Notable Deaths in 2014

Jeff Baskin, 67, the executive director of the William F. Laman Public Library System in North Little Rock, died Sept. 9.

January

Stan Bedford, 60, of Lowell, the founder, owner and CEO of Bedford Camera & Video, died Jan. 8 after a bout with Parkinson’s disease. Bedford opened the first Bedford store in 1974 and grew the business to six locations and 86 employees. He was also a member of Cross Church and served on the pastor’s council.

April

Lawrence Hamilton, 59, a Broadway star and musician, died April 3 after complications from surgery. Hamilton was a native of Foreman in Little River County and went on to have parts in Broadway shows including “The Wiz,” “Blues in the Night” and “Ragtime.” His other professional accomplishments included performances for President Ronald Reagan and for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. 

May

Justin Morris, 77, a former University of Arkansas professor, executive vice president of the Ozark Food Processors Association and a giant in the grape and wine industry, died May 19. Morris spent more than 40 years at the University of Arkansas System’s Division of Agriculture, where he was a distinguished professor in the Food Science Department and director of the Institute of Food Science & Engineering before retiring in 2009.

June

Ron Breeding, 54, the news and program director of KUAR-FM, 89.1 radio from 2000 to 2012, was found dead at his home on June 12. Breeding worked for KARN-AM, 920 and the Arkansas Radio Network in Little Rock before joining KUAR, where he expanded the station’s local news content.

July

Donnie Frederic, 60, the CEO of St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Russellville, died of a heart attack on July 4. Frederic took the helm of St. Mary’s in January 2012 and oversaw the investment of approximately $25 million in capital expenditures for expansions in cardiology, cancer treatment and diagnostics, as well as the 48,000-SF Millard-Henry Clinic.

William Garner, 99, who helped spearhead the development of Greers Ferry Lake, died July 6. Garner worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 58 years. During his tenure there, he helped develop the Bull Shoals Dam in Mountain Home and the Table Rock Dam in Branson, Missouri. He also planned and organized the dedication of the dam at Greers Ferry by President John F. Kennedy on Oct. 3, 1963.

September

Jeff Baskin, 67, the executive director of the William F. Laman Public Library System in North Little Rock, died Sept. 9. Baskin joined the Laman Library as director in 1987 after working to expand the library at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He oversaw the great expansion of the Laman Library, including the opening of its first branch, the Argenta Branch, and the opening of the new Argenta Branch Library on April 5.

October

Jon Kennedy, 96, a longtime editorial cartoonist for the Arkansas Democrat and Arkansas Business, died Oct. 10. Kennedy joined the Democrat in 1941, enlisted in the Army in 1943 and returned to the paper in 1946. He continued producing editorial cartoons for the paper until September 1988, and returned to cartooning from 1992 to 2005 for Arkansas Business.

Bob Lamb, 82, who led the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas for 25 years, died Oct. 25. Lamb was executive vice president of the State Chamber/AIA from 1965 to 1990 and oversaw several projects and initiatives, including developing an industrial recruitment program. Lamb was an officer and director of Arkansas Western Gas Co. for 18 years after leaving the chamber.

November

Jacob Wells, 45, an accountant, nonprofit adviser and running official, died Nov. 7. Wells worked for more than 20 years as an accountant, including 16 years at JPMS Cox PLLC of Little Rock. He frequently assisted nonprofits with their accounting, served on several nonprofit boards and posthumously received the 2014 Public Service Award from the Arkansas Society of Certified Public Accountants. Wells was also a member of several running clubs and served as an official for races that benefitted a variety of charities and nonprofits.

William H. Bowen, 91, a lawyer, banker and political adviser, died Nov. 12. Bowen specialized in tax and corporate law before becoming president of Commercial National Bank in 1971. The bank merged with First National Bank in 1983 and was sold to Regions Financial Corp. in 1998. From 1995-97, Bowen served as dean of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s law school, which was renamed the William H. Bowen School of Law in 2000. Bowen’s political credentials included serving as chief of staff of then-Gov. Bill Clinton during the latter’s successful presidential bid.

Bill Fontes, 58, the general manager of the Little Rock Marriott, died Nov. 29 after a brief illness. Fontes worked for 35 years in the hotel industry and took over the role of general manager of The Peabody of Little Rock in February 2013 before it was reflagged as a Marriott in the spring of 2013.