A Voice for Ira

Dale Ross stops just short of saying that Ira Gurley was murdered in 1932, but the local author and historian leaves no doubt about his suspicions.

Ross, author of the 2022 book “A Voice for Ira,” discussed the book and the case it is based on during a presentation Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Berryville Community Center. The event was sponsored by the Friends of the Berryville Library and the Carroll County Historical and Genealogical Society.

Gurley, a Carroll County native who served as a school principal at Alpena and Green Forest, received a law degree from Cumberland University in Tennessee. He served four terms in the state House of Representatives and was appointed to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

He was preparing to run for Secretary of State when he was crushed in an elevator as the state capitol building in Little Rock. As Ross told his audience on Saturday, the only investigation into Gurley’s death was led by the incumbent secretary of state — the man who stood to lose his position of power if Gurley defeated him in an election.

Gurley’s death was declared an accident and he was quickly laid to rest in Carroll County.

Ross suggested that organized crime figures might also be connected to Gurley’s death. A former police officer, he said he initially began looking into the case hoping to find convincing evidence that Gurley’s death was indeed a tragic accident. Instead, he found only reason to believe there was more to the story.

Ultimately, Ross said he wrote the book to tell Gurley’s story, to provide a voice for the man whose death was never properly investigated.

“We lost a lot when we lost Ira,” Ross said. “The way he ended up, and the fact that he was just forgotten about is really a sad story.”

A Voice For Ira” is available to order online. Most major bookstores such as Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble and many other sites list the book for sale.