Winthrop Rockefeller Walking Tour

A Walk With the Govenor

Winthrop Rockefeller Walking Tour

Oppelo, Arkansas 72110, United States

Created By: Helen Tyson

Tour Information

During your experience today, you’ll be walking through the life of Winthrop Rockefeller. By the end of your walk with the Governor, you’ll see how Winthrop’s life experiences informed his leadership.

Here at the Institute we have developed a process called the Rockefeller Ethic, based on Winthrop’s values. The Rockefeller Ethic, which believes practicing collaborative problem solving, engaging in respectful dialogue, and valuing diversity of opinion can combine to create transformational change. Transformational change can happen in people, in systems, and in communities.

The Rockefeller Ethic is rooted in these five values, which we take from the life and lessons of Winthrop Rockefeller himself: Responsibility to the common good, Relationships that foster mutual understanding, Respect across differences, Resolving to think creatively, and embracing Reform to find new solutions to old problems. These values are all absolutely essential to be effective and to reach common goals. We’re going to talk more about each of these values and how they motivated Winthrop as a leader.


Tour Map

Loading Tour

 

What You'll See on the Tour

Winthrop once spent an extended period on restricted activity, due to a childhood ailment, and learned that he could burn paper or wood by concentrating the sun’s rays using a flashlight lens. He took his lens and burned a verse of Edgar ... Read more
Abby Rockefeller, Winthrop’s mother, encouraged her children to take a genuine interest in people and their work. She insisted on Winthrop and the other children spending time in the kitchens learning to cook and serve food (photo 1). Th... Read more
The lake you see is called “Lake Abby”, named after Winthrop’s mother, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, with whom he was very close (photo 1). Abby was an outgoing and vivacious socialite, a compassionate and warm woman who enjoyed life to i... Read more
Winthrop found himself amongst the youngest of the Rockefeller brothers and in the awkward position of middle child – three years younger than Laurence and two years older than the baby, David (photo 1). Winthrop refers to being teased by... Read more
“We found out that some of the beautiful old trees up there were right in the way of where we need to put up buildings or open roads… They said that I’d have to either sacrifice the trees or my plans, but I suggested that we just move... Read more
The Rockefeller siblings were all raised to believe in philanthropy. Together they would found the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which was essentially a combined checkbook that provided the collective philanthropy to support their special resp... Read more
Winthrop had the chance to prove himself one day when the oil drill hit a gas pocket and the mud used to stabilize the pressure in the well began to foam (photo 1). If not quickly rectified, the foaming mud can quickly become diluted and th... Read more
Winthrop left Texas in 1937 after working four years in the oil fields. He went on to serve the family business in other roles, including a stint working in Europe in the years leading up to WWII (photo 1a). His observation of the rise of ... Read more
Winthrop’s life took a dramatic turn in 1953 when an old Army buddy, Frank Newell of Little Rock, invited him to come to Arkansas for a visit (photo 1).  Standing atop Petit Jean Mountain, Winthrop fell in love with Arkansas (photo 2). H... Read more
Winthrop immediately began purchasing land atop the broad plateau of Petit Jean Mountain – nearly 1000 acres – and set about building his farm. He envisioned a model cattle farm atop Petit Jean where innovative practices and a first-cla... Read more
Winthrop saw with great clarity the tremendous obstacles facing Arkansas in 1953 (photo 1). The state had yet to make a move from an agrarian economy to an industrialized one, and had lost 8.4% of its population between 1940-1960 due to the... Read more
 “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 R... Read more
Stay Connected: 1 Rockefeller Drive Morrilton, Arkansas (501) 727-5435 FacebookTwitterLinkedInInstagramYouTube...

 

Leave a Comment

 


 

Download the App

Download the PocketSights Tour Guide mobile app to take this self-guided tour on your GPS-enabled mobile device.

iOS Tour Guide Android Tour Guide

 


 

Updates and Corrections

Please send change requests to changerequest@pocketsights.com.