Betty Lou Bumpers was an American politician, advocate for childhood immunizations, and world peace activist, who served as the First Lady of Arkansas from 1971 to 1975.
10 Facts About Betty Bumpers
2.
Betty Bumpers was born in the Grand Prairie community in Franklin County, Arkansas, to salesman and auctioneer Herman Edward "Babe" Flanagan and his wife, the former Ola Callans, a teacher.
3.
Betty Bumpers grew up in Franklin County, except for a period during World War II when her family lived in Fort Smith and in the state of Iowa.
4.
In 1970, Dale Betty Bumpers was elected governor and after his inauguration in 1971, she became the state's first lady.
5.
Dale Bumpers entered the US Senate in 1975, and the couple moved to Washington, DC Two years later, when Jimmy Carter arrived in Washington as the new President, Betty Bumpers sought his support for a nationwide program of childhood immunization and enlisted the assistance of First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
6.
Betty Bumpers said that the group's efforts to establish outreach programs and immunization registers in each state had contributed to an immunization rate of 90 percent for children from birth to age two in 2012.
7.
The realization her daughter considered nuclear war to be a real threat to her future motivated Betty Bumpers to start a campaign for peace.
8.
Betty Bumpers started the organization Peace Links in Little Rock in 1982, Peace Links worked with established women's groups such as garden clubs, parent teacher associations, and church organizations to educate women about the consequences of the nuclear arms race and to engage them in campaigning for world peace.
9.
On November 23,2018, Betty Bumpers died from complications of dementia and a broken hip in Little Rock at the age of 93.
10.
Betty Bumpers received honorary degrees from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas; the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and the University of Massachusetts.