RISON - Vernon Dollar, who served as both county judge for Cleveland County and mayor of Rison, died last Wednesday evening, April 3, from an injury sustained in a fall, according to social media reports from his family.A native of Hot Springs, Dollar, 73, had a long history of community service in and around Rison. He was a retired Arkansas state trooper, having served his entire career patrolling Cleveland County. During his tenure with the Arkansas State Police, he took on several duties, including a time when he escorted Johnny Cash for Cash’s 1976 Bicentennial concert at the Rison High School football field.After retiring from law enforcement, Dollar got into politics. He challenged incumbent County Judge Thomas Crutchfield in the 2000 Democratic primary election and won the seat. Dollar served three two-year terms before failing to win reelection in a three-way race in 2006.Dollar found himself back in the political arena eight years later when the Rison City Council selected him to fill the unexpired term of the late Delmar Fultz, who had resigned from office to care for his ailing wife. He was sworn in as mayor of Rison on June 2, 2008, and remained in office until resigning on Jan. 12, 2022.In addition to holding local offices, Dollar was involved in many other community service roles, many of which centered around working with youth. He was a long-time volunteer trainer for the Rison Wildcat football team, and he also coached youth football and baseball in addition to umpiring.He also often served as the emcee for the Cleveland County Fair Pageants.After graduating from Hot Springs Lakeside High School in 1968, Dollar entered the U.S. Air Force, having served in Vietnam. His military service created a sense of passion for his fellow veterans.While serving as mayor of Rison, Dollar was instrumental in naming the park along Magnolia Street (Hwy. 35) in Rison as Veterans Park. While he was able to get smal...
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