Plenty of people are offering tokens of congratulations and thanks as Gov. Mike Beebe enters his last month in office, but Tuesday night a group of old friends arrived at the Governor's Mansion with what will likely be the only gift that requires a leash.
The Wise Olde Goats, a luncheon club of well-connected mostly retired professional men, introduced the governor to Ouachita, a white Saanen goat that will turn 1 in February. And while Ouachita will return to the Heifer Village Ranch in Perryville, the club bought a goat in the governor's name to be sent through Heifer International to a needy family overseas.
"Since the governor is leaving office, we thought it would be appropriate to give him a goat through Heifer," said Steve Stephens, a well-known former television personality and vice chairman of the Wise Olde Goats. "The governor has been a longtime member of the Wise Olde Goats, and we wanted something that was both humorous and did some good in the world."
Charles Hathaway, chancellor emeritus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and chairman of the Wise Olde Goats, also attended the presentation Tuesday. Hathaway said Beebe has been an honorary member of the club for the past five or six years, joking that Beebe, who will turn 68 later this month, is one of the group's youngest members.
The governor was to host a private holiday event at the mansion Tuesday night but stepped away for a few minutes to receive the gift. For her part, the pregnant Ouachita was well-mannered and dressed to the nines in a Heifer blanket and sparkling red bell.
"Who's going to hold the goat?" Beebe joked, before Ouachita's leash was tucked in his hand.
"Well, if President Bartlett can do it on The West Wing, I suppose I can do it, too," he said, referring to a situation on a television show about a fictional presidential administration that aired in the early 2000s.
In a 2003 episode, the president is asked to pose with a goat from Little Rock-based Heifer International to promote the hunger-relief nonprofit. The organization uses donations to provide livestock to impoverished families all over the world.
Heifer spokesman Allison Stephens, no relation to Steve, said the organization could not track where individual goats are sent because it provides hundreds of animals to people in South America, Africa and other parts of the world.
"That would be a challenge for an organization that big. We are just a conduit for the gift," she said.
But because Ouachita had to go back to the nonprofit's ranch, a goat ornament was left with Beebe, who said he'll place it on the state Christmas tree -- one of several inside the mansion.
The Wise Olde Goats was started in 1965 to celebrate the birthdays of its members, many of whom were retired friends and prominent businessmen in Little Rock. The club, which still holds luncheons, has remained a gathering for old friends but has evolved to include prominent guest speakers on a range of topics from downtown development to college sports.
The current roster lists about 20 members and boasts former governors, judges, doctors and businessmen, including Arkansas Democrat-Gazette publisher Walter Hussman.
Metro on 12/10/2014