Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Dolphus Whitten Jr.

Dolphus Whitten Jr., 81,a leader in educational, religious, cultural and civic affairs in Arkansas and Oklahoma, died Thursday, January 15, 1998, at the Baptist Medical Center in Arkadelphia.

He was born June 20, 1916, in Hope, a son of the late Dolphus and Annie Tyree Logan Whitten. He completed his public school education in Gurdon, attended Henderson State Teachers College, received his B.A. degree from Ouachita College, and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in American History from the University of Texas at Austin. He was married to Marie Braden on May 1, 1939. His career included eight years as high school teacher and principal in Gurdon, DeAnn, Kirby and Hope; 11 years as history professor and director of Extension and placement services at Henderson State University; 21 years at Oklahoma City University as professor, administrative dean, administrative vice president, acting president and president (1970-79); a year as adjunct professor at Elon College in North Carolina; and 10 years as executive director of the Joint Educational Consortium in Arkadelphia. In 1975, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Heritage Hall of Fame in recognition of his leadership at state, regional, and national levels. After his return to Arkadelphia in 1980, he served as president of the Arkadelphia Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Clark County, vice chairman of the Clark County Industrial Council, and board member of the Arkansas Humanities Council. He was Governor of Rotary District 6170 in 1991-92. He was 1997 Rotary volunteer of the year. He also received the 1991 Arkansas Arts Award for Individual Achievement in recognition of his long term support of the arts.

He has been active on all levels of the United Methodist Church. In the Oklahoma Conference, he served on the Council on Ministries and the Board of Higher Education; in the Little Rock Conference he has been on the Council on Ministries and the Board of Education; at general church level, he was on the General Council on Ministries, General Board of Publication, the General Commission on Ecumenical Affairs, and the Joint Committee on Communication, and was a delegate to five sessions of General Conference.

During World War II, he was an administrative and educational officer in the Ninth Air Force in England and France. He retired from the U.S. Air Reserves as a lieutenant colonel.

He is survived by his wife, Marie Braden Whitten; a daughter and son in-law Suzanne Marie and H. Robert Guy of Bethesda, Md.; a grandson, Eric Whitten Guy, also of Bethesda; and a brother, Horce Logan Whitten of Elon College, North Carolina.

Memorial services were held Saturday, January 17, at First United Methodist Church with Rev. Michael Mattox officiating.

Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church, 107 9th St., Arkadelphia, or to Rotary Foundation in care of Jane Lucas, P.O. Box 15, Arkadelphia, AR 71923.