Arkansas Blog: The Janet M. Huckabee Grand Hall? UPDATE

^{-- Brian Chilson photo}

A followup on the erasure of former first lady Janet Huckabee's name from the entrance to the Grand Hall at the Governor's Mansion.

An article in the D-G today continues to refer to it by that name, though the article notes a recent Mansion Commission vote NOT to name rooms at the Mansion for people. It also notes, as we have, that a plaque referring to Mrs. Huckabee remains outside the hall. So what is it?

The D-G article follows our report that Mansion officials say they can find no record that the hall was ever officially designated the Huckabee Hall. As I wrote yesterday, however, ample news coverage at the time of an event witnessed by me indicates that occurred. (Picture above.)

It's a good time to explain that Beebe Mansion officials are probably telling the truth when they say there are no records available for Mansion officials to make a determination on past Mansion Commission actions. The purge of records at the end of the Huckabee administration went far beyond destroyed computer hard drives in the governor's office and other state agencies. They hauled out virtually every paper trace of their activity, too, including Mansion records. The Mansion records constituted an official record of activities of an independent government operation. They are not gubernatorial working papers. But they were taken away, too. Anybody who wants to see those, if they still exist, must go, presumably, through Brenda Turner, the former Huckabeee chief of staff who oversaw document removal.

UPDATE: Or maybe we're not getting the full story from the Beebe side. I now have been told that Mansion Commission minutes and official organizational papers were delivered at some point after the Huckabees cleared out to Commission Chairman Wayne Cranford. We plan to go back and doublecheck whether those records exist and whether they reflect the vote on naming the hall.

From the Huckabee side of the fence I'm also told there's a story about the Huckabee plaque that remains outside the Mansion. I'm told it was initially removed, too, but a Huckabee ally protested (as well as protesting the general erasure of the Huckabee name without a courtesy call to Mrs. Huckabee). Iin response, Gov. Beebe reportedly said the plaque outside should be restored. By this account, it was Mansion Commission members, by the way, responsible for also getting a plaque noting the major contributors to the hall's construction.

My view: Too many things were named for the Huckabees while they were still living, reigning and overseeing people who made the decisions to honor their benefactors with naming rights. The Mansion, given the sweep of its past and future history, shouldn't be passing out naming rights in the manner of a sports arena. But .... I think that the recent de-Stalinization might have been a bit abrupt and not particularly sensitive toward Mrs. Huckabee's feelings. True, she's not known as a particularly tender sort. Still.

UPDATE: OK. The Beebe administration confirms that, at some point after the fact of transition, it received copies of the Governor's Mansion Commission minutes. They are now on file at the Mansion. They are open to public inspection. A spokesman says multiple reviews have turned up no mention of a vote on naming the hall.

The name now? "We always refer to it as the Grand Hall or Great Hall," said Matt DeCample. He said he expected that would continue to be the administration's practice, but he added that a plaque outside notes the "contributions made by Mrs. Huckabee and others" to its construction. In so many words: yes, the name is gone.

Comments

I think it's tasteless to have something named after you even if you donated the money to build it.
When you didn't donate the money to build, it's really tasteless to allow something to be named after you.

The Huckabee's were working for the taxpayers of this state and the taxpayers paid for many of the things that now bare their names. They should be ashamed.

Posted by: Meet John Doe | July 10, 2008 07:25 AM

I once had occasion to call the state Nature Center at Pine Bluff. They answered the phone this way: "Governor Mike Huckabee Delta Rivers Nature Center." I asked the lady who answered the phone if she had to mention Huckabee every time someone called, and she said, yes, that was the order from on high. I don't know if it's still that way, but every time I drive through Pine Bluff, I get reminded about Huckabee's crazy self-promoting ways.

Posted by: Archaeopteryx | July 10, 2008 07:56 AM

We would have to spend the entire surplus ridding the state of all the signage named for Huckabee and his bootlickers. It's worth it.

Posted by: bugeyedlittlefreak | July 10, 2008 08:01 AM

From Wikipedia:
Shame (also called ignominy) is the consciousness or awareness of dishonor, disgrace, or condemnation. Genuine shame is associated with genuine dishonor, disgrace, or condemnation... Therapist John Bradshaw calls shame the "emotion that lets us know we are finite"

Is it any wonder that the anointed ones feel no shame for our failure to perceive their greatness?

"Today Christians . stand at the head of [this country] . I pledge that I never will tie myself to parties who want to destroy Christianity .. We want to fill our culture again with the Christian spirit . We want to burn out all the recent immoral developments in literature, in the theater, and in the press-in short, we want to burn out the poison of immorality which has entered into our whole life and culture as a result of liberal excess during the past . [few] years." Adolph Hitler

"Try explaining Hitler to a kid." George Carlin

Posted by: Zatharus | July 10, 2008 08:06 AM

Obama, Lincoln, Pryor voted for FISA. Hillary voted no.

click on name for roll call

Posted by: Meet John Doe | July 10, 2008 08:16 AM

I think two words in the article sum up the whole affair pretty well: "plastic lettering."

Posted by: 24fps | July 10, 2008 08:48 AM

Arch, every time I called the Nature Center, I felt it took the receptionist more effort to get out the name than it did to deal with my question or request. If they haven't quietly dropped the practice, I vote that they do so. But with continued yammering that Huck might try for Lincoln's Senate seat . . .

Posted by: Doigotta | July 10, 2008 08:48 AM

I'm not an ardent Obama fan although I intend to vote for him. (We have a great choice, right?) In terms of the FISA vote, my guess is that he is trying to insulate himself against a possible pre-election terror strike and attendant backlash.

Posted by: Doigotta | July 10, 2008 09:03 AM

No one should get their name on anything paid for by taxpayers. It's so special how politicians act like they've climbed Mount Everest when they use our money to give us a service...when they do what they've been hired to do. Now, if someone wants to spend/raise PRIVATE money to build us taxpayers something nice...I'd consider using their name.

Yea Clinton for voting no. Boo Obama and every other traitor Dem. So glad Monkeyboy's unpopularity isn't interfering with the Dems giving him, as usual, everything his Constitution-stomping heart desires. I've never been more disgusted with a group of people...and it ain't the Republicans. And, I don't want to hear any of this greater-good crap. Politicians have been using that excuse to shovel shit on us for too long. I may not be able to stop it...but I sure can stop excusing it. Judas Jerks!

Posted by: zelda | July 10, 2008 09:36 AM

I called the Governor Mike Huckabee Delta Rivers Nature Center to mess with them and they answered "Governor's Nature Center." I asked her why she didn't answer "Governor Mike Huckabee Delta Rivers Nature Center?" and she laughed and said "nobody else does."

Posted by: Dennis | July 10, 2008 09:51 AM

Can't they just refer to the "Grand Hall" as the "The Grand Hall"? If there absolutely MUST be a name other than "The Grand Hall" why couldn't they refer to it as "The Lady Huckabee Grand Hall" during the Huckabee years and currently "The Lady Beebe Grand Hall" or the name of the spouse of the current occupant of the Governor's Mansion?

Just sayin!

Arky

Posted by: Arky | July 10, 2008 10:09 AM

Ok, for the record - I worked in Governor Huckabee's staff when he took over from Tucker. You want to talk about leaving nothing behind, Tucker and his crew did one heck of a job at that so Huckabee is not the only Governor to leave the slate clean. The first day, we didn't even know what the phone numbers were to all the office phones becasue JGT had his people remove the phone numbers from each phone. We had to walk around to each office to figure out which phone rang where. No files. Computers wiped clean and no software programs left on them either. Could not even type out a letter until we got software bought and loaded. We had to call up JGT staff people and talke with them about how things worked because they didn't leave an ounce of info behind. Not very efficient use of tax dollars if you ask me - why remove software and have the state buy that again?. Anyway, thought the record in this place needed to be set straight.

Posted by: Inside | July 10, 2008 10:37 AM

Bush insiders claimed that Clinton had stolen the place blind, even taking the letter "W" from the computer keyboards. If you got your news from Fox or one of the other "liberal news media" you may still believe it. It is a shame there is no organization that investigates & reports the facts in these circumstances. In the meantime, I'll continue to operate under the assumption that it is all self-serving propaganda.

"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda." George W. Bush

Posted by: Zatharus | July 10, 2008 11:01 AM

"..the recent de-Stalinization..."

LOVE IT!

Posted by: eLwood | July 10, 2008 11:09 AM

Thank Gawd for plastic. Does anyone have a sandblaster we can use at the Nature center?

Posted by: downtowner | July 10, 2008 11:13 AM

>>>>>Not very efficient use of tax dollars if you ask me - why remove software and have the state buy that again?. Anyway, thought the record in this place needed to be set straight.<<<<

So because JGT was a dick, it is ok for the Rev. Huckabee to be a dick?

Nothing paid for by taxpayers should ever be named for people who are still alive.

Posted by: Any*Mouse | July 10, 2008 12:52 PM

Just call it "The Viennese (By Way of the Ramada Inn in Dallas) Salon." That should do nicely.

Posted by: Silver Bells | July 10, 2008 01:23 PM

This just in--Beebe said if he could view the Mansion minutes from the smashed hard drives, he would buy new lettering from Mardels and put Jethrine's name back up there on the Grand Ball Hall

Posted by: Sanford | July 10, 2008 09:41 PM

If ANYONE's name should appear at the Mansion, it should be the late, yet lovely, Anne McMath whose efforts it was to give the people of Arkansas such a wonderful house for the Governor and their family.

And "INSIDER", it's ironic that 12 years after the fact, this is the first time this supposed story emerges. Theres nothing I can find in the coverage of the time and I am sure it would have been said to the press. Jim Guy Tucker and those around him are good people who served the people of Arkansas and did not try to plaster their names on everything!

Posted by: Drew Pritt | July 11, 2008 12:23 AM

Shows how petty the Beebe administration is. I think they have bigger fish to fry.

Posted by: Bearcrack Osama | July 11, 2008 08:52 AM

Arkansas Blog

The Janet M. Huckabee Grand Hall? UPDATE

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