[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13941-13942]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO RICHARD STRUCKHOFF

 Mr. BLUNT. Madam President, I wish to pay tribute to Richard 
Struckhoff, the county clerk of Greene County, MO. He has been a quiet, 
tireless and efficient servant to the citizens of my home county for a 
record 27 years. He was appointed when Ronald Reagan was President and 
John Ashcroft was Governor. Then Governor Ashcroft wisely chose 
Struckhoff for the position he still holds today. Richard was on the 
staff of another member of this body, U.S. Senator John Danforth, 
serving in the Senate district office in Springfield, MO.
  I met Richard when I was the Greene County clerk and he was a news 
reporter for KWTO Radio in Springfield. Richard, with his trademark 
beard, was then as he is today--easy to work with, soft-spoken, 
insightful and a keen student of local politics. Struckhoff was part of 
a pack of journalists who visited my office every day looking for 
nuggets of public interest and features about elections and county 
news. He won awards for his public affairs broadcasts at KWTO. Later he 
went to work for Senator Danforth, and in 1987 when the Greene County 
clerk resigned, he was appointed. Richard says Danforth was a role 
model with his principled leadership, openness to many viewpoints, and 
a devotion to his religious faith, all of which had an impact on 
Struckhoff's decision to seek elective office.
  During his 27 years as clerk, he has seen a host of changes, but none 
more dramatic than the implementation of the Help America Vote Act 
after the 2000 presidential election. As the chief election official in 
Greene County, Struckhoff guided the effort to switch from more than 20 
years of punch-card voting to computerized scanner machines and a 
statewide voter registration system. Struckhoff's small cadre of staff 
has overseen elections, voter registration and education, tax law, 
licenses, and county archives. He is seen as a role model by his 
colleagues, pursuing public service in place of partisan politics. 
Other community leaders have praised his hard work, collaboration, and 
good humor. That in itself is a remarkable record.
  Struckhoff has been married to Micki for more than 40 years, and they 
have three children and a host of grandchildren. Richard spends his 
free time between elections on the road, seeing grandkids, singing in 
the band, the ``Geezers,'' or playing music at church. In more recent 
months, Richard and Micki have begun traveling to shooting competitions 
in various locations, and they have both become good shots.
  Richard is also a man of faith--deeply involved at Immaculate 
Conception Catholic Church in the music program. He was born in St. 
Louis in 1952, came to Springfield in the late 1970s and graduated 
Missouri State University in 1988. We have been blessed by his 
leadership ever since.
  Family, faith, music and guns: is there any doubt why we like to be 
around Richard Struckhoff? He is a funny guy with a charming smile and 
a quick wit. He is a true public servant and my friend. I know he won't 
be looking for things to do in retirement. His plate is full with 
grandkids to mold, songs to sing and guns to shoot. We have Richard 
Struckhoff to thank for more than 27 years of fair elections in Greene 
County. I hope retirement brings many rewards to Richard and his 
family.

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