Reed Richmond to retire from Richland Public Health at the end of the year

Reed Richmond took off his mask as he contemplated his 21-year career at Richland Public Health.

"It seems like 20 of those years have been the last 18 months," the health department's education and communications specialist said with a chuckle, mask in hand.

It's been a very serious time, though, and wearing such a covering has become commonplace for Richmond. It's there to save lives by reducing the spread of COVID-19, and to remind everyone that we're still in a global pandemic.

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After all, protecting the public from misinformation and providing them with the best medical knowledge available has been his goal.

But at the end of the year, he will retire from those duties. His final day will be Dec. 31.

"I've really enjoyed the work I have done," he said.

Dinosaur lover to wildlife officer

Public health was never really on Richmond's mind while he was growing up in nearby Ashland. His main passion in life was dinosaurs, and he could tell any adult just about everything they could ever want to know about the prehistoric animals.

His family moved away from North Central Ohio for a few of his teenage years, but returned in time for him graduate from Ashland High School.

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His next adventure was college, and he decided to continue his scientific studies by attending Hocking College in hopes of becoming a wildlife officer. His first year, though, was not exactly what he had expected.

"I found there are two things in life I don't like: poison ivy and the cold," Richmond said. "I decided I needed to get an inside job."

Since his dad was the vice president of the University of Findlay, Richmond decided to transfer there to study English and communications.

Things 'lined up just right'

Life as an Oiler was great for Richmond. He quickly became the school's sports information director, and one year followed the school's football team through an undefeated season where they faced off against Tarleton State University from Stephenville, Texas.

"It's funny when you look back and see all of the things that lined up just right," Richmond said.

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That game was special because during the matchup, the Tarleton State sports information director told Richmond that he was retiring, and that he should consider applying.

Findlay won the game 13-6, and the Ohio boy found himself a job in Texas.

"The kids were great and I thoroughly enjoyed it," Richmond said. "Those kids were there because they wanted to play. They weren't on scholarships. They weren't getting paid."

Fond memories in Texas

He ended up living in Texas for 21 years. Ten years in, Tarleton State added a baseball program, which give Richmond his first taste at learning how to keep statistics and develop professional knowledge about something that was completely new to him.

Time on the road driving across Texas to sporting events gave the school's Yankee sports information director a lot of time to bond with the players and coaches.

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A fond memory came in the mid-1990s when it was announced that the Browns football team would move from Cleveland and become the Baltimore Ravens — students gave the Ohioan their condolences, and told him they wouldn't know what to think if their Cowboys decided to leave Dallas.

"I thought that was so nice of them to recognize that and not make fun of it," Richmond said. "You got to know those guys pretty well. They didn't have egos."

Marrying Santa's cute helper

Richmond always made it a point to leave Texas and visit his family every Christmas.

It was during one of those wintertime trips that he remembers going to Lazarus at the Richland County Mall to visit his father, who had played Santa Claus for many years.

"He was a showman," Richmond recalled of his father. "And he didn't need any pillows, either."

But it wasn't jolly old Kriss Kringle that caught his eye, and his father knew it.

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"I may have gone to see my dad, but there was this cute little Santa's helper there," Richmond said. "My dad called me to the side and whispered: 'Do you want me to get this girl's number for you?'"

His father did get the woman's number, and Richmond took Joan on their first date three days after Christmas.

"A year later, we were married," Richmond said. "I brought her down to Texas."

Moving home and seeking work

The couple finally decided to leave Texas when their daughter, Catherine, was about to enter high school.

They settled near Joan's parents outside of Bellville on a small six-acre farm that they still call home 21 years later. The only trouble was they didn't have much income.

"We moved back and we didn't have jobs," Richmond said. "I applied to a lot of places, and I just didn't get any responses."

It was then that he saw a Mansfield News Journal advertisement for an open position with the Mansfield-Richland County Health Department.

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He thought the organization's name was cumbersome, but it didn't keep him from accepting the job the day before Halloween in 2000.

It wasn't long before Ontario officially became a city, forcing the health department extend its name to Mansfield-Ontario-Richland County Health Department.

The name stayed for more than a year, until Martin Tremmel became the county's health commissioner in 2014.

"My first conversation with him was: 'We are going to the change the name of the place, right?'" Richmond said. "He said he thought that would be a great idea."

The organization was soon rebranded Richland Public Health.

Pandemic caps memorable career

The 42 years have comprised both a career and a life filled with excitement for the scientist-turned-communicator.

His wife is an educator, and his daughter is a doctor of veterinary medicine. He has two loving granddaughters whom he loves to spoil.

There has only been one regret along the way.

"I had a chance to buy $1,000 worth of Apple stock in 1984," Richmond said.

He and his wife decided against investing in a risky tech stock early in their marriage.

"It would be $3.1 million," Richmond said with a laugh. "I look it up every once in a while."

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Their loss has been Richland County's gain. For the past 21 years, Richmond has devoted his life to researching new health topics and spreading vital information to the public.

"That's what I wanted to do at Richland Public Health," he said. "Maybe not be an expert, but be a reliable resource that people know they can come to to help them find the right information."

There have been a few major milestones in his career, like the swine flu scare of 2009, and the measles outbreak that put North Central Ohio into the national spotlight in 2014.

But nothing has really compared to the COVID-19 pandemic that reached Richland County in early of 2020. Years of studying hypothetical scenarios on what might happen if a rogue virus spread through the county and overwhelmed hospitals and morgues finally became real.

"I think everybody hopes that they retire before they have to use that training," Richmond said. "I almost made it."

Retiring to the family farm

Now, the time for retirement has come. His replacement has not been named, but he's confident his team will find the perfect person.

"It has been a great privilege to serve the Richland County community and I am thankful for the opportunity I've had to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life of our residents," Richmond said.

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The next chapter will see him return to his scientific roots by cultivating the fertile soil of southern Richland County.

"I am retiring to my six acres south of Bellville with my three dogs, two cats and a wife who is still working as an English professor at OSU-Mansfield for the foreseeable future," Richmond said. "I will be spending my days golfing, reading, writing and searching for a good bottle of eggnog. Wishing you all good health and happiness this holiday season and new year."

ztuggle@gannett.com

419-564-3508

Twitter: @zachtuggle

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Reed Richmond spent 21 years communicating for Richland Public Health