Sanders Announces the November Face of Arkansas

CONWAY, Ark. — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today announced the eleventh installment of Faces of Arkansas, a monthly series highlighting Arkansans whose portraits and stories are displayed at the entrance to the Governor’s office as a reminder of who the Governor and her team serve every day: the people of Arkansas. The series was launched to keep the focus of public service rooted in the individuals and communities that make the state what it is.

Each month, a different Arkansan is featured through a written profile, portrait photography, and a short video, with their framed photo hanging inside the Capitol. Selections are based on individuals who make Arkansas function — whether by serving as the heartbeat of their local communities, overcoming obstacles to achieve their dreams, or playing an essential role in their industry. 

This installment features Floyd Brantley of Conway, a World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veteran with more than a century of service.

Floyd Brantley – 101 Years of Saying Yes

Floyd Brantley has never been one to wait around. Not when he was 18, determined to serve his country. Not when he met the woman who would become his wife of 67 years. And certainly not when he got the chance to ride a bicycle down Fifth Avenue at 90.

For Floyd, saying yes hasn’t always meant taking the easy road. Sometimes, it meant making his own. Growing up in Lufkin, Texas, Floyd was still in high school, working on a milk truck before school and a grocery store after the last bell rang, when he received a notice from the draft board during the peak of World War II. At the bottom was a message offering to defer his service until he received his diploma. Floyd had other plans, though.

He cut the deferment notice off the letter, showed the rest to his mother, and told her, “Mother, I have to go to war.” His family had already paid a tremendous price fighting for the nation. Floyd still remembers the day the Casualty Notification Officer came to his home to notify the family that his brother, C.L., had been killed in the Navy on the USS Atlanta at Guadalcanal, and he immediately knew he owed his brother and his nation his service. But his mother desperately wanted at least one of her children to finish high school, saying, “Well, son, I already lost one boy two years ago, and I don’t have a husband.”

Determined to serve, Floyd enlisted in the U.S. Navy in January 1944 and served as a medical corpsman in the Pacific Theater, including the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and Guam. His service deepened an appreciation for his country that continued over two decades serving in the military and well beyond. “We’re living in the greatest country in the world,” Floyd said. “You should thank God every day for that blessing.”

When the war ended, Floyd still had some unfinished business back home. At 20 years old, he returned to Lufkin High School, where he found himself surrounded by students several years younger. He graduated in 1947, becoming the first in his family to earn a high school diploma. Yet his military career was far from over.

Floyd went on to Baylor University, joined the Air Force ROTC, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, he served as a transportation officer in Pusan, Korea. Years later, at 49, he made another unexpected decision: resigning his officer’s commission to enlist in the Arkansas Air National Guard. By the time he retired in 1982, Floyd had completed 22 years of military service.

Of all the chances Floyd has taken over the past century, one of his favorites began at church. Her name was Elizabeth Pearson, and she went by Beth. Floyd was serving as an usher when he spotted her and wasn’t about to let an opportunity pass him by. So, he introduced himself and asked her on a date. Then another and another, all at once, so she wouldn’t have the chance to go on one with someone else. That strategy proved effective, as the pair married in 1953, beginning a partnership that lasted 67 years through military assignments, career changes, moves across state lines, and raising a family together.

Floyd credits much of their lasting marriage to something amazingly simple: listening. Rather than letting disagreements turn into arguments, he and Beth made a point to communicate how they felt and understand one another’s perspective. She was his greatest encourager, a steady presence through the ups and downs of life. When Beth passed away in 2020, Floyd lost the woman who stood beside him for nearly seven decades, but the lessons they learned together – and the love they shared – remain among the stories he holds closest.

In true Floyd Brantley fashion, he spent his 90th birthday not with the traditional cake and candles, but by riding his bike down Fifth Avenue in New York City to participate in America’s Parade. He pedaled ahead of the World War II float as thousands gathered to honor the nation’s veterans. And it wasn’t his first time turning heads on two wheels.

“I rode by bicycle up ‘til I was 95,” Floyd said. “I was a big, big bike racer.” An avid cyclist, Floyd completed the Big Dam Bridge 20-mile route in his late 80s and continued riding in cycling events well into his 90s. When Floyd crossed the Big Dam Bridge finish line, he stepped off his bike, turned to the time clock, and couldn’t believe what he saw: five hours and 20 minutes. But the biggest surprise came when he looked back and watched younger people farther back still pedaling to the finish. 

For a man who spent much of his life on the move, sitting still during retirement wasn’t an option. Over the years, he’s volunteered with the American Red Cross, assisted with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, helped build wheelchair ramps and porches for families in need, and visited schools to share firsthand accounts of World War II and the Korean War. Floyd never wavered from his commitment to serving others nor his willingness to try something new. That’s how he found himself traveling to Washington, D.C., on a World War II Honor Flight, accompanied by former First Lady Janet Huckabee. It was there he first met Governor Sanders, beginning a friendship that would span years and generations. In 2024, the Governor appointed Floyd to the Arkansas Veterans Commission, where he continued advocating for the men and women who have served our country. And when Floyd turned 100 last October, Governor Sanders celebrated the milestone with him at the Arkansas State Capitol. Even after a century, Floyd continues to find new reasons to celebrate, and new stories to tell. 

Floyd’s century of service has earned him numerous honors, including being named the Arkansas Marine Corps League’s Marine of the Year in 2025. But what Floyd talks most about is his family, his faith, the people he’s met, and the places that he’s experienced. He talks of the friends he’s made along the way and the opportunities he’s had to give back, and still finds new ways to connect with people.

For his 100th birthday, Floyd received about 400 letters from people around the world wishing him well. “And I wrote ‘em all back,” he said. Every single one. One of those letters came from a nursing student in Colorado Springs who wanted to learn more about his life. During his subsequent travels to Normandy for the 82nd anniversary of D-Day, he encountered a young woman whose name he recognized immediately. “I looked and said, it can’t be, it just can’t be her,” Floyd recalled. Then he looked up and asked, “Do you know who I am?” “Mr. Floyd Brantley, I know exactly who you are,” she responded, then drew him a watercolor picture that he now gives out copies of to all his visitors. For Floyd, the unexpected encounter served as another reminder of the friendships that can begin with something as simple as a letter. 

He doesn’t pretend that life has always been easy, though. When asked about his greatest life lesson, Floyd reflected on growing up in a dysfunctional family, experiencing hardship, and overcoming a speech impediment. His experiences have shaped the advice he now shares with younger generations. “I believe they have a purpose for everything in life,” he said, reflecting on a conversation with a student during his travels to France. 

Faith and finding God’s will for his life have been central to that belief, helping him navigate both life’s happiest moments and its greatest challenges. “I’ve been blessed in so many ways, and so every day, I thank God,” Floyd said. 

Now, at 101, Floyd Brantley has witnessed wars, generations of change, more history than most people will ever read about, and even Artificial Intelligence. He’s served his country, built a family, made lifelong friendships, and made quite the collection of stories. And the best part is he’s still finding new ones to tell. After 101 years of saying yes, Floyd Brantley doesn’t intend to start saying no any time soon.

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