55 years later, earliest African-American undergraduate of UA’s College of Agriculture receives overdue honors
“Not many schools — if any — have done this and so I think it takes a lot of good boldness and right thinking and forthwith integrity to recognize something that should be observed and have the boldness to come forth and do it." — Harold Betton
By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Aug. 30, 2024
Fast facts
- Betton receives honors stole, updated transcript
- Betton: ‘Not many schools — if any — have done this.’
(791 words)
(Newsrooms: with art)
LITTLE ROCK — When Harold Betton received his diploma and became the earliest known African-American undergraduate of the University of Arkansas College of Agriculture in 1969, something was missing.
Fifty-five years later, amid a gathering of family, administrators and trustees at the University of Arkansas System Office, that which was missing was finally delivered to the Little Rock physician.
“Dr. Betton graduated with the qualifications to be honored,” said Jeff Edwards, dean of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, formerly known as the College of Agriculture. “However, he did not receive the regalia or recognition that goes along with that designation of honors with graduation.
“That’s the reason we’re here today, to correct that issue that Dr. Betton did not receive what he had earned,” Edwards said.
Edwards presented to Betton a red satin stole which is the honors regalia awarded to UA and Bumpers College graduates.
“And to make sure the record is correct at the University of Arkansas, here’s your official transcript, which has the honors designation,” Edwards said, handing to Betton the red-leather bound portfolio stamped with the seal of the university,
Betton offered thanks to the University of Arkansas for the belated honor.
“Not many schools — if any — have done this and so I think it takes a lot of good boldness and right thinking and forthwith integrity to recognize something that should be observed and have the boldness to come forth and do it,” he said.
Betton said he never harbored any negative feelings toward the university about not receiving his honors, but said it made him stronger.
“I never wrote a letter or made a phone call or anything,” he said. Rather, “it was like iron sharpening iron and what you did was to create something you did not expect.
“Oftentimes what society and life does they think to be to someone's disadvantage, but I want the University of Arkansas to know; I want the College of Agriculture to know, that you have no idea of the kind of scholar you created when I graduated,” he said. “I left Arkansas for med school and finished a year early.”
Betton said he hoped the event would provide a positive example for his six grandchildren, who were in the audience.
Alumni list discovery
Betton’s extraordinary situation might not have come to light had it not been Dan Miller doing some routine checks as part of his job as director of development and external relations for Bumpers College.
“I was just going through alumni lists since I was new and saw that he hadn’t been contacted in a long time,” Miller said. After having dinner with Betton, “we brought in Dr. Fields because he was interested in meeting him.”
Deacue Fields, former dean of Bumpers College and currently head of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said in doing research about Betton, he was “was blown away by how much he was able to accomplish.
“He really embodies what people can do with an agricultural degree, that many people don’t think of,” Fields said. “He’s what we want to portray for our graduates to come.”
Fields said that during a dinner together, Betton told him “it’s one thing to be the first Black undergraduate, but it’s another to be the first Black undergraduate with honors.”
“I walked out thinking, ‘we need to fix this’,” Fields said. He then met with Dr. Bobbitt, "trying to think of a way to do it.”
Dr. Donald R. Bobbitt is president of the UA System, which encompasses the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, its Bumpers College and the Division of Agriculture.
“As soon as Dr. Fields brought this to my attention, we were on the same page to do whatever we could to make this right,” Bobbitt said. “It’s not often in life you get the opportunity to rewrite the script on the past, and this is one of those situations that the final chapter was already morally outlined and all we had to do was follow through with doing the right thing and award Mr. Betton the overdue honors that he earned. It’s a heartfelt gesture that I was honored to have had a hand in correcting.”
At the Aug. 6 ceremony, Fields told Betton that, “you’ve been a real trailblazer — a trailblazer, for us and our college.
“We wanted to make sure we did things right. That’s why we’re here today,” Fields said.
Edwards said that “Dr. Betton is a great example of what we can do with grit, persistence and perseverance.”
Betton graduated the College of Agriculture with a natural sciences degree and a minor in plant pathology. He has been in practice in Little Rock for nearly 50 years. Betton is pastor of the New Light Missionary Baptist Church, a commissioner for the Little Rock National Airport, and is a former vice chairman of the Little Rock Planning Commission.
Betton holds a Ph.D. in Theology from Trinity College of the Bible and Trinity Theological Seminary.
“And then there are two individuals that made the biggest difference in my life and they both happened to be the vice president for agriculture,” Betton said. “The first one was Dr. John White.”
White was the first head of the Division of Agriculture, who created a job for the young Betton, who was a student at the time. The other vice president is Fields.
To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media contact: Mary Hightower
mhightower@uada.edu