Feature Profile
Photos by Keith Branch
Dr. Morriss and Ann Henry Second-Generation Residents Have Special Connection to Butterfield To say Butterfield residents Ann and Dr. Morriss Henry are pillars of the community is an understatement. Anyone who knows this Fayetteville golden couple, each with outstanding careers and records of service, knows they’ve actively supported their community and served as a source of inspiration to friends, colleagues and family for more than 40 years. As a pioneering ophthalmologist, Morriss Henry was a principal at the Henry Eye Clinic in Northwest Arkansas from 1961 to 2017 – and one of the first eye surgeons in the state to operate using lasers. Ann is a former educator, associate professor and faculty chair at the University of Arkansas who, like her husband, has a distinguished record of service. Since moving to the Village in July 2019, Ann and Morriss have been actively supporting key initiatives in Northwest Arkansas. Morriss is behind the establishment of a medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Centers (UAMS) in Fayetteville, and both are helping with the $23 million capital campaign to fund the new expansion project at the Fayetteville Public Library. 6 BUTTERFIELD LIFE
MARCH + APRIL 2020
“Morriss and I are honorary co-chairs of the library expansion campaign along with Jim and Nancy Blair,” said Ann, who was the volunteer fundraiser for the existing library. The new expansion and renovation is especially important since it has the potential to impact such a large cross section of the community. “Libraries are open to everyone,” Ann said. “With the programs they offer and the opportunities they create, especially for children, libraries have the power to transform lives.” Ann is presently on the BTV Board of Directors representing Central United Methodist Church, while Morriss is a former board member for the church. At Butterfield, Ann and Morriss represent a growing trend not only in Northwest Arkansas but at retirement communities across the country: they are second-generation residents whose parents lived at BTV before them. As BTV celebrates its 34th anniversary in March, second-generation residents like the Henrys are becoming more and more common.
