There's No Slowing Down
/Dolly and Paul Henley continue to serve Hempstead County through leadership and volunteerism
By Phoebe Warren
photo by shane darby.
Action is perhaps the most definite sign of a great leader. One can speak of change endlessly, but only a special individual will act to create that change. If action is our barometer of spectacular leadership, Dolly and Paul Henley of Hempstead County undeniably fit the bill.
Paul grew up in Hope, Arkansas, while Dolly was born and raised in Prescott. They didn’t meet until adulthood, when Paul was working for the City of Hope as the Parks and Tourism director. After Dolly applied for a job in the parks department, the two met and found they had a lot in common.
“We had previous lives,” Dolly explained. “We were both married before. And I think we just had a lot of the same interests and understood the sacrifice that it took to do those jobs—working with the public and in parks and recreation, working long hours and all the weekends. So we had a special relationship because of our understanding of the hard part of the job.”
Paul and Dolly married in 1993, on Valentine’s Day. Through 31 years of marriage, they have supported each other throughout their respective careers, leadership roles, and volunteerism.
Paul worked for the City of Hope for 50 years. He said that, after Hope native Bill Clinton’s presidency put Hope on the map, tourism opportunities blossomed. Boosting tourism was “the fun part” of his job, he said, especially working to hold the annual Hope Watermelon Festival. For a time, Dolly handled the recreation aspect of their work together, as the city’s recreation director, until she was hired by the City of Nashville, Arkansas, to serve as their Parks and Recreation director in 1988.
“I’ve had a really long life of figuring out what’s best and what’s good for the community.”
Because Paul was working in Hope and Dolly in Nashville, it made sense for the two to have a home in Washington, Arkansas, a good location between the two cities. They purchased a dilapidated house built by Daniel Webster Jones, who was the governor of Arkansas in 1898.
“It had fallen into disrepair over the years,” Paul said. “The house was in such bad shape that we had to take it down. But the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives is here in Washington, so we went down there, and they had a complete set of blueprints for this house, drawn in 1948. We got the blueprints and built it back just like it was. We’ve been living there for 30-some years.”
After living in their home in Washington for about six months, Paul was invited by Dub Pinegar, the mayor at the time, to a city board meeting. When Paul attended the meeting, Dub resigned as mayor, and the board appointed Paul to the position. Washington has what is described as a mayor-council form of government, with a mayor and four council members. The mayor must run four-year terms. Paul became mayor in 1994 and has run every four-year term since, with only one other opponent ever challenging the position. “Mainly, I don’t think anyone else wanted to do it,” Paul said with a laugh. “But I enjoy it.”
Paul has led the City of Washington well, even with its unique challenges. The Historic Washington State Park is a separate entity from the City of Washington, even though the park comprises about three-fourths of the town. The park pays no property tax and has more access to funding than the rest of the city. Paul works with Washington State Park to secure funding assistance for areas of need in the community, such as the fire department and the water system. He also works to secure grants to help with city funding and just three years ago passed a tourism tax to benefit the city.
Dolly, too, is a passionate leader and community advocate. She served Nashvillians for over 20 years before becoming the director of advancement at the University of Arkansas Hope–Texarkana (UAHT) in 2008 and then the director of Hempstead Hall at UAHT in 2013. This year, Dolly is running to be an Arkansas State Representative for District 88—a role she believes she is well suited for based on her many years of leadership and service. “I’ve had a really long life of figuring out what’s best and what’s good for the community,” she said. (No candidate received a majority of votes in the preferential primary. The runoff election will be held on April 2nd.)
Outside of their governmental careers, Paul and Dolly are involved in a multitude of volunteer efforts, both independently and together. Paul is the southwest-area chair for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense office. He also serves as the executive director of Hope in Action, a nonprofit organization that provides food and shelter for unhoused people in Hope, Arkansas.
Dolly currently serves as a board member for several different organizations, including Southwest Arkansas Counseling and Mental Health (past president), the UAHT Foundation Board, and the Texarkana Symphony Board. She volunteers with the Historic Washington Foundation and Hope in Action. She is also the chairperson for James Black’s Bowie Heritage Festival and vice president of the Washington Fire Auxiliary.
Dolly and paul with their grandchildren. submitted photo.
Together, the Henleys donate their time to the Arkansas Great Southwest Regional Tourism Association. Dolly serves as vice-president, and Paul serves as the secretary/treasurer. This organization helps families find attractions and events in Southwest Arkansas.
Though they have more than earned it, Paul and Dolly don’t foresee retiring any time soon. “We’re not gonna slow down,” Dolly said.
Together, Dolly and Paul Henley have proven to be great leaders who serve their community and take action whenever they are needed. They are a force, ceaselessly striving to create positive change.