Wallace Carl Floyd

Wallace Carl Floyd, 97, of Fort Smith, passed away on February 14, 2017, in Fort Smith. He was born September 4, 1919, in Clark County, Arkansas. Wallace served in the United States Army during World War II. After the war, he attended Ouachita Baptist College in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Political Science. Wallace received his Masters Degree in Educational Administration from Peabody College (now part of Vanderbilt University) in Nashville, Tennessee. While at Ouachita he met his wife, Mary; the two were married on August 22, 1948, and were together over 63 years until her death in 2012.

Wallace began his Arkansas public education career in 1949 as a high school history teacher in Bryant, and he soon became the Elementary Principal in Bauxite. He served for two years as a supervisor with the Arkansas Department of Education. Wallace served in the Fort Smith Public Schools beginning in 1961 until his retirement in 1986. His roles included Director of Elementary Education, Director of K-12 Instruction, and Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services.

Wallace received numerous awards and recognitions during his tenure with the Fort Smith Public Schools. Some of these include: International Paper Company Award for Economics Instruction; Citation of Appreciation Award presented by the National Council on Economic Education “in recognition of significant contributions to the continuing cause of better economic understanding”; Spirit of the Frontier Award from the City of Fort Smith; establishment of the Fort Smith City Council PTA “Wallace C. Floyd Award” given annually to the outstanding elementary school PTA unit; Outstanding Service Award from the Fort Smith Public Awareness Committee; and the Golden Apple Award from the Fort Smith Classroom Teachers Association.

Wallace was also active in the community. He was Past-President of the Noon Civics Club, Past-President of the Fort Smith Historical Society, Past-President of the Friends of the Library, Past-President of the Mental Health Association, Past-Chairman of the Fort Smith Public Awareness Committee, Past-Chairman of the RSVP Advisory Council, and served on the Board of Directors of the Fort Smith Boys’ Shelter. He was a member of First Baptist Church where we served as a deacon. He taught Sunday School for over 65 years.

He is survived by son, Gordon Floyd and wife Rebecca of Fort Smith; daughter, Elizabeth Malone and husband Ben of Gulf Shores, AL; Granddaughter, Rachel Stevens and husband Chris of Little Rock, AR; and Great-Granddaughter, Nora Stevens of Little Rock, AR. He is also survived by a brother, Edward Floyd, of Fremont, California.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary; parents, Tom and Alice Floyd of Arkadelphia, AR; two sisters; and three brothers.

Funeral service will be Friday, February 17, at 10:00 a.m. in the Edwards Funeral Home Chapel with burial to follow in Roselawn Cemetery all under the direction of Edwards Funeral Home.

The family will greet friends at Edwards Funeral Home on Thursday evening, February 16, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.

The family would like to express appreciation to the staff of Brookfield Assisted Living Center for their care and concern for Wallace. The family would also like to acknowledge the love and dedication of the team of caregivers who looked out for him during the last five years. The primary caregivers were (in alphabetical order) Virginia Abshere, Mary Edith Cypert, Connie Jones, Dottie Medford, and Barbara Moore.

Memorials may be made to the Fort Smith Public Schools Foundation, P.O. Box 1932, Fort Smith, AR 72902, or to the First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 609, Fort Smith, AR 72902.

To sign an online guestbook visit www.edwardsfuneralhome.com