Bobby Hopper (Photo courtesy of KFSM-TV)
A man born in Cotter, who later became the longest serving highway commissioner in Arkansas, has died. According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, family members of Bobby Hopper of Springdale say he died Friday.
Hopper was appointed to the Arkansas Highway Commission in 1983 by then-Governor Bill Clinton and continued to serve until 1999. He was also the first to serve two terms as commission chairman.
Two local portions of U.S. Highway 62/412 are named in part after Hopper. The Sheid-Hopper Bypass was named after him and Vada Sheid, the first woman to serve both in the Arkansas Senate and House of Representatives. More recently, the portion of the highway that bypasses the Cotter business district was designated the Bobby Hopper Highway.
Hopper’s time as a highway commissioner also had an impact in the northwestern part of the state. A statement from his family reads, “His dream was fulfilled with the opening of Interstate 49. The interstate included a dual tunnel to ensure motorists could easily navigate through the region’s beautiful Boston Mountains. This tunnel was the first highway tunnel in the state. The commission honored Bobby by naming the tunnel the ‘Bobby Hopper Tunnel.'”
Clinton also issued a statement on Saturday. The former president said, “Bobby was a remarkable person – a good man, a great friend, a model citizen, and one of the finest and most effective highway commissioners ever.”
A celebration of life for 89-year-old Bobby Gene Hopper will be Wednesday afternoon at 1 at Roller Funeral Home and will be streamed on the funeral home’s website. Visitation will be from noon until the time of the service.
Bobby Hopper served in the United States Army in Okinawa during the Korean conflict.
He is survived locally by his sister, Beverly Morton of Mountain Home.
Memorials may be made to Circle of Life Hospice or the Honor Flight Network.
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