30 Sep 2021 Couple of the Month: Brenda and D. Brent Herring
HIS STORY:
Where did you grow up:Nine towns in Arkansas and Michigan, including Conway, Jacksonville, Little Rock, Damascus, Bradford, Searcy, Magnolia, Quitman, and Sawyer, Mich.
Education: Graduated high school at Quitman; Associate of Arts, General Education, Central Baptist College; Associate of Arts, Intelligence Analysis, Community College of the Air Force, Montgomery, Ala.; Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and a Master of Science in Instructional Technology, both from UCA.
Employment: Project manager at Simmons Bank in Little Rock.
Parents: Carrol Herring of Quitman and Louise Mason of Conway.
Church activities: Second Baptist Church in Conway for 30+ years where I serve as director of security.
Hobbies/special interests: I enjoy motorcycles, software programming, and amateur radio.
How would you describe yourself: I am a Christian and mostly a private person of few words.
What is one thing people don’t know about you: Though not currently practicing, I am a certified martial arts instructor.
Most enjoyed weekend activity: Spending time with friends.
What is your motto: It’s only temporary.
What do you enjoy most about living in the 501: I have lived in other states, including Michigan, Colorado, and Virginia, but I always return here because this is my home.
HER STORY:
Where did you grow up:Dumas (Desha County).
Education: An Associate in Information Resources Management from the Community College of the Air Force, Montgomery, Alabama; Bachelor of Science in Education, Physical and Health Education, UCA.
Employment: Administrative analyst at UCA.
Parents: The late Birda and Pervis Russell Sr..
Community activities: Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief Team (a ministry of the Southern Baptist Convention); reading program with second-graders at Marguerite Vann Elementary School.
Church activities: Second Baptist Church in Conway for 28 years, where she serves in the worship choir, kids ministry and women’s ministry.
Hobbies/special interests: I love the idea of running. I’m interested in reading more books, but mostly it’s collecting and hoping to get some reading done. I’m always interested in doing nothing on weekends at home.
How would you describe yourself: Others describe me as honest, wise, smart, confident, selfless, having a great sense of humor, fun, and caring.
What is one thing people don’t know about you: I have 10 siblings, and one of them shot me with a gun when we were 3 and 4 years old.
What is your motto: Always be ready.
What do you enjoy most about living in the 501: The weather, which allows us to explore the trails and parks year-round.
Their STORY:
HOW WE MET:We worked together at the Conway Human Development Center.
The proposal: Valentine’s Day 1993 in Conway.
Wedding bells: April 17, 1993, in Conway.
Pets: Foster dog named Champ.
Family activities enjoyed together: Concerts, Branson/Silver Dollar City, camping, visiting museums, including the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum.
WHAT IS SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOU AS A COUPLE: Brent retired from the Arkansas Air National Guard in 2009, from the 123rd Intelligence Squadron, Little Rock Air Force Base, Jacksonville, with 24.5 years of service at the rank of chief master sergeant. Brenda retired from the Arkansas Air National Guard in 2020, from the 188th Medical group, Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Fort Smith, with 28.5 years of service at the rank of chief master sergeant.
