Wayne Bennett

Wayne Bennett was born in Lonoke County and has lived in Arkansas all of his life, except for his military service. As a United States Army Air Force pilot, Mr. Bennett served 18 months in the Pacific theatre during World War II and has continued to pilot his own plane to and from his farm in Jefferson County. Mr. Bennett graduated from Lonoke High School and received a B.S. in Agriculture from the University of Arkansas. He became the president of J. O. Bennett & Sons, Inc., a family-owned farming operation in Lonoke and Jefferson counties. Mr. Bennett has served as a vice president of the board of First State Bank in Lonoke, as the national director of The Child Welfare League, as the state director of the Crittenton Mission Foundation Board and was a member of the Campaign Leadership Committee of the Aerospace Education Center. He was also on the Board of Directors of the Arkansas State Building Service. Mr. Bennett has served as president of both the Arkansas and the American Soybean Associations. In the latter capacity, he advised the U.S. Congress during the GATT negotiations. He is an active member of the Lonoke Methodist Church and has served on the local board for 22 years.