1 State of Arkansas
2 93rd General Assembly
3 Regular Session, 2021 SMR 7
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5 By: Senators G. Stubblefield, A. Clark
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7 SENATE MEMORIAL RESOLUTION
8 IN RESPECTFUL MEMORY OF SENATOR LINDA COLLINS AND IN
9 RECOGNITION OF HER MANY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STATE OF
10 ARKANSAS AND HER LOCAL COMMUNITY.
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13 Subtitle
14 IN RESPECTFUL MEMORY OF SENATOR LINDA
15 COLLINS AND IN RECOGNITION OF HER MANY
16 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STATE OF ARKANSAS
17 AND HER LOCAL COMMUNITY.
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20 WHEREAS, Linda Collins, born on April 17, 1962, in Pocahontas,
21 Arkansas, to Benny and the late Carolyn Vernice Hunnicutt Collins,
22 died on June 4, 2019, at fifty-seven (57) years of age; and
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24 WHEREAS, Ms. Collins received her education in Williford, Arkansas, and
25 was a businesswoman, entrepreneur, and was self-employed for numerous decades
26 as the owner of an award-winning lodging business in Pocahontas and a
27 nationally recognized real estate agent and regional manager; and
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29 WHEREAS, Ms. Collins served as past president of the Arkansas Lodging
30 Association, was a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, was
31 founding member of the Friends of the NRA in Hardy, Arkansas, served on the
32 Arkansas Ethics Commission and the Lower Mississippi Delta Development
33 Council, and was founder of the Randolph County Tourism Association; and
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35 WHEREAS, Ms. Collins was elected to the House of Representatives in
36 2010 and served one (1) term, switched from the Democratic Party to the
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1 Republican Party in 2011, and was elected to the Senate in 2014 and served
2 one (1) term; and
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4 WHEREAS, Senator Collins recognized the importance of working
5 with other legislators across the United States, serving in the Southern
6 Legislative Conference and the American Legislative Exchange Council and on
7 committees and task forces of both entities; and in 2015, she was appointed
8 to serve as Arkansas State Director for the National Foundation for Women
9 Legislators, which is the nation's oldest organization that addresses the
10 needs of elected women at all levels of government; and
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12 WHEREAS, Senator Collins was a long-time member of Sutton Free Will
13 Baptist Church in Pocahontas and she loved God and her family; she served her
14 community, her state, and her country; she was a cherished member of her
15 community and was a dear friend to many across the state, never meeting a
16 stranger; and she was dedicated to her constituents and worked tirelessly to
17 serve them; and
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19 WHEREAS, Senator Collins was a member of Gun Owners of America, the
20 Arkansas Hospitality Association, the National Federation of Independent
21 Business, the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce, the Randolph County Arkansas
22 Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, the Arkansas Lodging Association, and
23 the Arkansas Federation of Republican Women; and
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25 WHEREAS, Senator Collins left to cherish her memory her father Benny
26 Collins, children Butch Smith and his wife Jennifer of Pocahontas and Heather
27 Tate Williams and her husband John of Bryant, sister Kathy Franks,
28 grandchildren Reese Williams of Bryant and Brayden Smith and Jackson Smith of
29 Pocahontas, and numerous family members and friends,
30
31 NOW THEREFORE,
32 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE
33 STATE OF ARKANSAS:
34
35 THAT the Senate remember and commend Senator Linda Collins
36 for her hard work, dedication, and many contributions to the State of
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1 Arkansas and her local community.
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3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the individual members of the Senate hereby
4 express sincere condolences to the family of Senator Collins, and upon
5 adoption of this resolution, that an appropriate copy be provided to the
6 family of Senator Collins by the Secretary of the Senate.
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