PROFILE
Yell County Judge Mark Thone in his office in Dardenelle.
Jail, roads dominant issues for Yell Co. Judge Mark Thone
By Jennifer Barnett Reed For County Lines
t’s hard to imagine that a man who’s lived in the same coun- ty for all of his 56 years would have any corners of it left to explore. Yell County Judge Mark Tone, though, says finding those corners — and the people who live in them — has been one of the most enjoyable parts of his first term. “I’ve gotten to meet some people around the county and the state that I probably wouldn’t have ever met,” Tone said. “I’ve seen some areas of the county I’d never seen before, and I never took the time to see how beautiful it really is. It’s just a remarkable place to visit. It’s been a lot of fun.” Tone, who was born in Dardanelle and graduated from high school there in 1975, has farmed row crops since he graduated from the University of Central Arkansas. Terry, his wife of almost 30 years, is an elementary school teacher there. Tey have two grown sons — Cory, 27, who’s studying for a master’s degree in broadcast journalism at Arkansas Tech University, and Adam, 23, a graduate of Tech’s culinary arts program who’s now a chef at Big Cedar Lodge near Branson. Tone has always been involved in civic activities. His father was civil defense director for the county when Tone was growing up, so he spent a lot of time around the county’s two courthous- es. But when he was first approached about running for county judge three years ago, he initially said no. But after talking with his wife and doing some praying, he decided to go ahead with
I 38 COUNTY LINES, WINTER 2014
COUNTY OFFICIAL
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