Betty Tucker, A Woman of Accomplishment

Betty Tucker, A Woman of Accomplishment

In the month of February we celebrate Valentine’s Day and the idea of love. While processing the Jim Guy Tucker papers, the question one asks is what type of woman would Jim Guy Tucker fall in love with? She would have to be pretty extraordinary, and Betty Tucker easily fits that description.

Betty Jeanne Allen was born February 28, 1943, in Jackson, Mississippi. She grew up in Brookhaven, Mississippi, until 1958 when she moved with her first husband, University of Arkansas Razorback football star, Lance Alworth, to Fayetteville. They had two children, Lance Jr. and Kelly. In 1968, she divorced Alworth, returned to Arkansas, and a year later enrolled at UALR, graduating in 1971 with a degree in Early Childhood Education. This young, single mother of two went to work as an elementary school teacher in the Little Rock School District.

Meeting Tucker

Betty was introduced to Jim Guy Tucker through mutual friends Wayne and Frances Cranford. Frances knew Betty was very intelligent and Wayne knew she was tough - tough enough to be able to handle the public life of an aspiring politician. For the next several years the two dated and on November 8, 1975, they married. Jim Guy Tucker had planned to stay a bachelor until the age of 35, but did not want to risk losing the “girl with the smashing blue eyes.” They have two children, Anna and Sarah.

Betty and Jim Guy moved to Washington, DC, and raised two teenagers (Lance and Kelly) and a toddler (Anna). She then campaigned for her husband during his 1978 Senate run. After his loss, she recognized they had several debts hanging over them, so returned to school to earn a law degree. While she was attending the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law, she campaigned for her husband in his 1982 Arkansas Governor campaign. While he did not win that campaign, she graduated and passed the bar in 1982. She did this while pregnant with Sarah.

Cable Television and the Return to Politics

In 1983, the couple went into the cable television market. They began their business in their garage with three employees and by 1991 it was a multi-million dollar business that had spread out from its Arkansas roots to Texas, Florida, and Great Britain. She worked long, hard hours, being a mother during the day and concentrating on the business at night, mainly focusing on the financial and legal aspects of the company.

When Jim Guy returned to politics in 1991, they sold the company. This did not mean she slowed down. She helped her husband with his campaign for lieutenant governor. She taught Sunday school and was the chairwoman for education committee at Second Presbyterian Church in Little Rock.

During her time as First Lady of Arkansas, she served on the following boards:

    • Arkansas Arts Center
    • Arkansas Children’s Hospital
    • Board of Advisors for the Arkansas Repertory Theatre
    • Campaign for Healthier Babies
    • 1995 Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure

She was also selected by the Arkansas Business Publishing Group as one of the Top 100 Women in Arkansas.

It is fitting to acknowledge the enduring relationship Tucker and his wife share. She stood by her husband through political wins and losses, partnered with him in business success, and supported him through health issues. As we continue to process Jim Guy Tucker's papers, we are learning that Betty Tucker is capable, smart, and every inch the equal to her husband in accomplishment.