Individual Details

William Lee Tedford

(21 Feb 1912 - 19 Jun 1985)

Arkansas Democrat, Little Rock, Arkansas, Friday, June 21, 1985, Page 16 A: Pulaski County treasurer, William Tedford Sr., dies. William Lee Tedford Sr., 73, of 5000 country Club Blvd., Pulaski County treasurer since 1967, died Wednesday in a Memphis, Tenn., hospital. During his first term as treasurer, Tedford, a Democrat began investing idle county surplus funds in certificates of deposits at banks creating additional money for county taxpayers. An ardent boat enthusiast, Tedford, a Little Rock native, set three river speed records on the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers. In 1972 when he was 60, Tedford and his two man crew set a speed record on the 1, 035-mile run up the Mississippi from New Orleans to St. Louis, a records which held for 12 years. A pioneer in the outboard motor business, Tedford started the first Evinrude outboard motor dealership in central Arkansas in 1938 and built Maumelle Harbor, a marina on Lake Maumelle in 1959. Tedford sold it in 1965.

A frequent traveler to the famous New Orleans French Quarter, Tedford, an amateur musician, shared the limelight in 1969 with clarinetist Pete Fountain in the Onward brass Band at Adolph Paul Barbarin's funeral parade, which 5,000 mourners attended. Tedford was a World Ar II veteran who served in Army intelligence as a major in North Africa. He was a member of the Christ Episcopal church and the Country Club of Little Rock. He was part of the first graduating class of Little Rock High School, now Central High, and he attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. Tedford is survived by his wife, Dorothy Grobmyer Tedford; two sons, William L. Tedford, Jr. and Dr. John G. Tedford, both of Little Rock; and three grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Christ Episcopal Church with the Rev. Donald Baustian officiating. A graveside service for the family will be private. Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, 909 W. Second St., Little Rock or to the Christ Episcopal church building fund.

Events

Birth21 Feb 1912Little Rock, Pulaski Co., Arkansas
Marriage5 Dec 1936Pulaski Co., Arkansas - Dorothy Grobmyer
Death19 Jun 1985Little Rock, Pulaski Co., Arkansas
BurialRoselawn Memorial Park, Little Rock, Pulaski Co., Arkansas

Families

SpouseDorothy Grobmyer (1912 - 2001)

Endnotes