Stop 12: WR's Office at Institute

“Since leaving his cave, man never has found what he was searching for; been anywhere near what he was content to be. Neither, going forward, will he ever get there.”

January 10, 1967, Winthrop Rockefeller became Arkansas’s first Republican governor since 1874 (photo 1). Listen to his inauguration speech (photo 2 and audio link).

Re-elected in 1968, Winthrop would come to be known as transformational governor. He would bring much needed prison reform to the state (photo 3). He would make a case for better investments in public schools. He would shine a light on corruption in government. He would make a strong case for Arkansas to invest in itself by raising taxes – strong enough that after his defeat in 1970 a democratic governor and legislature would finally pass his tax package. He took a difficult and unpopular but courageous stand on civil rights. His willingness to “do what couldn’t be done” helped Arkansas set the stage for a true two-party, competitive system for the first time ever in its history. By raising a challenge to the old ways and creating an “alternative” in politics, he had opened eyes and sharpened views. He had brought long overdue reform to a state that badly needed it.

As Arkansas’ 37th governor, Winthrop brought needed reforms to Arkansas’s system of government, championed civil rights and opportunities for African-Americans, and inspired belief in economic opportunity and social justice in Arkansas. REFORM is the outcome of collaborative problem solving. The Institute convenes groups to consider how to make changes in our society that create a better world. By bringing together diverse viewpoints, fostering mutual respect and understanding, committing to entrepreneurial thinking, and asking an important question designed to reform, indeed, designed to transform. We always ask the question “What do you want to be different when you leave?”