Betty Lou Flanagan Bumpers

BETTY LOU FLANAGAN BUMPERS passed away peacefully on Nov. 23, 2018 at her home in Little Rock. She was born on Jan. 11, 1925 in rural Grand Prairie, Ark., near Charleston, to H.E. ("Babe") and Ola (Callan) Flanagan. She is survived by her sons, Brent Bumpers (LeaAnn) and Bill Bumpers (Heidi); her daughter, Brooke Bumpers (Gordon Low); her grandchildren, Meg and Alex Bumpers, Braeden, Will and Linn Bumpers, and Callan and Emily Low; her sister, Ruth Wolfe; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, former Governor and U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers; her brother, Callans Flanagan; and her sister, Maggie Schaffer. After starting life on the farm and living with no electricity for several years, she attended school in Charleston and Fort Smith. Later, her family moved to Ames, Iowa, and she attended Iowa State University and then, later, the Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. In Sept. 1949, she married her high school sweetheart, Dale Bumpers, and they moved to Chicago while he attended Northwestern University Law School and she worked a variety of different jobs to support them. Later, they returned to Charleston, where he practiced law and she taught elementary school. During 19 happy years there, raising their family, Betty was involved as a volunteer in many church and civic activities. The lessons she learned in her early years of grassroots organizing in her home town would serve her well in her later national and international efforts. Then, in 1970, when Dale ran for Governor, she threw herself into campaigning all over Arkansas, often with her sisters and cousins in tow. When he was elected, she suddenly found herself in the role of First Lady and began to sort through how to best use the opportunities it provided. She quickly focused on issues affecting children. One of her proudest accomplishments was organizing an effort to increase childhood immunization rates in Arkansas, which were among the lowest in the country at that time. Based on the success of that effort, she began speaking to other Governor's wives about working on immunization levels in their states. One of those First Ladies was Rosalynn Carter, and after Dale was elected to the U.S. Senate and Jimmy Carter was elected President, Betty contacted Mrs. Carter about using the Arkansas model to launch a national effort. Betty worked with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop programs helping the states increase immunization levels, and Betty and Mrs. Carter later teamed up to create a non-profit organization, Every Child By Two, now called Vaccinate Your Family, to continue this work. That organization has been in operation for over 25 years, educating the public about the value of immunizations and advocating for policies to reduce rates of vaccine-preventable illnesses. In addition to her immunization efforts, in the early 1980s, she became concerned about the threat of nuclear war due to the arms race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union and decided she needed to use whatever influence she had to try and advocate for arms control and peaceful conflict resolution. She formed Peace Links and began by reaching out to Governors' wives and other Congressional wives, believing the need to protect future generations from the threat of nuclear war would particularly resonate with women. Because she was willing and able to take on this cause, despite having no particular expertise in arms issues and defense policy, she inspired many other women to do the same and become peace activists. Ultimately, Peace Links organizations were established in many states. Over a 20-year period, Peace Links sponsored cultural exchange programs, taking groups of women to meet with peace activists in other countries, hosting groups that came to the United States, and teaching women how to be advocates in their own communities. In 2005, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame; in 2015, she was in the inaugural group of women inducted into the Arkansas Women's Hall of Fame; and in 1999, she and Dale were honored with the naming of the Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the National Institutes of Health. In addition to founding and running Vaccinate Your Family and Peace Links, she also served on the boards of many other organizations, including the U.S. Institute of Peace, the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation, and the Hendrix College Board, and she gave her time, money and efforts to many other causes that were important to her. Eventually, Betty and Dale retired and moved back to Little Rock, full-time, where she continued to oversee the ongoing efforts of Vaccinate Your Family and to volunteer and be involved in many local efforts. She loved planting and maintaining her beautiful gardens, raising chickens in the back yard, and hosting her grandchildren for sleepovers and pancake breakfasts as often as possible. When she was in her late 80s and was interviewed for a book about her life, she said she wanted to be remembered for being a good mother and a good wife, and for trying to live up to her beliefs about the sin of omission, meaning that she hoped she had taken advantage of every opportunity that had come along and had tried to use it to do something worthwhile. She certainly did all that and more, having fulfilled the directive, often attributed to John Wesley, to "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." The family is grateful to have had her love, inspiration, and guidance for so many years and wishes to thank her many friends and relatives who have continued to visit and provide support, especially Joan Baker. They are particularly appreciative of the devoted caregivers, spearheaded by Margaret Chapple, who allowed her to remain at home and to Arkansas Hospice for providing comfort in her final weeks. In lieu of flowers, we ask that memorials be made to Vaccinate Your Family (formerly Every Child By Two) at 1012 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20005 or through their website at www.vaccinateyourfamily.org. A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church of Little Rock, 723 Center St., at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. Arrangements are under the direction of Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.