Bill Cravens (1934–2023)

Businessman Bill Cravens had success in engineering, public accounting, banking, and business consulting. He was also a leader in a wide range of civic, charitable, and business groups.  

William L. Cravens (he had only a middle initial, no middle name) was born on May 26, 1934, in Paris (Logan County) to Wyatt L. Cravens and Vada Cravens. His only sibling, Sally, was three years younger. He attended Paris public schools and participated in high school sports. In his senior year in 1952, he was voted Mr. Paris High School. 

Cravens graduated from the University of Arkansas (UA) in Fayetteville (Washington County) in 1956 with a degree in industrial engineering. At UA, he was president of both the Blue Key and the Theta Tau engineering fraternity, and was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. 

He met Mary Lou Morris while in college, and they married in 1956; they had three daughters: Cathy, Cary, and Lyn. The family frequently spent weekends at Eden Isle and enjoyed traveling to Daufuskie Island, South Carolina.  

After college graduation, Cravens worked in engineering for General Electric Co. in various cities. In 1962, he and his family moved to Little Rock (Pulaski County) and, after qualifying as a certified public accountant (CPA), he joined the Russell Brown & Co. public accounting firm. He later became its managing partner. He joined First National Bank in Little Rock in 1976 and later became president and CEO. In 1984, he was elected chairman and CEO of Worthen Bank, which he left after having a heart attack in 1987. After regaining his health, he opened his practice in public accounting and business consulting.  

In addition to his other banking experiences, he served as chairman of Pinnacle Bank of Little Rock from its founding in 1997 until its sale in 2022, and until 2005, he served on the board of the purchasing bank, Bancorp South. He was elected chairman of the board of Alltel Information Services, Inc., in 1994 (the company later became part of Verizon), and he served as treasurer and a member of the board of directors of Oaklawn Jockey Club in Hot Springs (Garland County) from 1976 to June 2023.  

He served on the board of directors of more than two dozen civic and religious organizations, including the Second Presbyterian Church (deacon and elder), Board of Advisors of the University of Arkansas, University of the Ozarks Board, Baptist Health Foundation, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Arkansas Orchestra Society, and both the Little Rock and Arkansas chambers of commerce. He also chaired boards of the Arkansas Arts Center (now the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts), Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Little Rock Port Authority, and Pulaski County United Way. Healthcare boards included UAMS Cancer Research Center and CARTI.  

He was a Heart Ball Honoree in 1988, received the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award in 1991, and was Southern Industrial Development Council Volunteer of the year. He was inducted into the UA College of Engineering Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame in 2013. 

Cravens died on October 31, 2023. 

For additional information:
Moreau, Andrew. “Business Leader Cravens, Dies at 89.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, November 1, 2023, pp. 1D, 2D. Online at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/nov/01/business-leader-cravens-dies-at-89/ (accessed February 6, 2025). 

W. W. Satterfield
Little Rock, Arkansas