Harry Belk Sr.

Harry Belk Sr. was from Walnut Ridge in Lawrence County. It’s said that late in his life, representatives of the then-Soil Conservation Service visited with Mr. Belk about the irrigation methods he’d used to turn pure 1920 swamp land into a flourishing farm producing bumper crops of rice, beans, wheat and, at one time, cotton and potatoes. Mr. Belk was active in all areas of Farm Bureau and other agriculture-related groups in the county. His family was selected “Farm Family of the Year” and in 1957, the Belks were named Progressive Farmer Magazine’s “Farm Family of the Year.” Not only a row cropper, Mr. Belk realized his childhood dream of becoming a dairyman when he founded Belk Dairy. He also was active in the Arkansas Dairy Association in his county and as a member of the organization’s state board of directors. At least six times, he represented ADA at the national convention in Chicago, IL. Mr. Belk presented at least 25 scholarships he funded to both Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and to Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge. He wanted a degree in Agriculture, but lack of funds forced him to leave Arkansas State University before he could finish. He vowed then that someday, he’d make enough money to see that no student who wanted an education as bad as he did had to leave school. Arkansas Children’s Hospital was one of Mr. Belk’s favorite causes. St. Jude’s, the American Cancer Society, the Society to Prevent Blindness, the American Lung Association, Lawrence County Cooperative School, the Urban League of Arkansas, Ozark Creative Writers and Methodist Hospital were others. He was also a lifetime member of the board of Lawrence Memorial Hospital, in Walnut Ridge. Mr. Belk received so many community service awards, it is impossible to list them. He touched lives with his farm knowledge and philanthropy. A common phrase of his day was, “You can’t out give the Lord…or Harry Belk.”