Julian Duval Streett

Julian Duval Streett of Little Rock, age 76, died Thursday, July 18, 2013. Born in Camden, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Law, Julian Streett was a member of a family of lawyers who have included his great-grandfather, grandfather, father, an uncle, a brother, two daughters, two nephews, a niece, and some cousins. Mr. Streett practiced law in Camden with his father, Johnson Bruce Streett, and served five terms in the Arkansas General Assembly as a State Representative from Ouachita County during the terms of Governors Rockefeller, Bumpers, and Pryor. Mr. Streett, a lifelong Democrat, was a strong supporter of civil rights, education, and labor and served on the board of Independent Community Consultants, an organization that provided training to nonprofit agencies worldwide. During his service in the House of Representatives, Mr. Streett was one of the "young Turks," a group of legislators who overhauled the general assembly's budget process. Throughout his legislative career and beyond, he fought to provide adequate funding for special education, community colleges, and higher education. He served as a member of the Southern Regional Education Board by appointment of Governor David Pryor. As a result of his interest in higher education, Mr. Streett was appointed Vice President for Government Relations of the University of Arkansas system in 1978. He subsequently opened a law practice in Fayetteville with his wife, Sharon Carden Streett, and Ceclia Ryker Seay. In 1983, Mr. Streett relocated to Little Rock where he founded Community Resources Network, an advocacy organization that coordinated efforts state-wide among non-profit providers serving people with developmental disabilities. During his tenure as director of the association, he dramatically increased funding for client services provided by the association's members. Mr. Streett was honored by the American Network of Community Options and Resources in Washington, D.C., as a 2011 ANCOR Legacy Leader for his outstanding work in preserving critical funding utilized in twenty states to serve people with developmental disabilities. Mr. Streett was an avid hunter and member of the OCC and Skybusters hunt clubs. He was the proud owner of a silver 1993 Mazda RX7 and spent many happy hours with his son John modifying their twin RX7s. He was a voracious reader, a gardener, and a birder. The family would like to thank the wonderful women who provided able and compassionate care to Mr. Streett in his final days: Charlene Shelton, Jennifer Vaughn, Rhyaan McClanahan, and Kymyotta Mackey. Mr. Streett was preceded in death by his father, J. Bruce Streett; his mother, Gertrude Sanderson Streett; and two brothers, James Albert Streett and John Bruce Streett. Survivors include his beloved wife, Sharon Carden Streett; children Rebecca Louise Streett, Katherine Sanderson Streett, David Julian Streett, of Little Rock, Sarah Burns Streett and husband, Adam Boyd, of Lewisville Colorado, Lindsay Williams Zimliki and husband, Chip, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, and John Carden Streett, of Hyde Park, New York. He is also survived by his brother, Alex G. Streett of Russellville, Arkansas; two sisters, Gertrude Kenny of Reno, Colorado, and Shelly Grunden of Russellville, Arkansas; and grandchildren Rachel Hope Anderson, McKinley Burns Streett, Perry Sanderson Streett, Chase Munroe Binsky, Hannah Chilton Streett, Morgan Elizabeth Boyd, Sydney Streett Boyd, and Charles Leo Zimliki III. A reception celebrating Julian's life will be held in Sturgis Hall at the Clinton School of Public Service (the Choctaw Building), Clinton Presidential Center, 1200 President Clinton Avenue, Little Rock, Arkansas, on Saturday, July 27, at 4 p.m. Friends and family are invited. Julian Streett was an ardent supporter of conservation efforts in Arkansas, particularly those preserving Arkansas' rivers. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Nature Conservancy Arkansas, Restoring the Iconic Cache River (http://www.nature.org/), or the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance (http://buffaloriveralliance.org/).