Lieutenant Colonel Artis T. Lofton, Senior, United States Army, deceased, was a distinguished officer who received numerous awards, including four Meritorious Service Medals, two Army Commendation Medals, and an Army Achievement Medal.

Colonel Lofton was born in Forest City, graduated from high school in Hughes, and was commissioned into the Regular Army through the ROTC program at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Following an assignment to West Berlin in 1984, he became a Professor of Military Science at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL. He retired after 20 years of active federal service in 1994.

In his retirement, he established the Junior ROTC program at North Little Rock High School, where he served for 18 years until retiring in 2012 as the Senior Army Junior ROTC Instructor. Additionally, Lieutenant Colonel Lofton served as President for three years and First and Second Vice President for four years in the Pulaski County University of Pine Bluff AM&N Alumni Association. Furthermore, in 1995, he was selected for induction into the National Alumni Association Hall of Fame.