Wayne W. Wilkes

Class of 1997

Wayne was born November 9, 1912, in Beebe, AR. His father died when Wayne was 11 and Wayne assumed the leadership role in his family. He served in the US Army, Old Hickory Division, in France, Holland and Germany.

He married Anna Lee in 1937 and they raised three children; Judy, Gary and David. Prior to his induction, Wayne served as president of Wayne’s Candy Co. Inc. for 51 years. His work was honored with a Salesman of the Year Award from the Southern Tobacco & Candy Association, where he also served as vice-president.

In his acceptance speech he said: I learned early in life to work hard. I observed those who were successful, analyzed why they were and applied those principles to my business.