Don Clark Ruggles

Don Ruggles founded Lifenet of Arkansas in 1983 and was instrumental in bringing the first Emergency Medical Service (EMS) helicopter service to Arkansas in that year. In the same year he founded Helicopters Southwest based in Texarkana and in the subsequent thirty-six years his company has flown over 10,000 accident free missions throughout Arkansas and Texas. Ruggles has served in many civic and charitable endeavors including as a member of the Arkansas Aeronautics Commission and as Chairman of the Texarkana Airport Commission. He was the recipient the Wilbur Award for Exemplary Community Service in Texarkana for 2019.