WATCH: Former Mayor Selig remembered for her passion, persistence

Helen Selig, a former Hot Springs mayor who was the first female chairman of The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, was remembered Monday as a "great force" in the community.

Selig, 84, who died Friday after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease, served as mayor of Hot Springs from 1994 to 2000. During her tenure, the Hot Springs Convention Center was constructed and the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts opened.

"Hot Springs is truly a better place because of her passion, the work that she did, and her influence," City Manager Bill Burrough said Monday. "When Helen Selig was involved, people would listen."

Visit Hot Springs CEO Steve Arrison commemorated Selig for the construction of the convention center, as well as her involvement in the community as a whole.

"She was a great force in our community," he said. "A lot of good things happened through the years. Her fingerprints are all over them."

Corey Alderdice, director of ASMSA, praised Selig as well for her involvement in the school's opening.

"Without her, her passion and persistence, Hot Springs would not be the home of ASMSA, nor would the program have enjoyed the successful start that it did," he said.

Selig was born in Siloam Springs and moved across several states while raising her children with her husband of 64 years, John David Selig. When they moved to Hot Springs she was a commercial Realtor and founder, with her son, Scott, of Selig Commercial Real Estate, which was the only local company to specialize in commercial real estate at that time, according to her biography.

She was a founding member of the Arkansas Women's Leadership Forum as well as the Women's Foundation of Arkansas. She also volunteered for several organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Hot Springs Parks Board of Directors, R.E.G.A.R.D., YMCA Board of Directors, Hot Springs Music Festival (board of directors), Kappa Kappa Gamma fraternity, Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist, the Lotus Book Club and Hot Springs National Park Rotary Club.

    From left, former state Rep. Terry Smith, state Sen. Bud Canada, and state Rep. Ted Mullenix symbolically hand over cash to former members of the Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission, Aaron Gordon and Bob Wheeler, and former Hot Springs Mayor Helen Selig while discussing state turnback funds for the Hot Springs Civic & Convention Center in April 1998. - File photo by The Sentinel-Record
  

As well as being the first female chairman of the board for the chamber, Selig was also named Woman of the Year three separate times.

"When you look back at the accomplishments that were during her tenure, there were too many to name," Burrough said.

Burrough said Selig was "more than anything, a friend." He was working in Little Rock while Selig was mayor but has lived in Hot Springs his entire life.

"If you're from Hot Springs, it's not difficult to know who Helen Selig is and who she was," he said.

Arrison said he also thought of Selig as a friend, as well as her husband and the rest of her family. Selig had four children and 11 grandchildren who referred to her as "Nana."

"If you ever wanted a Nana, she'd be the one you'd want," Arrison said. "She was just a great person, a great family person and she and her family have done so much for our community."

    Former U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers, left, talks with former Hot Springs Mayor Helen Selig in December 1995. - File photo by The Sentinel-Record
  

As for the future of Hot Springs, Alderdice said, "leaders like Helen always recognize that the past is only as good as the future that we're consistently building.

"I think Helen would continue to champion today's emerging leaders and the work that we are doing to ensure that Hot Springs' future is even brighter than its past."

Selig told The Sentinel-Record previously when asked where she saw Hot Springs in five to 20 years: "We will have the best of both worlds! History -- we will continue to applaud and approve all that our forefathers did in this beautiful, fascinating national park and all the area around it. Happening -- we will join together to tell the world about what is happening here and how they can improve their standard of living by coming here to see how it is done!"