For All Time

Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame set for August in Little Rock.

By Dwain Hebda

The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation will officially induct the 32nd class to its Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame on Aug. 26 in Little Rock.

Established in 1982, AGFF’s mission supports Arkansas Game and Fish Commission initiatives, particularly those engaging children and youth in the outdoors and outdoor activities. Proceeds from the induction banquet support the year-round work of the Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves as the fundraising adjunct to the AGFC, helping introduce hundreds to the joy of the outdoors every year.

“For more than 100 years, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has worked to conserve the state’s wildlife resources, thanks to the selfless contributions of people such as our 2023 slate of inductees and award winners,” said Deke Whitbeck, AGFF president. “We are delighted to be able to celebrate these success stories and the outstanding individuals behind them.”

The inductees include Jim Ronquest of Stuttgart, Tom Foti of Cammack Village, Bob Barringer of Little Rock and Ronnie Ritter of Hot Springs, the Morrell Family of Alma, and Brenda and Larry Potterfield of Columbia, MO. 

JIM RONQUEST

Jim Ronquest, a lifelong outdoorsman and well-known entrepreneur, helped develop two of the Mid-South’s most iconic outdoor brands. Following a long and distinguished career with Rich-N-Tone duck calls of Stuttgart, he’s now vice president, development with Mississippi-based Drake Waterfowl, a manufacturer of technical hunting and fishing apparel. 

The Missouri native also won the World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest in 2006 and was instrumental in launching and growing an outdoor hunting program, RNT-V, featuring Rich-N-Tone’s owner, John Stephens. He’s also Ducks Unlimited’s 2019 Conservation Communicator of the Year and is soon to be inducted in the Legends of The Outdoors Hall of Fame.

“I’ve been able to do what I’ve done in my career because of the opportunities the outdoors have given me,” he said of the Hall of Fame honor. “But the outdoors is not there just for the taking. We all enjoy a good hunt and that’s why we go back, whether it be catching a string of fish, stringer of ducks, or long beard turkey or big old buck deer. But if we don’t take care of the outdoors, it won’t be there to take care of us.”

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BOB BARRINGER & RONNIE RITTER

Recognizing the problem of hunger in the state, Bob Barringer founded Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry in 2000 to help connect a portion of harvested deer with those in need. Shortly thereafter, Ronnie Ritter signed on to lead the mission-driven organization. 

“I didn’t get into this for any personal gain whatsoever; I just wanted everybody to have something to eat,” Barringer said. “The only way we were able to do what we’ve done is by having faith in ourselves, having faith in the Lord, and praying a lot about it.”

Today, Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry has processed tens of thousands of pounds of meat through a network of processors statewide, distributing the venison to needy families through food pantries and other organizations addressing hunger in Arkansas.

“Talking to the teachers and school counselors across the state about little Johnny or little Susy coming to school and they can’t learn because they’re hungry, those stories are just heartbreaking,” Ritter said. “To see the eyes light up on some of these people at the food pantries, like the one the other day that got 1,200 pounds of meat, it’s just very gratifying to know how we’re serving the community and making a difference.”

TOM FOTI

For years the state’s foremost ecologist, Tom Foti is widely credited with bringing science to the natural area preservation movement in Arkansas. While he was in graduate school, the first Earth Day was celebrated and it gave the Pine Bluff native a glimpse of the work that would define his career.

“I realized that there was plenty to be done in ecology,” Foti said. “I’d actually started work on a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Arkansas, but when Earth Day came along I decided it was time for me to do what I really had determined to do already, which was save the world.”

Foti’s career with the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission resulted in the creation of several important natural areas in the state, particularly in the West Gulf Coastal Plain of southwestern Arkansas, and served as a model for similar efforts nationwide. Moreover, he vastly improved people’s understanding of, and appreciation for, Arkansas’s rapidly vanishing natural prairies.

“At the time, people were just not aware how Arkansas, this wonderful, forested state, once had, I’ll say, well over a million acres of prairie, originally. Building the awareness of our state’s prairie heritage was a big accomplishment for me.”

The Morrell Family – Alma, Arkansas

When Dale Morrell perfected his revolutionary archery target in the 1980s, his first customer was Walmart, which tells you all you need to know about the lofty place Morrell Targets holds in the outdoors sporting goods market. Today, Morrell Manufacturing produces hundreds of thousands of targets annually, each one reflecting the care and passion of the family behind the brand.

“In the 1980s, a lot of the available targets weren’t of high quality or they weren’t economically priced. Dad’s patented floating center design changed everything,” said Tanner Morrell, director of marketing and Dale’s son. “Since then, we’ve maintained that same spirit of innovation which has allowed us to continue to produce a top-quality product at an affordable price.”

The Morrell name also stands for community-mindedness, having relentlessly invested in oncoming generations of archers through the National Archery in the Schools Program, Archers USA’s Varsity Archery and the Archers USA organization, which Dale Morrell created. The family enters the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame as the Steve Smith Spirit of Giving Award recipients.

“We’ve always operated on the idea that if you’re in an industry you need to give back in some fashion,” Tanner Morrell said. “We’re proud to support archery programs that impact people’s lives in a meaningful way.”

Larry & Brenda Potterfield – Columbia, Missouri

The husband-wife team of Larry and Brenda Potterfield launched Missouri-based MidwayUSA as a small gun shop in 1977, growing it into one of the country’s largest suppliers of shooting and hunting supplies while maintaining a culture of family values, honesty, integrity and respect for others.

“In business, you make good decisions and bad decisions. You don’t have to make all good decisions to be successful, but you can’t make too many bad ones or you’ll just be somebody who might have been a player,” Larry said. “We’re pleased to be where we are in the shooting sports industry today.”

The couple strives to maintain their family-first culture with each employee added to their growing team and take a similar approach in their philanthropic efforts through the MidwayUSA Foundation. Established in 2007, the organization provides sustainable funding to youth shooting sports teams across the nation, making them fitting inductees for the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame and Legacy Award.

“I would say that we are humbled and honored by this honor, but nothing we do is for the recognition of ourselves,” Brenda said. “It is all for how we can make the world a better place when we leave.”