Louis McJunkin was born to parents Elias Alfred McJunkin and Anna Valentine Jenkins on February 20, 1931. The family moved from Louis' birthplace of
Lawton, Oklahoma in 1936, to
Siloam Springs, Arkansas. He began working as a wheat harvester in 1948, and subsequently operated an
Esso station in Siloam Springs. McJunkin served in the
United States Army's
24th Infantry Division during the
Korean War. Upon his return to Arkansas in 1953, McJunkin married Lois June Shay and joined
McDonnell Douglas. From 1958, McJunkin was self-employed, having founded Noark Oil and Auto Supply. He died in
Springdale on November 12, 2010, at the age of 79. ==Political career==