Retired banker honored at Heber Springs banquet

Gary Redd stands in front of the Heber Springs Area Chamber of Commerce, where he has served on the board of directors, including as president. Redd was named 2019 Heber Springs Citizen of the Year earlier this month. He retired in 2018 after a 44-year banking career, and he said community involvement has always been important to him.
Gary Redd stands in front of the Heber Springs Area Chamber of Commerce, where he has served on the board of directors, including as president. Redd was named 2019 Heber Springs Citizen of the Year earlier this month. He retired in 2018 after a 44-year banking career, and he said community involvement has always been important to him.

— Gary Redd is the 2019 Heber Springs Citizen of the Year, but he could just have easily earned that title a long time ago.

Redd wasted no time getting involved when he and his wife, Tonya, moved to Heber Springs in 2001.

“I’m not a native by any means,” he said. “I just loved community involvement; I still do.”

The first organization he joined was the Heber Springs Rotary Club, where he made his mark. He was Outstanding Rotarian in 2005, received the Service Above Self Award in 2007 and is a four-time Paul Harris Fellow. He also served as president of the chapter.

A couple of years later, he joined the Heber Springs Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He served as its president in 2006 and gave his energy to the chamber’s fundraising events.

He braved the hot sun every year to be master of ceremonies for the World Championship Cardboard Boat Races, along with Paul Muse.

“That was my favorite, and the fireworks,” Redd said.

He has never stepped foot in a cardboard boat, though.

“Oh, no,” he said, laughing. “I’ve always had fun watching the others sink.”

Redd rises to the top of any organization of which he’s a member.

The chamber presented the Citizen of the Year award to Redd at a banquet earlier this month, to his surprise — and almost in his absence.

“They called a month or two before and asked me about a speaker,” Redd said, “and I know Walt Coleman.”

Redd called Coleman, a National Football League referee and executive at Hiland Dairy in Little Rock, and asked him to be the keynote speaker for the banquet.

“I really wasn’t planning on going to the banquet,” Redd said, “but my wife said, ‘You need to go and sit with Walt because you invited him.’”

Redd said his wife was in on the surprise about the award.

“I thought it was a great honor, seeing some of them who had [been named Citizen of the Year] in the past,” Redd said.

Jeremy Bivins, president of the chamber board of directors, said Redd is a “Johnny-on-the-spot guy.”

“Anytime you needed somebody, he’s one of those you could call, and he’d be there to help out,” Bivins said. “He’s served on just about every committee and board in the city, civically, that’s possible.

“He loves this community and loves being a part of it, not just this, but Eden Isle.”

Redd and his wife live in the small community just outside the city limits of Heber Springs.

Redd, 67, grew up in Little Rock and attended Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. He started his career in 1974 at First American National Bank in North Little Rock, then went to Worthen Bank in Little Rock in 1976. He also held positions at banks in Stuttgart and Greenbrier.

Redd retired in August 2018 as senior vice president at First Arkansas Bank and Trust in Heber Springs, culminating a 44-year career in banking.

When Redd retired, Cleburne County Judge Jerry Holmes and Heber Springs Mayor Jimmy Clark declared it “Gary Redd Day.” The proclamation stated that Redd has made a significant impact on the quality of life in Heber Springs.

Redd praised bank officials for encouraging him and other employees to be involved in the community.

“I was very fortunate when I worked for Bill Lynch (CEO of Eagle Bank, previously Heber Springs State Bank) and Larry Wilson, president and CEO of First Arkansas Bank and Trust. Both were very heavily involved in the community and allowed me the time to be away from work and serve on these boards.”

“These boards” included the Heber Springs School Board, which Redd served on from 2011 to 2018. He was elected president of the board twice.

“I was president in 2013 when voters passed the millage for the $12 million [project],” Redd said. That included building a fine-arts center, renovating the cafeteria and improving safety at the elementary school. He was also the board president in 2015 when Alan Stauffacher was hired as superintendent of the Heber Springs School District.

Redd said one of his “feel-good” accomplishments was being involved at the bank in donating a building to the county.

“First Arkansas Bank and Trust had an old bank building at Main and Third streets. We donated that to the county, and that’s where Judge [Jerry] Holmes’ office is.

“This building was empty for quite a while. When Larry [Wilson] came on board, we decided we were going to donate it to the county,” Redd said.

The city also benefited from Redd’s service on the Heber Springs Our Town Committee, which successfully oversaw the passage of a 1-cent citywide sales tax to build a sports complex and community center.

“That’s one of my proudest moments,” Redd said. “It passed by 70 percent. The community told us they wanted this.”

Redd and his wife have lived in the Eden Isle community since they moved to the area. Redd is president of the Eden Isle Corp. Board, which oversees the property owners, and is a member of the Eden Isle Sewer Facilities Board.

A $4 million project is planned to close the Eden Isle sewer plant, then pipe the community’s untreated water to Heber Springs.

“That’ll get rid of our sewer plant; we’ve been wanting to do it for a long time,” he said.

“Last year, our homeowners — there are about 445 homeowners and 120 lot owners — agreed to increase their fees 25 percent to do that; that’s how much they’re behind it. We’re doing the behind-the-scenes work, and hopefully, by the end of summer, we’ll see a groundbreaking …,” Redd said.

“Once we get everything in place, the pump stations and sewer lines will belong to the Eden Isle Sewer Facilities Board,” he said. “We negotiated with Heber Springs to start accepting our untreated water.

“It’ll help Greers Ferry Lake by no longer putting treated water into the lake. Even though [the water] is treated and clean, it’s the perception of putting wastewater in our lake. I just really want to get away from that; all of us do. It’s worth every dime for it.”

Redd also served on the Arkansas State University-Heber Springs Development Council and advisory board, which oversaw the construction of the campus.

He’s also given of his time and talents to First United Methodist Church Heber Springs, where he is a familiar face on committees.

Although Redd said he’s “slowing down some” on his board service, he still spends time to improve the community. He’s been on the Baptist Health Foundation Board since 2003 and was president from 2013-2015. He’s also on the hospital advisory board.

An avid golfer, since 2007 he’s been the chairman of the annual Beasley Bash Golf Tournament, a hospital fundraiser.

“We’ve raised over half a million dollars, probably, for equipment for our hospital,” he said.

“If you don’t have a good school system, good hospital and good chamber — good industry, also — your town’s going to suffer,” he said.

Not if Gary Redd can help it.

Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.

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