Veteran inducted into Arkansas Military VeteransHall of Fame

LITTLE ROCK — LTC (R) Gilbert “Gil” Fowler, of Jonesboro, was recently inducted into the Arkansas Military Veterans Hall of Fame (AMVHOF). He is one of 15 veterans to be inducted this year. Ceremonies were held at the Double Tree Hotel in Little Rock last week.

Fowler tells the Sun he retired from military service in 2000, after serving in many roles, including as commanding officer of the 318 Military Intelligence Detachment, the 343rd Public Affairs Detachment, Public Affairs Officer for the 122nd Regional Support Command, and the 90th Regional Support Command.

Fowler received a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1971 at Arkansas State University, and tells us he was commissioned into the Army through the ASU ROTC program. He says he earned a master's at Ole Miss and a doctorate at Southern Illinois, both in journalism, and later graduated from the U.S.

Army Command and General Staff College.

Fowler tells the Sun he taught in Mississippi and Illinois then became a television reporter before joining A-State's faculty as an assistance professor in 1978, where he says he quickly earned promotions to associate, then full professor. He also served as interim dean of the honors college, graduate school, and college of communications during a career spanning 43 years. He was named a Distinguished Alumni three years ago.

During his time at AState, Fowler says he obtained grants to fund more than 25 student enrichment trips to the Middle East, where he also recruited students to attend A-State. He tells the Sun he recently became president and founding director of the American Business Leadership Institute, working with students and businesses in Pakistan.

Fowler says his involvement with professional organizations included many leadership roles, such as national president of the Kappa Tau Alpha journalism honor society, national president of the Western Social Science Association, and national vice president and board member for Phi Kappa Phi honor society. The Arkansas Press Association named him Arkansas Journalism Educator of the Year in 2019, and he was named to A-State's ROTC Hall of Heroes.

He tells the Sun he is an active member of the Northeast Arkansas Chapter of the Military Officers Association and is the northeast Arkansas chair for the Employee Support of the Guard and Reserve organization.

He and his wife Carolyn have two children, Barry Fowler (wife, Sarah) of Nashville, TN and Kara Fowler of Jonesboro.

The Arkansas Military Veterans' Hall of Fame website says its primary purpose is to honor Arkansas military veterans and to educate the state of the veterans' outstanding accomplishments.

Up to fifteen Arkansas military veterans are inducted into the hall of fame and awarded the “Hall of Fame Medallion” recognizing their military service to our nation and to the State of

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Arkansas each year, according to AMVHOF.

Others inducted this year include, Daniel Fritz Hall, Gregory Thomas Beck, Daurice Cordell Vest, Denver 'Bull' Randleman, Harold Newt Chaffin, James Lavern Harbottle, Jimme Chales Leonard, Leonard George Anderson Jr., George A.

Crocker, Patricia Marie Anslow, Randal Scott Jernigan, Randall Lloyd Harvey, Randy Dale 'R.D.' Kinsey and Terry Evans.

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Former Greene County deputy arrested

A former Greene County deputy has been arrested and is facing a theft charge, according to Arkansas State Police.

Former deputy James Huffstetler, 56, of Paragould was arrested Monday afternoon on suspicion of felony theft of property.

According to a media release, Arkansas State Police special agents arrested Huffstetler after a months’ long investigation. The Greene County Sheriff’s Office, along with Greene County prosecutors, asked ASP to investigate suspected theft within the sheriff’s office.

“During the investigation, agents recovered GCSO property from Huffstetler,” ASP said in the media release.

Huffstetler was arrested at his Paragould home and taken to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, according to authorities.

Greene County Sheriff Brad Snyder said he requested the investigation in mid-July after reports of cash seized from DTF arrests turning up missing from a safe in Huffstetler’s office.

Huffstetler, who had worked with the sheriff’s office since November 2017, had been assigned to narcotics cases and was a DTF agent, Snyder said. Huffstetler was placed on administrative leave July 15 and was terminated Aug. 12, Snyder said.

Authorities also contacted DTF administrators and a DTF audit was done on DTF cases held by the department.

“It was found that only the cash seizures were missing,” Snyder said in a statement.

Snyder said ASP later served a search warrant at Huffstetler’s house after Huffstetler was terminated and after he turned in his departmentissued equipment.

Authorities found more department-issued equipment during the search, Snyder said.