March 4, 1929

Peggy Vining, who was appointed Poet Laureate of Arkansas in 2003 by Governor Mike Huckabee, was born in Tennessee. She was the sixth poet laureate since the creation of the position by concurrent resolutions of both houses of the Arkansas legislature in 1923. In early 2008, Vining received a citation from the state legislature for her poem, “Arkansas, The Natural State.” In May 2008, Vining received a lifetime achievement award from the Governor’s Arts Awards Council, which is part of the Arkansas Arts Council. She died in 2017.