Former Deltic Timber Exec and Chenal Valley Developer Jack McCray Dies

Jack R. McCray, former president, chief operating officer and board member at Deltic Timber Corp. and one of the original driving forces behind the development of upscale Chenal Valley in Little Rock and Red Oak Ridge in Hot Springs, passed away Friday. He was 62.

McCray is survived by his wife of 41 years, Suzanne Byrd McCray; two daughters, Jennifer McCray Fritz and her husband Scott, and Tara McCray Bennett and her husband Matt; three granddaughters, Hannah Grace Fritz, Abby Renee Fritz, and Kloe Rae Bennett; his brother, Kevin McCray and his wife Jo; and his sister, Kristy Tellez and her husband Willie.

He was born in Little Rock on August 14, 1952 to Jack McCray and Gloria Hall Spearman and was preceded in death by his father.

McCray began his career with Deltic in early 1989, working as the company’s general manager of real estate and vice president of Chenal Properties in Little Rock before being named to president and CEO in December 2003.

McCray’s promotion to second-in-command at the publicly traded timberland and real estate investment concern came only a few months after longtime Deltic Timber Chairman and CEO Ray Dillon took over reins of the company in July 2003.

“While I have been with the company for only a short time, it is evident to me that Jack deserves and has earned this promotion and recognition for his tremendous efforts on behalf of Deltic and Chenal Properties,” Dillon said at the time.” As we look to the future, we are confident Jack will continue to provide the leadership and vision to establish Chenal Valley’s preeminent qualities to Deltic’s current and future real estate developments.”

Deltic, the former farm and timberland subsidiary of El Dorado-based Murphy Oil Corp., was split off from the oil giant through a stock dividend transaction in 1996. McCray resigned from Deltic in March 2006 and went to work a month later as senior vice president for real estate acquisitions and development at Bank of the Ozarks.

At the time, Bank of the Ozarks Chairman and CEO George Gleason tabbed the Benton real estate executive to oversee all aspects of the homegrown Arkansas bank’s site acquisition and development.

“As we continue to expand in Arkansas, Texas, and beyond, we need a highly experienced professional to oversee our real estate acquisitions,” Gleason said. “Jack keenly understands the real estate business.”

After five years with Bank of the Ozarks, McCray left the fast-growing regional bank to join Little Rock general contracting firm Vratsinas Construction Co., otherwise known as VCC.

McCray worked at different stages of his career with Cooper Communities in Hot Springs; Landers Automotive Group and Everett Buick GMC in Benton; and the Bailey Corp. in Little Rock. In his real estate career, he was involved in the development of more than 35 residential neighborhoods in Little Rock.

McCray was also involved in charitable and civic activities in Central Arkansas. At age 24, he became the youngest alderman ever elected in Benton. He served on the Real Estate Industry Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. He also served as a member and in leadership roles with numerous organizations, including the Arkansas Realtors Association, the Urban Land Institute, the International Council of Shopping Centers, the Little Rock Rotary Club, and the municipal, state, and national home builders associations.

He was a long-standing member of First Baptist Church in Benton and also attended Agape Church in Little Rock. Visitation will be at the Smith-Benton Funeral Home at 322 North Market Street in Benton from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, 2015. The funeral service will be at First Baptist Church, 211 South Market Street in Benton at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, May 18, 2015, followed by burial at Pinecrest Memorial Park. The online guestbook is www.SmithFamilyCares.com.