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Beebe names Janet Huckabee to veterans aid panel Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008 Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Former first lady Janet Huckabee was appointed by Gov. Mike Beebe on Tuesday to a state panel to aide returning veterans. The wife of the Democratic governor's Republican predecessor, Mike Huckabee, will serve on the Arkansas Yellow Ribbon Task Force in addressing issues faced by service men and women returning from deployment overseas and aging veterans with increasing health needs. "By sitting down together, members of this task force will share their specialties and ideas to identify ways that we can better serve all our veterans," Beebe said. Janet Huckabee is American Red Cross Arkansas' program manager for services to military families and was named to the task force in that capacity, Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said. The appointment had nothing to do with the recent removal of her name from an entrance to a banquet hall at the Governor's Mansion, DeCample said. "One had nothing to do with the other," he said. "She contacted us after we first announced the task force was being put together and expressed her interest. Having someone who works with veterans with the Red Cross made a lot of sense." Officials of the commission that oversees the mansion said they removed Janet Huckabee's name, which was spelled out in plastic lettering, for "aesthetic reasons." A plaque outside the building still refers to the hall as "Janet M. Huckabee Hall," which it was named two years ago, before Mike Huckabee left office in January 2007 after 10 1/2 years as governor. The commission also voted to no longer name rooms at the mansion after people. ------- The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
