Rosemary Hamel

An angel on earth, now an angel above, Rosemary Lawrence Hamel died Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021 at her home in downtown North Little Rock.

Born Aug. 8, 1938, in Conway, Rosemary was the daughter of Howard and Montine Lawrence of Greenbrier. She graduated from Greenbrier High School, where she was president of the student body and a star athlete on the girls’ basketball team. Her squad won the State Championship and she was named to the All-State team in her senior year.

Rosemary earned a bachelor’s degree in speech and drama and a master’s degree in special education at Arkansas State Teachers College, now the University of Central Arkansas at Conway. In 1960, she married Harold Hamel and they would have two daughters, Monty and Jenifer.

Working in special education after college, Rosemary directed programs in the Morrilton Public School District and at the Human Development Center in Conway. Later, she founded North Little Rock Handicapped Services, Inc., serving developmentally disabled adults. As Executive Director, Rosemary pioneered life-skills training and semi-independent residential living opportunities for clients who would otherwise be homebound or institutionalized. North Little Rock Handicapped Services, Inc. became ARC of Arkansas, continuing and expanding upon Rosemary’s innovative programs for developmentally disabled persons statewide.

In the early 1990s, after serving as a volunteer among residents working to restore safety in downtown North Little Rock, Rosemary became the founding executive director of Argenta Community Development Corporation (CDC), where for 15 years she engaged public officials, business leaders, and countless volunteers to build a nationally acclaimed, award winning non-profit.

When Argenta CDC was chartered in 1992, conditions in downtown North Little Rock could not have been worse.  Gangs and drug dealers ruled the streets; residents and shopkeepers lived in fear. Historic homes were badly deteriorated, and property values were plummeting.  Investment had all but ceased as the result of crime and general decay.

Under Rosemary’s leadership, with historic preservation as a guidepost, Argenta CDC restored or redeveloped more than 90 blighted properties, and created 143 units of safe, affordable housing in what was once considered the most hopeless area of town. Crime rates dropped to among the lowest in the city, and property values soared.

Reaching well beyond Argenta, Rosemary helped shape local and state legislation and polices to promote affordable housing and the preservation of neighborhoods at risk. She conducted community development classes for the Clinton School of Public Service and UALR Institute of Government, and led conferences and workshops in historic preservation, community organizing, and more.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette showcased Rosemary’s life and career in a High Profile feature story on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2005. In the full-page tribute, North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Hays said, "I can't say there is any one group that has done any more than Argenta CDC, and that's in no small measure due to Rosemary's leadership. She won't take 'no' for an answer, and if there ever was someone who wanted to get their arms around a problem and wrestle it to the ground, that's Rosemary."

Of Rosemary’s leadership style, the article quoted Bob Birch, president and CEO of Twin City Bank; "Rosemary is not going to raise her hand and say, 'I did this;’ she's going to point to all the people who are the fiber of the organization. But every one of them will turn around and say, 'Rosemary is the driving force.'"

As a fitting final salute, shortly before her retirement in 2006, Rosemary traveled with family members to Los Angeles, where she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from NeighborWorks® America.

A fine summary of Rosemary’s work was expressed in an editorial tribute published by the North Little Rock Times in July 2006, when she retired at the age of 68 from Argenta CDC:

"Argenta's Leading Lady"

“A job well done, the old saying goes, is its own reward."

Well, in the case of Rosemary Hamel - founding director of Argenta Community Development Corporation - her reward is spread out over blocks of the city's historic downtown.

After 15 years at the helm of one of the city's most effective and respected nonprofit agencies, Hamel has turned over the reins.

But that doesn't mean her impact won't continue to be felt. Rather, the results of her handiwork will spread like ripples across the coming decades, because under her leadership, Argenta CDC helped resurrect more than just a neighborhood -- it revived the idea of living, working and socializing downtown.

And few residents realize that cities like Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Clarendon, and others, patterned their fix-up efforts after Argenta. This happened on Hamel's shift because of a vision she brought to the CDC in its infancy. It's a vision many have latched onto, to the tremendous benefit of North Little Rock.

So here's wishing Hamel a happy and well-deserved retirement.

Your legacy is secure and won't be forgotten.”

Rosemary is survived by her sister Carolyn Thornton of Conway; two daughters, Monty (Cary) Bradburn of North Little Rock and Jenifer Hamel of North Little Rock; two grandchildren, Allison (Matthew) Klucher of Mandeville, La., and Robert Richard of Conway; four great grandchildren, Kaitlyn & Grayson Klucher and Shepherd & Natalie Richard, and a nephew, Chad Thornton of Greenbrier. She is survived also by dear friends Helen Beam and Carolyn Edwards, and by Matthew Richard, who was like a son.

On a sunny day later this year, the family will gather at Pearson Cemetery in Greenbrier, where Rosemary will join her parents, grandparents, and other loved ones in eternal rest.

In the online guestbook, Rosemary’s family would be pleased to hear your special memories of her. We will be sharing some of our own.

Arrangements by Smith North Little Rock Funeral Home , 1921 Main St, North Little Rock, AR 72114, 501-758-1170.