Doing All Right Is Not Hard to Beat

Garland Parnell Kirkpatrick is a rural farm boy born in rural Yell County, Arkansas, during the beginning of the Great Depression, the son of hard-working sharecropper parents. He learned early about hard work and the requirements to do things right the first time. He was educated in small schools and opportunity for higher education was very limited. With the additional education acquired in business school, he entered the field of banking and enjoyed a successful banking and business career of fifty-five years. His first job was using an adding machine; his last in banking was as the chairman and CEO. Early in his career he committed to community service in many different organizations: church, civic, fraternal, business, commerce and industry. He was not just a worker; he was a leader as witnessed by the many positions to which he was elected. He is known statewide for his banking and civic leadership. He gives credit to his family and to those with whom he worked for his success, and in particular to his mother who pushed him from the nest. He has encouraged others to improve and excel in their chosen path. He has never forgotten his youthful experiences and circumstances. Doing All Right Is Not Hard to Beat is in recognition of the past and encouragement for the future for those who have the desire.