October 15, 1969

Governor Winthrop Rockefeller proclaimed this date, on which Poetry Day is observed, to be Rosa Zagnoni Marinoni Day. Rosa Marinoni had been designated poet laureate of Arkansas in 1953 by act of the General Assembly, and she held that title until her death in 1970. She was a native of Italy who lived in Fayetteville (Washington County) and was married to a university professor. She was a prolific writer and an enthusiastic promoter of the state of Arkansas.