In honor of Armed Forces Day, William Woods University student Jenna Vogt tells the story of a local World War II veteran with whom she became friends.
One of the first times I met Richard White, another veteran stopped me in my tracks to tell me, "He is the king of Callaway County."
I encountered Richard - who is 91 and lived in Fulton for more than 60 years - when I was working on a project for a social work class at William Woods University (where I am a senior studying to be a special education teacher).
As part of the seventh annual Life Story Project, students paired up with veterans from the Missouri Veterans Home in Mexico to learn about their lives, create a book of their memories and make connections between generations.
Richard (never Mr. White because, as he said, "Mr. White makes me sound old") and I met once a week for two months at the Veterans Home, spending around two hours in the chapel each visit, reminiscing about his life. He's a very humble man, but I soon learned that he has lived an extraordinary life.
He spent his time in the Navy aboard the USS Pennsylvania during World War II, serving in the Pacific.
"All I thought about was getting through today," Richard said. "I never gave much thought about tomorrow or my future."
After the war, Richard moved back to his hometown, Carthage, went to optometry school in Memphis, opened up a practice on 6th Street in downtown Fulton and later worked at Fulton State Hospital.
"For over 40 years, I treated four generations of people," he remembered. "And I wanted to give back to Fulton and help others that needed it."
That drive to help others is one of the cornerstones of Richard's life.
He spent most of that life helping the city of Fulton, from serving on the Fulton School Board and the Long Range Planning Committee, to acting as chairman of the Fulton Housing Authority board and president of the Rotary Club, to being a Sunday school teacher and organizing chairman of Ecumenical Ministries for the First Presbyterian Church.
He also was involved with the creation and organization of SERVE, which he viewed as one of the biggest social accomplishments he has lived through.
"Any time I had the opportunity to assist the community, I did," he said.
His most memorable achievement was in the name of his high school sweetheart and wife, Evelynn. After she died of Alzheimer's in May 2009, Richard co-founded a local support group for dementia and Alzheimer's. The support group is still available in the community and has extended to surrounding counties.
"My wife spoke to me through this, and I knew my calling was to help educate other families suffering with a loved one who has Alzheimer's," he said. "It helped me through my grief."
He survived both WWII and his wife's passing by keeping in mind his life's motto: "In good times and in bad, this too shall pass."
The two raised three sons together in Fulton. One of Richard's biggest priorities was to be a good father and loving husband, carrying on the tradition he learned from his own father. He now has eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
"Though at times it was difficult, I knew that if I could get three teenage sons through the '60s, I could do anything," Richard said.
Richard and I made a connection that I will never forget. We became very close very fast, and now talk via email and a daily check-up text message. I am still surprised by how great he is with his iPhone.
But it's no longer about a class project. It's a true friendship. He told me I was the daughter he never had.
Ronald Reagan, who gave the 1952 commencement speech at William Woods, once said, "People often spend a lifetime wondering if they have made a difference in the world."
Richard White doesn't need to wonder. He truly has made a difference in my life and in Fulton.