ORVILLE H. DARLING
Orville Hervey (Doogie) Darling of Crossett, Arkansas, was born June 28, 1928, in Fordyce, Arkan-sas and died Sept. 23, 2017, in Little Rock, Arkan-sas. He was a graduate of Fordyce High School, the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Louisiana State University, and held a master’s degree in forestry from Yale University.
He retired in April 1994 as forest resource regional manager for Georgia Pacific Corporation after 44 years service with Georgia Pacific and a predecessor company, Fordyce Lumber Company. He was presented Georgia Pacific’s Distinguished Service Award in 1983 in Atlanta, Georgia, and UAM’s Achievement and Merit Award for Alumni in 1993. He served many years on the Arkansas Forestry Association Executive Committee and served as president in 1988 and 1989. He was appointed to the Arkansas State Forestry Commission in 1994 and served as chairman in 2002-2003. He served as a member of the Board of Directors for Deltic Timber Corporation of El Dorado from 1996-2008.
In 2005, he was inducted into the Arkansas Foresters Hall of Fame. In 2006, after several years of research he wrote a book, “A History of the Mills, Logging Camps and Early Forestry Operations of Crossett Lumber Company.” It was put in the Yale Forestry Library, University of Arkansas at Monticello Library and the Crossett Public Library. In 2008, he wrote “Fordyce, Arkansas: A History of the Town, and its Forests, Timber and Mills.”
He was a retired major from the Arkansas National Guard and a deacon and longtime member of the First Baptist Church of Crossett. He taught a men’s Sunday school class for many years.
He is survived by his wife, Patsy Miles Darling of Crossett, and granddaughters, Megan Jantz and her husband Victor, and Bethany Williams. He is preceded in death by his son, Edward Collins (Eddie) Darling, daughter, Linda Darling Williams and his parents, Orville and Aleen Darling.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Darling Scholarship Fund at First Baptist Church, 701 Main St., Crossett, AR 71635.
The visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, at First Baptist Church. The service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017, at the church. A private family burial will follow at Pinewood Memorial Park under the direction of Jones Funeral Home of Crossett, Arkansas.