Jim Gaston in one of the many boats at his Gaston's White River Resort in Lakeview.
Jim Gaston, the Arkansas outdoorsman who transformed his father’s resort into a world-class destination for trout fishing, died Monday. He was 73.
A memorial is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 21, at the Vada Shied Center at Arkansas State University-Mountain Home. Interment will be private. Roller Funeral Home in Mountain Home is handling the service.
The family said memorial contributions can be made to Hospice of the Ozarks Hospice House, the Arkansas Tourism Development Education Foundation Scholarship Fund or the Jim Gaston Scholarship Fund at ASU.
Gaston, an emeritus commissioner for the state Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission, was someone people in the state’s tourism industry listened to, according to Richard Davies, executive director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
“Arkansas has lost a legend,” Davies said Monday. “Jim has been a champion of both tourism and parks his entire life he was very much a renaissance man.
“He knew about computers and websites when none of the rest of us did. He immersed himself in whatever he got interested in. He also had hobbies. He became an expert on fountain pens and steam engines and motorcycles. He went from one thing to another. He’s always been a very valued commissioner and people listened to Gaston.”
Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Gaston devoted his life to Arkansas.
“A great Arkansas character who enjoyed life and devoted himself to our great state, Jim Gaston was one of the pioneers of the tourism industry in Arkansas,” Hutchinson said. “His name became synonymous with fishing and the White River. While he will be missed by many Arkansans, he has left behind a lasting legacy.”
Gaston’s White River Resort began in 1958 when Al Gaston, Jim’s father, bought 20 acres along the White River in Lakeview. The acreage included six cottages and six boats.
In 1966, Jim’s father died and a bank sought to foreclose on the resort’s property. Jim Gaston, still in his 20s with little business experience, developed a business plan to get a $15,000 bank loan.
Gaston told Arkansas Business in 2010 that after making his pitch, the banker gave him the loan without objection. Gaston said he went to his car and sobbed with relief.
He eventually transformed the resort into a property consisting of 400 acres, two miles of river frontage, 79 cottages, a 125-seat conference center, a restaurant, a private club, a 3,200-feet airstrip and more, backed by a seasonal staff of 75 to 100.
Along the way, Gaston became a giant in Arkansas’ tourism industry. He held various leadership positions with the Arkansas Hospitality Association and the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce. He has been president of the Arkansas Tourism Development Foundation since its founding in 1970.
“The resort is me,” Gaston said. “It’s not an investment. It’s me. I can’t ever see me giving it up.”
On Monday, friends and colleagues said goodbye on Gaston’s Facebook page. Among them, William E. Ott II, the director of marketing and communications for the Crescent Hotel and Spa in Eureka Springs, who called Gaston one of state tourism’s “greatest ambassadors and advocates.”
In a 2012 interview with Arkansas Business, Gaston said that 50 years into his career, he was still finding out new things.
“I started out at 20 years old, so I thought I knew everything! I found out along the way that was not the case. At age 70, I am still learning. I always wanted to own my own business, only to learn that the business owns me,” he said. “Throughout, there have been and will continue to be many changes. I have come to learn there are two things one cannot change: Mother Nature and the rules of capitalism.”
Gaston is among the honorees at this year’s Arkansas Game & Fish Foundation Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame awards. Gaston, who was inducted into the hall in 1999, will receive the Legacy Award at the ceremony, which is scheduled for Aug. 21.
Gaston has a visitors center named for him at Bull Shoals-White River State Park. In 2011, he was named Arkansas Business’ Executive of the Year.
An avid photographer, Gaston donated a collection of his photographs to Arkansas State University-Mountain Home, which published them in a book called “An Ozark Perspective.” Proceeds from the book went to the ASUMH General Scholarship Fund.
Gaston in 2010, Named Arkansas Business Executive of the Year
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