Fayetteville Schools Hall of Honor announces 2022 class

The education nonprofit Fayetteville Public Education Foundation announced Thursday (Aug. 11) the 2022 class to the Fayetteville Schools Hall of Honor.

Susan Williams Mayes Carney, Mike Malone, Dr. Caleb Smith and the late Bill Conrow will be inducted on Thursday, Oct. 6, at the Fayetteville Public Library. A reception will be held at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner (6:30 p.m.) and the induction ceremonies (7:30 p.m.).

Reservations are $125 each and may be purchased by calling the foundation office at 479-527-3655 or by visiting the foundation website.

The Hall of Honor is hosted by the Fayetteville Public Education Foundation and co-hosted by the Fayetteville High School Student Alumni Association and Student Council.

According to a news release, the Hall of Honor’s purpose is to:

• Provide role models for students by honoring former students who have distinguished themselves
• Create excitement about education
• Honor educators and friends who have made extraordinary contributions to public education in Fayetteville.

SUSAN WILLIAMS MAYES CARNEY
During her tenure at Woodland, she served as gymnastics coach, pom pom coach, basketball coach, and director of intramural sports. In 1982, Susan joined the faculty of the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas. She taught in the Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation where she was instructor of Dance and Kinesiology. She was also the department’s coordinator of undergraduate studies.

She was recognized as an exemplary student advisor, and Susan received the Outstanding Advisor Award from the College of Education and Health Professions several times in her career. For many years, Susan supervised student teachers throughout Northwest Arkansas, helping them on their way to successful teaching careers.

Susan served on the Arkansas Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness where she chaired the Youth Sports Committee.

A pinnacle career award was presented to Susan in February of 2015: “College/University Dance Educator of the Year” for outstanding dance instruction in the southeast region of the U.S.

In 2016, Susan was inducted as a fellow into the University of Arkansas Teaching Academy. 2 Susan retired from teaching at the University of Arkansas in 2017. She remains an active volunteer in the community, particularly at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

MIKE MALONE
Malone was born and raised in Fayetteville. He attended Fayetteville Public Schools and graduated from Fayetteville High School in 1987. Mike attended Hendrix College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science with cum laude honors in 1992. He earned his master’s degree in Public Affairs from the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota in 1994.

Mike began his career working in Washington, DC, holding senior staff positions in the White House, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Senate, and the House of Representatives. From 2006-2016, he served as president and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Council, leading the creation and implementation of regional growth and development strategies that resulted in significant employment gains, economic growth and improved quality of life in Northwest Arkansas.

In 2016 Mike joined the Runway Group and served as vice president for corporate and community affairs overseeing a wide range of community development projects and direct investments in Northwest Arkansas, including workforce development, talent attraction and business recruitment, outdoor recreation and philanthropy.

Mike joined the University of Arkansas as vice chancellor for economic development in April of 2022. In this role, he leads the university’s efforts to expand economic opportunity and improve quality of life across Arkansas. He also serves on the board of directors of Heartland Forward and is a member of the board of trustees of Hendrix College.

CALEB SMITH
Smith was born and raised in Fayetteville. He attended Fayetteville Public Schools and graduated from Fayetteville High School in 1995. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California at Berkeley in 1999, graduating with highest honors. He earned his doctorate in English from Duke University in 2005.

Caleb accepted a faculty appointment at Yale University in 2005, where he is now a tenured Professor of English. In 2007, he received a second faculty appointment in American 3 Studies. He also serves as an advisory board member and instructor with the Yale Prison Education Initiative, teaching courses in Connecticut correctional institutions.

Caleb’s latest book, “Thoreau’s Axe,” will be published in January 2023 by Princeton University Press. His previous books include “The Prison and the American Imagination” (Yale University Press, 2009); “The Oracle and the Curse” (Harvard University Press, 2013); and the first published edition OF Austin Reed’s 1858 prison memoir, “The Life and the Adventures of a Haunted Convict” (Random House, 2016). He served on the editorial board of American Literature, the preeminent academic journal for the publication of articles in the fields of American literature and American studies, from 2017 to 2019.

He has written about contemporary media and the arts for Avidly, Bomb Magazine, The Immanent Frame, Paper Monument, Yale Review, and other venues. He is a contributing editor at Los Angeles Review of Books and a coeditor of No Crisis, a special series on the state of criticism in the twenty-first century.

BILL CONROW
Conrow was born in Manhattan, Kan., and he attended the Manhattan Public Schools. He received his bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University at Pittsburg, KS. Bill taught in Olathe, KS, for six years before moving his family to Fayetteville in 1965, the same year he earned his master’s degree.

Bill taught algebra and geometry at Woodland Junior High for 29 years. A strong supporter of Woodland athletics, Bill served as a longtime track coach, as the scorekeeper at home basketball games, and as the public address announcer at home football games. It is estimated that he coached, volunteered, or attended more than 1,500 Woodland athletic events in his lifetime.

Bill was also a very active volunteer, serving at Root and Butterfield Trail Elementary Schools, Community Meals at Central United Methodist Church, and the Northwest Arkansas Retired Teachers Association. He also volunteered for five years with the AARP Free Tax Organization to prepare income taxes for senior citizens.