participated in three sports, golf, basketball and football, and graduated in 1949 with a degree in Business Administration. In 1995, he received the meritorious service award by the Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor for his lifelong commitment to Arkansas sports. Sonney was active in ROTC at the university and graduated as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He fought in Korea as a captain and commander during the Korean conflict. He attained the rank of major as an active member of the Army reserve post his duty in Korea. His professional career began with First National Bank of Springdale and soon moved to Little Rock where he served as Vice President at the Worthen Bank on Asher Avenue. In 1965, while in Little Rock he was elected mayor and served one term as mayor of the city. He took his banking career and his golfing prowess to Joplin, Mo., where he was a Missouri amateur championship golfer and served as President of Security National Bank Joplin from 1966 to 1972. Herbert Thomas of Little Rock asked Sonney to move to Ft. Smith to head up City National Bank (present Bank Corp South) where he served as President and CEO from 1972 to his retirement in 1993 at the age of 65. He continued his service to Bank Corp South as an active board member for several years. The litany of Sonney's business and civic service reads like a directory of what's good for the state of Arkansas. His contributions to the people of Arkansas started in 1953 when he joined the Springdale Junior Chamber of Commerce and continued through his career as he was an active member of the Chamber of Commerce, United Way, board member of Freeman Hospital of Joplin and member of the Sparks Regional Medical Center board of directors of Fort Smith, president and active member of the board for the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and Razorback Foundation, on the board for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences foundation, the Westark area council for Boy Scouts, the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, the Small Colleges of Arkansas, Leadership Fort Smith, the Community Rescue Mission and the President of the Arkansas Bankers Association to name a few. Sonney expressed his quiet but strong faith without apology and always took the time to acknowledge his creator and spent many years ministering to and visiting prisoners with the Bill Glass Evangelistic Prison Ministry and later became an active member in a local non-denominational community of believers in the Fort Smith area. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Helen Garrott Henson; four children, Hal Henson and wife, Sheila of Farmington, Todd Henson and wife, Mindy of Little Rock, Hollye Dickinson and husband, Neil of Ft Smith, and Tonya Matthews and husband, Bruce of Springdale; 16 grandchildren and one great-grand child. He was preceded in death by his sister, Sara Sue Morse of Springdale Memorial service will be 10 a.m. Tuesday at Community Bible Church in Fort Smith. The family will visit with family and friends after the service. A private family graveside service will follow at National Cemetery of Ft. Smith later in day. Pallbearers will be grandsons, Hunter Collyar, Chandler Collyar, Chad Dickinson; son-in-law, Neil Dickinson, Bruce Matthews, and long-time friend and colleague, Jim Harwood. Honorary pallbearers will be Eddie Bradford, Harold Horton, Robert E. Miller, Paul Gean, Larry Smith, Bob Rice, Dr. Bob Yada, Dr. Paul Wills, Dr. John Wright, and Jerry K Jones. Memorials may be made to: Razorback Foundation, 1295 S. Razorback Rd., Ste. A Fayetteville, Ark. 72701 or Mercy Hospice of Ft. Smith 5401 Ellsworth Rd., Ft. Smith, Ark. 72903. To sign an online guestbook visit www.edwardsfuneralhome.com.