Howard Herschel Conaway, Ph.D.

Dr. Howard Herschel (“Butch”) Conaway, 84, of Little Rock, Ark., passed away at home Saturday, December 28, 2024, within his family’s loving embrace following a fierce battle against multiple cancers. 

He was born October 2, 1940, to Robert Fleming Conaway and Esther Douglass Conaway in the coal mining town of Fairmont, W. Va. Situated at the junction of the Monongahela, Tygart and West Fork Rivers, Fairmont – surrounded by the verdant forests, streams and mountains of Appalachia – was the source of his lifelong love affair with nature. A gifted and witty storyteller, Herschel frequently recounted his adventurous exploration of the region as he mastered the dual arts of hunting and fishing. With characteristically sparkling eyes, he also enjoyed reminiscing about the several spirited summers he hitchhiked to both Atlantic City and Miami to work and save money for college. 

Industrious and hard-working throughout his life, he graduated from Fairmont Senior High School in 1958 before earning a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Fairmont State College, where he was president of Tau Beta Iota (TBI) Fraternity. Afterward, he taught science and coached wrestling at the Fredericksburg City Public Schools in Virginia before pursuing his graduate degrees. He earned a Master of Science degree in pharmacology from West Virginia University and a Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Missouri at Columbia. In 1971, he joined the faculty of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock, where he was a professor and researcher for 50 years, retiring in 2021. 

During his tenure at UAMS, he taught every class of medical students and never missed a teaching assignment. He also proudly coached the UAMS basketball team, along with various AAU teams in Little Rock. Beginning with a research study published in Biochemical Pharmacology in 1966 and ending with a 2024 paper published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, his nearly 60 years of contributions to the medical literature left a significant footprint. 

For the last 30 years, he participated in a strong collaborative research effort with colleagues in Sweden, particularly Dr. Ulf Lerner of Umea University. Lerner, one of the many close friends Herschel made through his work in medicine, notes, “We have not only been scientific colleagues and collaborators but also very good friends. What I will remember most is our hunting and fishing trips, sitting around the campfire talking about our experiences in the forests and on the streams. It will be very silent for all of us without Herschel.”

 Ever a loyal protector of those he loved, he will be deeply missed by his surviving family members, who include two daughters, Laurel Lynne Mergenshroer and husband John of Little Rock, Ark., and Dr. Anne Fleming Conaway of Quincy, Ill.; three grandchildren, Devin Brooke Baldwin and husband Anthony Keenan Horrell of Orlando, Fla., Finn Elliot Conaway of Waterford, Conn., and Noah Mergenschroer of Little Rock; his former spouse and children’s mother, Melanie Lyn Speckhart Conaway of Little Rock; his sister, Sally Conaway Feltz and husband Joe of Fairmont, W. Va.; and four nieces and nephews. 

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Robert (“Bob”) Fleming Conaway, Jr., of Maricopa, Arizona.

Memorial contributions may be made to Sierra Club Arkansas Chapter, any similar environmental conservation organization or to Fairmont State.

Arrangements by Arkansas Cremation, 10515 W Markham St, Suite B1, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205. If you would like to leave a message of condolence to the family, you may do so using the Guestbook section.

www.arkansascremation.com