of Little Rock,
November 5, 1932 - June 27, 2024
Robert J. Dudley, 91, of Little Rock died Thursday, June 27, 2024. He was preceded in death by his wife of 45 years, Donna, who died May 27, 2000. He is survived by two daughters, Debra Eddleman and Donna Dudley of Little Rock and a grandson, Nicholas Vano of Little Rock. He was preceded in death by his brother, Gerald Dudley of Harrisburg, AR.
He was born in Harrisburg, AR and raised primarily in Poinsett County, AR. He graduated from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR with a degree in accounting in 1956 and later received an MBA in Management at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, AR. After graduation from the U of A, he served two years in the Army as a Lieutenant in West Germany, stationed in Frankfort. He subsequently served ten years in the Army Reserve as a Captain in Memphis, Tennessee.
His first professional position was with Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co, a national public accounting firm in Memphis, TN, where he passed the CPA exam and also taught accounting courses at the University of TN at night. When the firm opened an office in Little Rock, he transferred to the Little Rock office. He subsequently served as Controller at Stephens, Inc. an investment banker and as Controller at Borden, Inc. in their frozen foods division. For the remainder of his life, he practiced public accounting in Little Rock, principally in the tax and estate planning fields and invested extensively in real estate. When time permitted, he also taught accounting courses at UALR in Little Rock and UCA in Conway.
He was a long-time member of a number of professional and civic organizations. including The American Institute of CPA's, The Arkansas Society of CPA's, The National Association of Accountants and The Founders Lions Club in downtown Little Rock. He was also a member of the First Christian Church actively involved in their food pantry activities distributing food to needy families.