By Rob Moritz
Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — An archivist sifting through boxes of former President Bill Clinton’s papers and memorabilia from his time as Arkansas governor found a missing moon rock given to the state 35 years ago.

“It’s sort of a mystery solved,” said Bobby Roberts, director of the Central Arkansas Library System.

Roberts said the small rock, along with a plaque and a small Arkansas flag, were found in one of about 2,000 boxes containing the former governor’s papers and memorabilia at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies.

The rock, brought back to earth by astronauts during the 1972 Apollo 17 mission — each state received similar mementos — was given to then-Gov. David Pryor in 1976.

“It has probably been there, sitting in that box, 30 years, 32 years, we’re guessing,” Roberts said Wednesday. “We’re delighted it was found and not damaged.”

The library system director speculated that the rock was probably was packed away by one of Clinton’s staffers in late 1980 after Clinton lost his first re-election bid to Republican Frank White.

Clinton defeated White two years later and then served another 10 years as governor before being elected president in 1992.

Roberts, who worked in Clinton’s administration after he was re-elected governor in 1982, said he did not remember seeing the rock.

“My guess is it probably got packed up and there it sat,” he said.

Roberts said he plans to give the rock to Gov. Mike Beebe so it can be placed on public display.