A Pryor Commitment

by Pryor, David

• ISBN13: 9780980089738
• ISBN10: 0980089735
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-09-01
• Publisher: Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Summary

"David Pryor's autobiography, A Pryor Commitment, brings to life from early memory the aspirations, troubles, and insights of a rich life and distinguished career in public service, Starting with small-town recollections, he moves swiftly through his years as a newspaper editor, a state representative in the Arkansas legislature, a Congressman in Washington, a two-term governor back in his home state, and 18 years in the United States Senate." "While Pryor's book takes the reader through years of public policy and formal legislative history, the clear emphasis is on the personal and private side of the story. Making the narrative even more readable and appealing, the tale is told with a strong dose of humor, self-deprecation, and irony." "We find out what David Pryor was thinking as a child growing up in the segregated South. We learn the details of his courtship and the balancing act demanded of a young father and a politician on his way up. We're told what he was thinking when he took a controversial stand at the 1968 Democratic Convention, and how his early defeat in a Senate race nearly ended his political career." "This is the story of a dedicated public figure who, for the past 50 years, has found himself an active player on the public stage. After leaving the Senate, Pryor directed the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School, volunteered to work with refugees in Albania, and became the first Dean of the Clinton School of Public Service. The strength of his memoir is captured in the book's final line: "It's been a great trip.""--BOOK JACKET.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. 11
"The Fun's Done"	p. 15
River City	p. 20
Edgar and Susie	p. 26
Jessie and The Glass Hat	p. 34
Mary Elizabeth McFadden Cooper Heard Wilburn and Biggie	p. 39
War, Mustin Lake, and Dixiecrats	p. 44
Leaving Home	p. 49
Cherry Pickers	p. 56
The Man from the Hills	p. 63
Moving On	p. 73
Conventional Wisdom	p. 78
A "Sovereign" Commission	p. 84
A Whole New Life	p. 91
A Public and Private Citizen	p. 98
Hitting the Trail: The First Campaign	p. 102
A Fresh Young Turk	p. 109
A Good Life	p. 116
Photo Section I	p. 123
A Sudden, Surprising Opening	p. 141
A Grueling Race Begins	p. 143
Answering a Letter	p. 150
Turning on a Dime	p. 155
The New Kid on the Block	p. 160
Vietnam	p. 168
Turning Point	p. 174
Senior Citizens	p. 178
Aiming at Goliath	p. 184
Caught in Firestorms	p. 190
A New Pair of U.S. Keds	p. 195
The Old Warrior	p. 199
The Long Aftermath	p. 205
On the Road Again	p. 209
The Once and Future governor	p. 218
Pulling it All Together	p. 223
Getting Down to Business	p. 228
Prisons and Rivers	p. 233
Europe, Labor, and Lindsey	p. 239
The Coon Dog	p. 243
The Die is Cast	p. 247
Back to the Hill	p. 255
Photo Section II	p. 261
The Upper Chamber	p. 281
Cars, Consultants, College and Soviets	p. 290
A Matter of Ethics	p. 295
Strangers in a Strange Land	p. 300
"The Great Communicator"	p. 305
The Last Hurrah	p. 316
"I Owe Arkansas Everything..."	p. 321
The Right Place	p. 326
A Front-Row Seat	p. 334
A Walk in the Woods	p. 339
The Graying of America	p. 345
Friends of Bill	p. 352
The Comeback Kid	p. 355
The New Team in Town	p. 359
A Small River in Arkansas	p. 366
The Long Goodbye	p. 372
Finding a Place	p. 377
The Road to Albania	p. 382
Back to School	p. 389
Voices of History	p. 397
Index	p. 403
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