Richard Hartley "Dick" Wootton

Richard Hartley "Dick" Wootton of Hot Springs, AR died Sunday, April 17, 2011. Richard was born August 28, 1925 in Hot Springs to Edwin Hartley and Afton Williams Wootton. He graduated from Western Military Academy in Alton, IL in 1942 and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville with a JD in the School of Law in 1951. He served as a pilot in the Army Air Corps from 1943-1946. He married Joan Carroll and had two children, Richard Hartley and William Birkett. He joined his father's law firm, Wootton, Land and Matthews in 1952 and enjoyed an extraordinary 58 year long career in the practice of law. He served for many years as a Bar Examiner for the Law School of the University of Arkansas.U of A. Richard served as President of the Chamber of Commerce, Jaycees, National Park Rotary Club, School Board, Ozark Region Porsche Club, and as the first Chairman of the A&P Commission. He was a founding member of the Fifty for the Future, the Chair of the Hospital Committee for the Chamber of Commerce, during which time he brought The AR. Rehabilitation Center to Hot Springs to fill the old Army Navy Hospital. He was also a founding member of the Advance Care Hospital Board of Directors. He served as President of The Buckstaff Bathhouse for over 50 years. In his free time, he enjoyed traveling, flying, boating, sailing, hunting, and was a Water Safety Instructor for The Red Cross. He hosted three children from the Ramirez family of Paraida, Columbia while they attended National Park Community College. According to a fellow Attorney, he "set the standard in the profession of law for honesty, integrity, sheer intellect, and wit – and he had a good time doing it!" He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Carol Jones Wootton, sons Hartley and his wife Rose, Birkett and his wife Karin, two grandchildren, Emily Afton and her husband, Marco Lentini and Richard Hartley Wootton, III, and one great- grandchild, Emma Rose Lentini. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Garland County Library, 1427 Malvern Ave., Hot Springs, Ark. 71901, The Garland County Historical Society, 328 Quapaw Ave., Hot Springs, Ark. 71901, or Paws and Claws Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 20254, Hot Springs, Ark. 71903. Our special thanks go to Dr. Martin Koehn, the staff of Quapaw Care and Rehab, and St. Joseph's Mercy Health Center Three West nursing staff. A memorial service will be held at Gross Funeral Home at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, 2011. Guest register at www.grossfuneralhome.com.