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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly 2
Regular Session, 2025 SR 75 3
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By: Senators Hester, K. Hammer, J. Boyd, J. Bryant, Caldwell, A. Clark, Crowell, B. Davis, Dees, J. 5
Dismang, J. Dotson, J. English, Flippo, S. Flowers, Gilmore, Hickey, Hill, Irvin, B. Johnson, M. Johnson, 6
B. King, G. Leding, F. Love, M. McKee, R. Murdock, J. Payton, C. Penzo, J. Petty, Rice, J. Scott, Stone, 7
G. Stubblefield, D. Sullivan, C. Tucker, D. Wallace 8
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SENATE RESOLUTION 11
TO HONOR SYLVIA ANN HINDSMAN CORNWELL FOR HER 12
EXEMPLARY, DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE SENATE AND TO THE 13
STATE OF ARKANSAS. 14
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Subtitle 17
TO HONOR SYLVIA ANN HINDSMAN CORNWELL 18
FOR HER EXEMPLARY, DEDICATED SERVICE TO 19
THE SENATE AND TO THE STATE OF ARKANSAS. 20
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WHEREAS, in a remote corner in a basement office at the Arkansas 22
Capitol, an entire wall is lined with shelves filled with Senate journals 23
bound in red leather that contain an accurate, official, and complete history 24
of Senate activity, and every volume of the past forty -five (45) years has 25
been compiled by Sylvia Ann Hindsman Cornwell and her staff; and 26
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WHEREAS, Ann worked with one hundred ninety -three (193) senators over 28
the course of her career; and 29
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WHEREAS, over those forty -five (45) years, Ann was the leader in 31
modernizing the Senate journal and all official Senate records from ink and 32
paper to electronic and digital; and 33
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WHEREAS, Ann is the first female to be Secretary of the Senate and to 35
serve as its director; and 36 SR75
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WHEREAS, Ann’s achievements were recognized on a national level when in 2
2002 she was named president of the American Society of Legislative Clerks 3
and Secretaries; and 4
5
WHEREAS, Ann has worked for the Senate from the Seventy -Third General 6
Assembly in 1981 through the Ninety -Fifth General Assembly in 2025 for a 7
total of twenty-three (23) General Assemblies; and 8
9
WHEREAS, Ann began her career at the Senate in 1981 as the journal 10
clerk, became the assistant Secretary of the Senate during the 1991 regular 11
session, served as the assistant secretary and fiscal officer of the Senate 12
during the 1993 regular session, and became the full -time Secretary and 13
fiscal officer of the Senate during the 1995 regular session; and 14
15
WHEREAS, Ann became Secretary of the Senate and coordinator of 16
legislative services during the 2007 regular session and has been serving as 17
the director and Secretary of the Senate since the 2009 regular session; and 18
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WHEREAS, Ann has served Arkansas outside of her Senate duties, devoting 20
her expertise and time to several endeavors such as the Mansion Advisory 21
Council, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, the Capitol Arts and 22
Grounds Commission, and the Junior League of North Little Rock as President 23
of the Sustainers; and 24
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WHEREAS, Ann received the National Conference of State Legislatures 26
2011 Legislative Staff Achievement Award from the American Society of 27
Legislative Clerks and Secretaries, the American Legislative Exchange Council 28
2008 Volunteer of the Year Award, and other awards for her accomplishments 29
and outstanding leadership during her tenure as president of the American 30
Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries and throughout her career; and 31
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WHEREAS, Ann is a 2011 graduate of the Henry Toll Fellowship Program 33
sponsored by the Conference of State Governments and served on the CSG Annual 34
Meeting Committee and the Suggested State Legislation Committee, and she was 35
active with the Southern Legislative Council’s Legislative Service Agency 36 SR75
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Directors, serving as a member of the Southern Legislative Conference Host 1
Committee; and 2
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WHEREAS, Ann is active with the National Conference of State 4
Legislatures and its staff section, the American Society of Legislative 5
Clerks and Secretaries, and twice in her career, Ann served on the Executive 6
Committee of NCSL and the NCSL Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee, and 7
she is a past member of the Mason’s Manual Revision Commission, where she 8
served two (2) terms totaling twenty (20) years; and 9
10
WHEREAS, throughout the decades, Ann has ensured that senators and 11
staff were always promptly and adequately reimbursed for millions of airline 12
miles, thousands of hotel stays, and countless meals when they made trips to 13
attend NCSL, SLC, ALEC, and other conferences; and 14
15
WHEREAS, Ann, a native of Russellville, is a loving mother, 16
grandmother, and great -grandmother, a loving wife of her favorite dance 17
partner, the late Gilbert Cornwell, and a loving daughter of Sam and Mary Lou 18
Hindsman, who both were groundbreaking sportsmen; and 19
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WHEREAS, Ann’s enthusiastic love of all sports, especially the Arkansas 21
Razorbacks, is a well -known fact of life at stadiums and arenas across 22
Arkansas; and 23
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WHEREAS, early in her career, Ann learned from Secretary of the Senate 25
Lee Reaves and Secretary Hal Moody, and later worked with the Senate’s 26
permanent staff of Bill Lancaster and Bill Goodman, chiefs of staff; Steve 27
Cook and Philip Treat, counsels; Billy Tarpley, Bill Darling, and John Reed, 28
information officers; William Parks and Lee Pippins, properties officers; 29
Eileen Pollock, Debbie Daniels, Heather Kizer, Tonya Thomas, Mary Jacks, 30
Tammy Young, Janice Nelson, Anna Pridmore, and Rebecca Barfield, 31
administrative assistants; Melissa Mylym and Lesley Rogers, directors of 32
constituent services; Shannon Ahlbrandt, Estella Smith, Sandy Furrer, Pat 33
Williams, Barrett Dudley, Eva McKinney, and Leigh Ann Golden -Smith, 34
constituent services advisors; Phyllis Hearne, Katie Drummond, Heather 35
Bailey, Ann Scott, Angie Clingmon -Reed, and Tamara Lewis, fiscal officers; 36 SR75
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Cindy Herron, assistant information officer; Rob Hatfield, production manager 1
and videographer; and with Sabrina Lewellen, who like Ann has done some of 2
everything and is now deputy director and assistant secretary; and 3
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WHEREAS, Ann worked with a veritable “Who’s Who” of senators in 5
Arkansas government, beginning in the 1980s when she worked with “Max and 6
Knox,” more formally known as Max Howell and Knox Nelson; during the 1990s 7
when she worked with the “Young Golfers,” led by Mike Beebe, Morril Harriman, 8
Bill Gwatney, David Malone, Jay Bradford, and Jon Fitch; and during the early 9
2000s when she worked with the “Brotherhood” led by Bob Johnson, Steve Faris, 10
Randy Laverty, Jerry Bookout, Shawn Womack, and Gilbert Baker; and 11
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WHEREAS, Ann served during the terms of Governors Bill Clinton, Frank 13
White, Jim Guy Tucker, Mike Huckabee, Mike Beebe, Asa Hutchinson, and Sarah 14
Huckabee Sanders; and 15
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WHEREAS, Ann advised lieutenant governors as they presided over the 17
Senate: Winston Bryant, Jim Guy Tucker, Mike Huckabee, Winthrop P. 18
Rockefeller, Bill Halter, Mark Darr, Tim Griffin, and Leslie Rutledge; and 19
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WHEREAS, Ann worked with senators who served as president pro tempore: 21
Ben Allen, Bill Moore, John Bearden, Paul Benham, Nick Wilson, Bud Canada, 22
Jerry Bookout, Jerry Jewell, Stanley Russ, Wayne Dowd, Jay Bradford, Mike 23
Beebe, Jim Hill, Jim Argue, Jack Critcher, Bob Johnson, Paul Bookout, Michael 24
Lamoureux, Jonathan Dismang, Jim Hendren, Jimmy Hickey, Jr., and Bart Hester; 25
and 26
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WHEREAS, Ann worked closely with leadership at the Bureau of 28
Legislative Research, including Larry Holifield and Jim Schratz and Bureau of 29
Legislative Research directors Marcus Halbrook, Kern Treat, Tony Minicozzi, 30
David Ferguson, and Marty Garrity; leadership at Legislative Audit, including 31
Charles L. Robinson, Roger Norman, and Kevin White; and leadership at the 32
House of Representatives, including Chief Clerks Jo Renshaw and Sherri 33
Stacks, parliamentarians Tim Massanelli, Buddy Johnson, and John Vines, and 34
chiefs of staff Bill Stovall and Roy Ragland; and 35
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WHEREAS, Ann developed strong relationships with senators who moved on 1
to other positions throughout state and federal government: Vic Snyder and 2
Mike Ross to Congress; Phil Wyrick, Jack Gibson, Jon Fitch and Steve Bryles, 3
directors of Livestock and Poultry; Jay Bradford, insurance commissioner; 4
Bruce Holland, director of Livestock and Poultry and executive director of 5
the Natural Resources Commission; Johnny Key, education commissioner; George 6
Hopkins, director of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System; Steve Faris, 7
member of the Lottery Commission; Cliff Hoofman, appointed to the Supreme 8
Court, and Shawn Womack, elected to the Supreme Court; Gunner DeLay, circuit 9
judge; Bobby Glover, member of the Board of Corrections; Jim Luker, director 10
of the Health Services Permit Agency; Jim Scott, director of the Bureau of 11
Standards; Bill Gwatney, chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party; and Doyle 12
Webb, chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party; and 13
14
WHEREAS, Ann managed the delicate responsibility of being the boss of 15
session staff who were spouses of senators, such as Hope Bell, Ann Benham, 16
Gladys Watson, Juanita Moore, Nina Cassady, Linda Taylor, Candace Jeffries, 17
Cynthia Jeffress, Rita Kinard, Peggy Roebuck, Artimeze Edwards, Nina Russ, 18
Joan Cash, Sue Cooper, Ginger Cheatham, Deborah Wyatt, Vickie Critcher, Jo 19
Lindsey, DeLona Williams, Emry Chesterfield, and Mandy Dismang; and 20
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WHEREAS, Ann trained an expert and dedicated front line of workers who 22
carried out chamber operations, including Marilyn Matthias, Carolyn Porter, 23
Bettye Ruth Morris, Penny Wolf, Mary Chris Burrow, Lori Dowd, Mark Hudson, 24
Sharon Parker, Quinton Smith, Sarah Agee, Shawn Key, Greg Bradford, Donna 25
Myers, Missie Smith, and Jo Ann Drew; and 26
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WHEREAS, Ann worked with and became friends with session staffers in 28
the Journal Room, also known as “heaven,” the Engrossing Room, the Bill Room, 29
the Quiet Room kitchen, and the Page Desk: Sybil Gwatney, Jo Price, Linda 30
Goss, Dee Milton, Anne Rolleigh, Nancy Harmon, Katie Drummond, Phyllis 31
Hearne, Mary Allen, Jan Murphy, Cleo Mattox, Dottie Walker, Diane Hudson, 32
Ruth Morley, Lynn Benham, Janet Tate, Deanne Welch, Stacia Epps, Martha 33
Faulkner, Debbie Foster, Pat Barnett, Don Nelms, Joe Molinaro, Sharon Ursery, 34
Beverly Moore, Ron Maxwell, Judy Trice, Barbara Johnston, Joan Ratton, Joyce 35
Woodson, Imogene White, Rosemary Robinson, Connie Harkins, Judy Smithson, 36 SR75
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Nancy Dunlap, Cynthia Hass, and Sallie Graves; as well as Billie Cornwell, 1
who married a cousin of Ann’s husband, Gilbert; Becky Kennedy, Ann’s sister; 2
Tommie Zwernemann, Ann’s cousin; and Mary Lou Hindsman, Ann’s mother; and 3
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WHEREAS, for every legislative session, Ann recruited a gallant band of 5
sergeants at arms, including J.R. Teague, Orlie Parker, Tom Miller, Leroy 6
Boaz, Boots Herndon, Sam Konecny, Floyd Burns, Earl Bentley, Dan Nall, Ralph 7
Shelby, Benny Finch, Ted Fotioo, Vince Bond, Alvernon Rogers, Frank 8
Witherspoon, Fletcher Sullards, Joe Clements, Larry Lowe, and Coach Harold 9
Steelman; and 10
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WHEREAS, for forty-five (45) years, Ann Cornwell has been the heart and 12
soul of the Senate because of her dedication to the institution and its 13
processes, loyalty to the first branch of government, unmatched work ethic, 14
affection for each senator, and support of Senate and legislative staff; and 15
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WHEREAS, Ann Cornwell’s tenure as Secretary of the Senate has included 17
sixteen (16) regular sessions, eight (8) fiscal sessions, and twenty (20) 18
extraordinary sessions of the General Assembly; she has left her unique 19
imprint on the traditions, protocol, atmosphere, efficiency, and 20
effectiveness of the Senate, and her contributions will be recorded in every 21
future history of the chamber, 22
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NOW THEREFORE, 24
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY -FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE 25
STATE OF ARKANSAS: 26
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THAT the Senate honor Sylvia Ann Hindsman Cornwell for her exemplary, 28
dedicated service to the Senate and to the State of Arkansas. 29
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT upon adoption, a copy of this resolution be 31
presented to Ann Cornwell, Director of the Senate and Secretary of the 32
Senate, by the Assistant Secretary of the Senate and the Members of the 33
Senate of the Ninety -Fifth General Assembly. 34
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