Richard Davies, Alumnus and Public Servant, to Receive Honorary Degree

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Richard Davies.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas will award an honorary Doctorate of Arts and Humane Letters to Richard Davies, the recently retired executive director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, during the All-University Commencement ceremony beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 14, in Bud Walton Arena. Davies will also address the graduating students.

Davies graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1972 with a degree in journalism, and served nearly 43 years with Parks and Tourism.

“Richard Davies is a U of A graduate who has left a lasting mark, for the better, on the state of Arkansas,” said Chancellor Joseph Steinmetz. “In fact he has left many marks. Anyone who has enjoyed a visit to any of the 52 state parks in Arkansas owes Richard Davies their thanks. 

“Perhaps more significant, anyone who has earned a living as a part of the $5.9 billion Arkansas tourism industry should be grateful to Richard for his career spent building and promoting state tourism. He is a public servant who has clearly made Arkansas a better place.”

Richard W. Davies

Davies’ career with the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism spanned nearly 43 years. He served as state parks director for 14 years and as executive director for 25, serving on the cabinet of five Arkansas governors. 

As executive director, Davies was responsible for overseeing all development and operations of the state parks, grants and technical assistance to communities for parks, the promotion of the state through the Tourism Division, the operation of the state archives at the History Commission, and the fight against litter with the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission.

Davies was instrumental in the passage of Amendment 75 to the Arkansas Constitution in 1996. The “1/8th Cent Conservation Amendment” created protected funding for conservation agencies in the state. 

He was honored as State Parks Director of the Year by the National Association of State Parks Directors, and was inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame, as well as the Halls of Fame of the Arkansas Hospitality Association and the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation.

The Arkansas Broadcasters Association named him Arkansan of the Year in 2004, and in 2008 he was inducted into the Hall of Honor by the Lemke Journalism Alumni Society at the University of Arkansas.

Davies served on the state’s Natural Resource Committee, the Natural and Cultural Resources Council, the Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission, the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission and the Ozark Folk Cultural Commission.

In 1998 he received a presidential appointment as vice-chair of the National Recreation Lakes Study Commission, which was established to make recommendations to the president and Congress on the future of federal reservoirs.

Davies also served 27 years in the U.S. Army Reserve, and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1999. He and his wife, Betsy, also a U of A graduate, have two daughters and two granddaughters.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.