[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 103 (Tuesday, June 13, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E556-E557]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE LIFE OF RONALD F. ``RON'' RICHARD OF JOPLIN, MISSOURI

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ERIC BURLISON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 13, 2023

  Mr. BURLISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and 
legacy of former State Senator Ronald F. Richard of Joplin, Missouri, 
also known as Ron, or Ronnie, to his closest friends. Sadly, Mr. 
Richard passed away this past Friday morning.
  Senator Richard was born in Parsons, Kansas, on Independence Day in 
1947. He moved to Joplin as a child and subsequently graduated from 
McAuley High School in 1965. He

[[Page E557]]

went on to earn Bachelor of Arts degrees in history and political 
science from Joplin's Missouri Southern State University in 1969, and a 
Master of Arts degree in recent American history from Missouri State 
University in Springfield in 1971.
  Senator Richard's first foray into politics began in 1990 when he was 
elected to the Joplin City Council. He was named mayor of Joplin in 
1994, a position he held until 1997. In 2002, Senator Richard was 
elected to represent the 129th District in the Missouri House of 
Representatives. While serving in the House, he was elected by his 
colleagues in 2009 to serve as Speaker of the House.
  In 2010, he ran to represent Missouri's 32nd Senatorial District, 
which at the time consisted of Newton, Jasper and Dade counties. He 
held that position from 2010 to 2018, when he termed out under 
Missouri's term limits law. While there, he was elected by his peers as 
President Pro Tempore, a leadership position he held from 2015 to 2018. 
Senator Richard is the first legislator in Missouri history to serve as 
the top leader in both chambers of the Missouri State Legislature.
  Senator Richard's life of service did not end with his retirement 
from the legislature. He was appointed by Missouri Governor Mike Parson 
to the Missouri Southern State University Board of Governors, a 
position he held at the time of his death. He also served on the board 
of the Missouri Higher Education Savings Program and continued to be 
active in local and state politics.
  In December 2022, he was honored as a Missouri Squire, a non-profit 
organization that honors Missourians for their accomplishments at the 
community, state, or national level, that was founded by Gov. James T. 
Blair in 1960. He also was named an outstanding alumnus by Missouri 
Southern State University, received an RCGA Statesman Award, and also 
received the St. Louis Business Journal Legislative Award.
  Senator Richard owned C & N Bowling Corporation. He and his wife, 
Patty, have two children, Kara and Chad, and several grandchildren.
  It is an honor and a privilege to have known Senator Richard and to 
have had him as a constituent. He exhibited a life of service, and we 
mourn his untimely death. Our prayers are with his wife, Patty, and the 
rest of his family and friends.

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