Henry Alexander Broach, Jr.

Henry Alexander Broach Jr., rose from subsistence to affluence and lived some of his dreams while never forgetting his origin. A private man, he disdained loud talk and pretense, was skeptical of elaborate systems of any kind and respected integrity and an honest day's work no matter who did it. He died June 2, 2021, in Little Rock, at age 86. Born on the family farm in Bucksnort, near Fordyce, Dallas County, he was raised as an only child, his nearest neighbor a mile away. He graduated from Fordyce High School and the University of Arkansas, where he pledged the Kappa Sigma fraternity, joined the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, and met his future wife, Joy Cox of Dumas. From an early age he wanted to fly airplanes and to be a stockbroker. He did both and more, beginning with service as an Air Force officer in Texas, Oklahoma, and, during the Cold War, for a year at Osan, South Korea. After returning from Korea, he flew jets with the 154th Tactical Reconnaissance squadron of the Arkansas Air National Guard. Decades later, he partnered to buy, restore and fly a twin-engine Piper aircraft and an even older T-34. Upon reading a job advertisement that his wife showed him, Mr. Broach applied in 1960 for a position as a stockbroker with the Little Rock office of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith Inc. He worked at Merrill for 31 years, switching in 1972 from stocks to high-leverage futures contracts. The sang froid of pilots was useful, for commodities markets could implode the value of trades by thousands of dollars in a few seconds. "You can make a lot of money in a hurry," he would say, "and you can have your head handed to you on a platter." During the high and volatile inflation of the time, Mr. Broach reduced risk for agricultural and banking clients, building Merrill's Shackleford Road office in Little Rock to its second largest commodity operation worldwide. Mr. Broach retired from the company in 1991 while continuing to pursue his passion for aviation and to invest time in community institutions. He served as a member of the Arkansas Aviation Historical Society and played a key role in the founding of its Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame. He supported Kappa Sigma's Xi chapter, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Arkansas Old State House Museum, and other nonprofits, wrote articles for the Arkansas Historical Quarterly and volunteered at the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum and annual meetings of the Clinton Global Initiative. As young adults, Mr. Broach and his wife joined the Episcopal Church and later raised their three children at St. Mark's in Little Rock. He served several times on the vestry there and for a time as treasurer of the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas. In retirement, the couple transferred to Christ Church downtown. Mr. Broach knew challenges and surprises. The dream house that he built in 1971 burned before his eyes nine months after he had moved his family into it. He suffered from debilitating migraine headaches for decades. He once landed the T-34 at Adams Field, now Clinton National Airport, with crash trucks trailing him after the nose wheel failed to lock into position. When the government planned to transform U.S. 65 into Interstate 530 between Little Rock and Pine Bluff, an acquaintance offered Mr. Broach access to the official but secret plats that showed where the freeway exits would be built; they could buy the land for a song and make a mint developing or selling it later. He considered the offer to be inappropriate. He is survived by his wife, Joy Broach of Little Rock; and three sons, Drew Ashley Broach of Jefferson, Louisiana, Whitney Cox Broach of Denver, Colorado, and Desten Alexander Broach of Piedmont, California; and three grandchildren. Memorial events are scheduled June 13, at Christ Episcopal Church, 509 Scott St., Little Rock. A repast begins at 1 p.m., and the funeral service at 2 p.m., followed by burial at Mount Holly Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family asks consideration for the Arkansas Community Foundation, Suite 51110, 5 Allied Drive, Little Rock, 72202. Please sign the online condolence book at: RuebelFuneralHome.com