Vada Sheid, a pioneering Arkansas legislator and public servant, will be honored this month with two major recognitions. The late Sheid, who was the first woman elected to both chambers of the Arkansas General Assembly, played a crucial role in advancing education and infrastructure in North Arkansas.
On August 19, what would have been Sheid’s 110th birthday, the Calico Rock Museum will host an open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to commemorate her legacy. Her son, Richard Sheid, announced that the event will also mark the city’s declaration of “Vada Sheid Day.” A dedicated exhibit room will feature photographs of her early life in Izard County as well as highlights of her political career and accomplishments.
Eight days later, on August 27, Sheid will be posthumously inducted into the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame. The ceremony, scheduled at the Centennial Bank Ballroom at the North Little Rock Event Center, begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by a dinner program at 6:30 p.m. Sheid will join six other women in this year’s Hall of Fame class, including Cynthia East, Marsha Martin, Cynthia E. Nance, Sharon Allen, Phyllis Dillaha Brandon, and Dorothy Reddell Caldwell. Four of the honorees are being recognized posthumously.
Richard Sheid, who plans to attend both events, explained the importance of these honors, particularly for newcomers to the area. “They see these signs on the bypass and the bridges and stuff, but they really don’t know what she accomplished throughout her life,” he said. “She was a public servant, and that’s pretty much what her life was all about. It’s serving people.”
Born as Vada Webb in 1913 in Wideman, Sheid grew up in Calico Rock, graduating from high school there in 1934. She began her public service career at just 19 as the Izard County welfare director. Encouraged by her politically active father, she pursued politics in Baxter County after marrying Carl Sheid in 1940 and moving to Little Rock. She was elected county treasurer in 1960, secured a seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1966, and became the first woman to serve in the Arkansas Senate in 1976.
Sheid championed education and infrastructure during her time in office. Her persistent advocacy led to the construction of bridges over Norfork Lake, where ferries had served residents for decades. She lobbied state and federal leaders tirelessly, even meeting with President Richard Nixon, who later sent her the pen he used to sign the funding legislation. The bridges opened in 1983.
Her efforts in education led to the establishment of North Arkansas Community College in Harrison after early efforts for a college in Baxter County stalled. In the 1990s, Sheid returned to the Arkansas House for one final term and secured funding for Arkansas State University-Mountain Home. The campus opened in 1995, and the Vada Sheid Community Development Center now bears her name.
Sheid passed away in 2008 at the age of 91 but left behind a legacy of bipartisanship and perseverance. “She never stopped working to help people, whether she was in office or not,” Richard Sheid said. “Helping people was who she was.”