Biography: Kathryn Donham Rice (Mrs. James H. Rice, Jr.), 92, died on Sunday, March 18, 2012 at Parkway Village Health Care in Little Rock. Katy Rice was born December 7, 1919 in Little Rock, the daughter of John Roy Donham, a Little Rock insurance executive, and Veda Fitzhugh Donham. She attended Little Rock public schools, graduating from Little Rock (Central) High School in 1937. She was a member of the Class of 1941 at Hendrix College, Conway, AR and in 1942 was married to James Horner Rice, Jr. of Little Rock. Katy was a lifelong Methodist whose interest in Arkansas Methodist history led to her appointment as the Archivist of the Little Rock Conference of the United Methodist Church. In 1980, she authored A History of the First United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas 1831 ? 1981 to commemorate the church?s sesquicentennial. She served as church historian for twenty-eight years, creating with her husband the History Hall where many Methodist historic photographs and artifacts are displayed. She was a board member of the Commission on Archives and History of the United Methodist Church and a charter member of the Arkansas United Methodist Historical Society. Mrs. Rice was a member of the Women?s Emergency Committee, the political organization which worked to re-open and to support Little Rock public schools during the 1957 desegregation crisis. In the 1970?s she was employed at the Old State House Museum, first as a guide, then as Registrar, a position for which she trained at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. In 1986 she was appointed to serve on the Arkansas Sesquicentennial Commission as head of the Religious Organizations Task Force. This group sponsored four regional workshops on church history-writing and church archives management during the year. For four years she was the Arkansas Representative for UNICEF. Mrs. Rice had an abiding interest in her alma mater, Hendrix College, volunteering as archivist in the Winfred Polk United Methodist Archives and the Bailey Library. In 1992 Hendrix College awarded her the Mary and Ira A. Brumley Award for outstanding service in religious education. In 2003 the Hendrix Alumni Association honored her with the Humanitarian Award for her dedicated service to the college. In 1997 she and her husband established the Kathryn D. and James H. Rice Endowed Scholarship at Hendrix. She was a member of the Hendrix Heritage Society, The Bowen-Cabe Sunday School class at First Methodist Church of Little Rock, the Aesthetic Club, where she served as President, the Arkansas Women?s History Institute, the Pulaski County Historical Society, the Thursday Book Club, the Arkansas Historical Association and the Country Club of Little Rock. In their retirement years she and her husband traveled extensively, visiting Canada, Alaska, the European continent, the British Isles, Egypt, the Soviet Union, Israel, China and Central America. Mrs. Rice wrote two additional histories which were published: The History of Lakeside Country Club and The History of Belcher Lake Farms, a hunting and fishing club in southeast Arkansas, which she co-authored with her son, Mike Rice. Katy was a dedicated and loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who instilled a love of reading and exploring in her children and grandchildren. She spent many years as the Little Rock representative of Camp Monterey and Camp Country Lad, in Monterey, TN. Her love of the camps led to her service as a staff member in the 1960?s and her children and grandchildren attended the camps for over 50 years. Mrs. Rice is survived by two sons, John D. (Mike) Rice and his wife Janice of Albuquerque, NM, and James R. (Jim) Rice and his wife Tracy of Little Rock; two daughters, Kathryn Rice Knowles and her husband Robert of Roseland, VA and Louise Rice Fox and her husband Joe of Little Rock. She is also survived by nine grandchildren: Tamera Daniel, Kimberly Carswell, English Knowles, James Knowles, Robert Knowles, Jim Moore, Katie Moore Tennyson, Jessica Rice and John Rice and twelve great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband of 66 years, James Rice and her sister, Lea Donham Cross of Katy, TX Visitation will be held at Ruebel Funeral Home, 6313 W. Markham, Little Rock, on Monday, March 26, 2012 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. A private burial will be held at Mount Holly Cemetery on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 followed by a celebration of Katy?s life at First United Methodist Church at 11:00 a.m. officiated by Rev. Michael Mattox. A reception will be held in the fellowship hall following the service. Memorials may be made to the James H. and Kathryn Donham Rice Endowed Scholarship fund at Hendrix College, Conway, AR (Office of Advancement, Hendrix College, 1600 Washington, Conway, AR 73032) or to the Perpetual Endowment Fund at the First United Methodist Church in Little Rock (723 Center Street, Little Rock, AR 72201) The family would like to express thanks and gratitude for the care and support of friends and staff at Woodland Heights Retirement Center, Elder Independence Home Care and Parkway Village Health Care, and to the wonderful end-of-life ministry of Baptist Hospice. Arrangements by Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.