AAC
FEATURE
Left: Randolph County Circuit Clerk and AAC Board President Debbie Wise (left) and AAC Executive Director Chris Villines (right) present the Wes Fowler Advocacy Award to Madison County Judge Frank Weaver. Right: Madison County Judge Frank Weaver suc- ceeded Wes Fowler as county judge in 2011. He also served as president of the County Judges Association of Arkansas.
Wes Fowler Advocacy Award presented to ‘humble’ Madison County Judge
Story by Christy L. Smith
Photos byHolland Doran AAC Communications Staff
Madison County Judge and County Judges Association of Ar- kansas President Frank Weaver received the award, which rec- ognizes a county or district official who best embodies Fowler’s dedication to local government and demonstrates “tireless work in boldly advocating for the counties of Arkansas.” Weaver was self-employed in the logging industry and
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served as fire chief and first responder for the Kingston Fire Department before running for retiring County Judge Wes Fowler’s seat in 2010. “I am very honored to receive an award like this — and
very humbled that I was even considered for, let alone, chosen for it,” said Weaver. “I’m challenged by it as well to continue working in the direction of the person who this award was es- tablished for. His intent was for every county to succeed, and I want to continue doing that for as long as I can.” Te award was established in 2017 following the death of
COUNTY LINES, SUMMER 2019
he Association of Arkansas Counties (AAC) awarded the 2019 Wes Fowler Advocacy Award during its 51st annual conference, held Aug. 21- 23, 2019, in Garland County.
Fowler, who spent decades working in Madison County gov- ernment before finishing his career at the AAC as Governmen- tal Relations Director. Te award will be given annually to a county or district official that has exhibited great passion for advocacy over the previous year. Te AAC Board of Directors Scholarship Committee selects the recipient of the award. Re- cipients will receive an Arkansas County Diamond Award and will be honored in perpetuity at the AAC with a permanently placed plaque and names added each year. Randolph County Circuit Clerk and AAC Board President
Debbie Wise and AAC Executive Director Chris Villines pre- sented the advocacy award to Weaver. In her presentation, Wise called Judge Weaver “an unassum-
ing and humble person.” Villines reminisced about the friend- ship Weaver and Fowler shared and explained the reasons Weaver was selected to receive the award. “Tey had a deep friendship, and both lived Godly lives. I will never forget Frank singing at Wes’ funeral and the love the two of them shared,” said Villines. “Frank has earned leader- ship roles within the County Judges’ Association of Arkansas, and he helped lead them to an incredibly successful 2019 leg- islative session as their president.” Weaver and his wife, Beth, have been married for 45 years. Tey have three sons.
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