Dr. Charles E. "Pete" Kemp

Charles E. “Pete” Kemp, M.D., 97, of Jonesboro, passed away Thursday, October 1, 2026, at St. Bernards Medical Center. He was born September 29, 1929, in Trumann to the late Alice Sorrell Kemp and Charles Emmett Kemp. Pete was a beloved physician, community leader, civil rights advocate, devoted husband and partner, loving father and grandfather, loyal friend, practical joker, and generous and compassionate man whose life touched generations of families across Northeast Arkansas.

From an early age, he developed the qualities that would define his life: curiosity, leadership, humor, compassion, and a deep commitment to the people and community he called home.

Pete attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. He was president of Sigma Nu fraternity and a member and president of Blue Key, the university’s highest leadership honor society. His years at the University of Arkansas also began a lifelong love of the Razorbacks.

He went on to attend the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), where he completed four years of medical school and served as president of the student body during his senior year. That experience planted an important idea in his mind: perhaps one day he would have the opportunity to contribute to the administration and leadership of the university he loved.

It was also during medical school that Pete met Frances Tucker. They married in 1952 and began a partnership that would span nearly five decades. Following medical school, Pete and Frances moved to St. Louis, where he interned and completed his residency in pediatrics at Washington University. During his final year of residency, he was selected by the faculty to serve as chief resident, an honor that reflected the respect he had earned from his colleagues and teachers. Pete and Frances loved St. Louis and seriously considered making it their permanent home, but Northeast Arkansas called them home.

Several physicians in Jonesboro were recruiting Pete to return and establish a pediatric specialty as St. Bernard’s Hospital sought to grow and expand its medical services. Dr. Berry encouraged him to come home, and Pete ultimately chose to do just that. It was a decision that would profoundly shape the medical history of Northeast Arkansas.

Dr. Kemp pioneered the practice of pediatrics in the region and, for many years, was one of only a small number of pediatricians in private practice in Arkansas. In 1959, he established the Children’s Clinic in Jonesboro. He called it “Infants and Children” because, as he often explained, people at the time did not necessarily know what the word “pediatrics” meant since the specialty was so new.

For more than six decades, the children of Northeast Arkansas knew Dr. Kemp as their doctor, but his care extended far beyond medicine. He believed in knowing his patients and their families, listening carefully, reassuring anxious parents, and treating every child with genuine tenderness and concern. He loved being a pediatrician and was enormously proud of the privilege of caring for generations of children.

That love never diminished. Pete continued seeing patients until he was 90 years old, when the COVID-19 pandemic made continuing his practice unrealistic. When asked what he wanted for his 90th birthday, his answer captured him perfectly: the best gift would be to spend the day doing what he loved—seeing patients. His commitment to service reached well beyond the examining room.

Pete was an active member of First United Methodist Church, where he served on the Board of Stewards on several occasions and taught an adult Sunday school class for many years. He served multiple times as president of the Craighead County Medical Society and as vice chairman of the medical board at St. Bernard’s Hospital.

During the racial discord of the 1960s, Pete was determined that Jonesboro would not succumb to the divisions that were tearing communities apart. He helped bring together ministers, leaders from the Black community, and white community leaders to create the Council on Human Relations. His efforts reflected his belief that difficult times called for people to come together, listen to one another, and work toward a better community.

Pete also believed strongly in the importance of the arts and in creating places where people could gather, celebrate, and share experiences. In the late 1970s, he and John Troutt, along with others, noticed that the old Strand Theatre in downtown Jonesboro sat empty. Rather than let the historic space disappear, they decided to give it new life.

They invested their own money and worked to raise additional funds to renovate the building. In 1978, the Forum opened as an event and performance space. Pete helped establish the Foundation of the Arts, bringing wonderful entertainers, performances, and cultural experiences to Jonesboro. It became another lasting part of his legacy of building community.

Among the many accomplishments of which Pete was proud, one held a particularly special place in his heart: his appointment by Arkansas Governor Dale Bumpers to the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas. He served a ten-year term, during which he was appointed chairman of the medical school committee and played an important role in the selection of a new dean for the medical school.

His contributions to UAMS were later recognized with its Distinguished Alumni Award. Pete was especially proud to be the first clinician, or non-academic physician, to receive the honor.

Yet, for all of his professional achievements and civic contributions, Pete’s greatest pride was his family. He was a devoted husband to Frances for 49 years and treasured the life they built together. After Frances’s death, Pete was blessed to spend the final 18 years of his life with his beloved partner, Peggy Burnett. Peggy brought him joy, love, devotion, companionship, and a deep happiness that he cherished. Together, they shared a life filled with laughter, friendship, travel, and countless memories. Pete was a loving father to his daughters, Lisa and Julia, and a proud grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather. He delighted in watching his family grow and remained deeply interested in the lives and accomplishments of each generation.

He was also a loyal friend—the kind of friend who could be counted on—and he never lost his mischievous sense of humor. A practical joker, Pete enjoyed making people laugh and rarely missed an opportunity to have a little fun. His humor, warmth, and easy ability to connect with people made him memorable to virtually everyone who knew him.

A lifelong Arkansas Razorbacks fan, Pete also faithfully followed his St. Louis Cardinals. Whether discussing medicine, politics, sports, the arts, or simply the latest family news, he brought curiosity, enthusiasm, wit, and an appreciation for a good conversation.

Pete Kemp’s life was one of service, but it was never simply about titles, honors, or accomplishments. His legacy lives in the children he cared for, the families he comforted, the students and physicians he encouraged, the community he helped bring together, the arts and institutions he helped strengthen, and, most importantly, in the people he loved.

He believed in showing up—for his patients, his church, his community, his friends, and his family. He believed that people mattered. And he had a remarkable gift for making the people around him feel that they mattered, too.

In addition to his parents, Pete was preceded in death by his wife of 49 years, Frances Tucker Kemp.

He is survived by his daughters, Lisa Kemp Clark and Rusty Clark of Jonesboro, and Julia Kemp Fox and Carl Fox of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; six grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; his beloved partner of 18 years, Peggy Burnett; and countless friends, former patients, colleagues, and members of the community whose lives were made richer by knowing him.

He leaves behind not simply a distinguished record of service, but a legacy of kindness, courage, laughter, leadership, and love. And for the generations of children he cared for, there will always be a special place in their memories for the pediatrician who dedicated his life to their care for more than 60 years.

Dr. Charles E. “Pete” Kemp lived a long and extraordinary life.

Visitation will Sunday, October 4, 2026, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. in Emerson Memorial Chapel.

Funeral service will be Monday, October 5, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at First United Methodist Church with Rev. Jacob Lynn officiating. Burial will be private.

For lasting memorials, the family asks that consideration be given to St. Bernards Development Foundation, 400 East St, Jonesboro, AR 72401 or Arkansas Children’s Hospital, archildrens.org/donate