Palmer is happy to be home in Monroeville
Jan. 28—MONROEVILLE — Monroeville High School will hold its Hall of Fame induction Saturday.
The program begins at 4:30 p.m. in the cafeteria and the doors open at 4.
Tickets are $20 and include dinner. They can be purchased in the athletic office during school hours. Tickets must be purchased by 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Being inducted this year are:
—Elizabeth Tyler — alumni
—Richard L. Palmer — alumni / community member
—1971 state runner-up mile relay team — team
The following is the bio provided by the school for Richard L. Palmer. Coming Tuesday will be the 1971 state runner-up mile relay team.
Richard L. Palmer — alumni / community member
Richard "Dick" Palmer was born Oct. 26, 1941 to Homer and Mildred Palmer who both were dedicated employees at Monroeville Public Schools and active community members. Dick grew up on Fulton Street with his younger siblings, Donald and Janet (Helmstetter), and attended Monroeville schools until graduation in 1959. He married Marilyn Krick, a 1961 Monroeville High School graduate, on Oct. 17, 1964. Their home for the past 55 years is located on Ridge Street just behind the school building. This is where they raised their six children, Diana, Elizabeth, Michael, Susan, Annette and Matthew who all are Monroeville High School graduates. Over the years Dick has been a good neighbor and guardian.
While at Monroeville High School, a teacher told Dick that he would be a great leader, and inspired him to use those skills in a way to promote pride in one's school and community. During High School, he lettered in various sports which include: basketball (4 years), baseball (4 years), track (1 year), and volleyball (1 year). He also participated in numerous activities including; class officer (2 years), band (4 years), choir (4 years), class plays (2 years), and 4-H club. His generosity started at a young age, when he lent his horse, Toby, for the students to ride during physical education classes. Directly after graduation, his milk delivery job with Bell Dairy gave him the opportunity to return to the school. This is how he met his wife, Marilyn. Homer also known as "Doggie" would invite Marilyn to have a milk with them when she was an office helper during her study hall. During her Senior year, Marilyn and Dick began dating. They kept in contact by writing weekly letters since he entered the U.S. Army in January of 1960.
Dick's service began with basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and eight weeks later he was sent to Fort Belvoir, Virginia for advanced training. His talent was noticed, as he was often placed in leadership positions. From there, he was trained as a guided missile electrician for the Hawk Missile during the Summer of 1960. His final year and a half were spent in Munich, Germany.
Dick continued using his leadership skills as he entered the work force after his discharge in December 1963 with employment at Paul's Market in Monroeville. In 1965, he went to work with the 7UP Bottling Co. He owned Paul's Market and Grocery Store from 1969-1971. In 1971, he went to work for Kelble Bros Meat Co. in Berlin Heights. Dick became a manager and partner with Kelble's retiring after 40 years in 2011. Since 2011, he has worked in the meat department at Schild's IGA in Norwalk. For many years, he has been a member of the Ohio Cattleman's Association giving opportunity to manage dinners and go to trade shows. His career has given him the opportunity to donate and provide meat for many community functions and he often delivered meat to our local citizens. He continues this service by delivering meat and other supplies for church funerals and events.
Over the years, Dick has been an active member of the Monroeville community. For twenty-four years, he was a volunteer fireman. At the Legion Post 547, he has held the positions of Chaplain, Sergeant-at-Arms in the Color Guard, and currently is the Post Commander. He has led many parades and continues to serve as Color Guard for the Monroeville High School football games. In 2021, he received the Huron County Veteran of the Year Award, in recognition for his dedication to the veterans of Huron County. Besides volunteering as a Little/Pony League Baseball Coach, he became involved in the Parks and Recreation Department. He initiated grants for the formation of Clark Park which became the Jason Sparks Memorial Field. From 1984-1992, Dick was the President of the Monroeville High School Athletic Boosters. During his leadership, he oversaw the planning and construction of The Jason Charles Poths Memorial Building. Other projects under his direction included new bleachers, concession stand and upgrading the football field all at Marsh Field. He has been proud to make improvements for the students especially, so they have many opportunities to be active and participate in group events.
Through his service in various positions at St. Joseph's Church, Dick has supported the community. He co-chaired the St. Joseph's festival for numerous years and has helped organize dinners while holding a variety of offices within the Holy Name Society and was a member of the Knights of Columbus. Dick is currently on the executive pastoral committee and is a Eucharistic minister. He also supported St. Joseph's School serving on the board and various activities that his six children were involved in.
Dick and Marilyn have been blessed in many ways including pilgrimages. They have traveled to Laverna, Assisi and Rome, Italy, Medugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2015. In 2016, they went to Mexico City to see the Tilma and to the EWTN Studios in Alabama. They have also traveled to visit relatives in Florida, Nebraska, Texas, New York, Illinois, and Michigan. After traveling, Dick is happy to be home in Monroeville.
Dick's dedication to the community of Monroeville and his family has been noticed by many. As a quiet leader, he brings out the good qualities in others. Dick and Marilyn enjoy hosting large family gatherings with their children, children's spouses, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
