Richard (Dick) Franklin Sheppard

Dick Sheppard, Club President 2011-2012 (and repeated 2015-2016)

Sanger, California - Born in Macomb, Oklahoma on June 24, 1936, to AB and Bertha Sheppard, Dick went to be with his Lord and Savior on the evening of February 12 after more than a year of battling relentless medical challenges.

Driving an old Chevy truck, his parents moved the family to California in the late 1930's, where they lived in an unheated metal cabin at the Linnel Farm Labor Camp (near Farmersville), working in the fields. He was around seven years of age. He remembered that they had to go to another building to use a bathroom and take a shower. They used a bucket to bring drinking water into the cabin, filled from a nearby spigot, and drank from a "dipper."

Although his employment started with field work as a child, in his high school years the family lived in Dinuba and he worked at KRDU Radio Station as an announcer, where he eventually became the news and sports director. He later worked 20 years for McClatchy Broadcasting, starting as their radio and TV sports director and then program manager and general manager at KMJ Radio/TV in Fresno. Following that he became their manager at KOVR TV in Stockton and also KFBK Radio in Sacramento as their vice president and general manager, returning to KMJ years later as the general manager again. Dick stayed in the broadcasting field when he was recruited as the Pacific Southwest Manager in Los Angeles for Arbitron Ratings (now known as Nielsen Audio), overseeing eight western states for the radio consumer research company. He was offered the opportunity to return to broadcasting  by being the vice president and general manager of KKIS AM/FM in Concord and at the same time overseeing KRTY FM in San Jose. The owners of those companies asked that he become involved with their overall plan and promoted him to chief operating officer of Crown Broadcasting, a national group of radio stations.

After years of being away from the San Joaquin Valley, he chose to return in the early 1990's and stayed for the remainder of his life, first as general sales manager of KJOY FM/KRDU AM and then his all-time favorite position as editor of The Sanger Herald newspaper (now Mid Valley Times), where his probing stories prompted four grand jury investigations. He loved writing about his early childhood and his beloved mother, Bertha, and how hard she worked making shirts and dresses out of feed and flour sacks for the children. He credited her for the encouragement and confidence that propelled him for the rest of his life. He retired on October 1, 2019.

Dick proudly served his country in the U.S. Army Security Agency (military intelligence), He would frequently say, "In God We Trust; All Others We Monitor!" He also served in the U.S. Navy Reserve in Dinuba. His later years were made special by the people he knew at the Sanger Post 7168 Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Sanger Post 98 AMVETS.

His passion for community service was well known in the Valley where he was a charter member at both the Kiwanis Club of Dinuba and the Rotary Club of the Fresno Airport. He was honored as an outstanding district president of the Downtown Kiwanis Club of Fresno, the Rotary Club of the Fresno Airport, and the Rotary Club in Sanger. He enjoyed his time as a member of the Sanger Unified School District Classified Employees Personnel Commission, and as a proud member of the Sanger High School Athletic Hall of Fame Committee and Sanger Veterans Parade Committee.

Dick's awards include the American Legion Medal for Character, the Gold Seal award for community service from the Sanger Chamber of Commerce, the Sanger Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame, and the California Legislature Resolution for playing a part in improving the quality of the community, he was honored by the USMC organization "Those Who Serve," numerous regional and state journalism awards, and the regional, state, and national first place award for investigative journalism. He was also honored to be chosen as the Grand Marshal for the Sanger Veterans Parade in 2019 and also that same year as the Grand Marshal for the Sanger Christmas Parade, although, due to health reasons, he was unable to participate in the latter. He was an honorary member of the Fresno County Grand Jury Association, conducted monthly seminars for WorkForce Connection, was a Golden Valley Girl Scout Council Board Member, organizing the yearly golf tournament fundraiser for nine years, and a past Family Self Sufficiency board member, a very successful welfare-to-work program overseen by Fresno City and County Housing Authorities. He also served as the director of the California Broadcasters Association, Project Chairman of the Fresno Radio Advertising Group, and was on the Advisory Committee of Radio Bilingual, Community Radio.

Dick is survived by his wife of 36 years, Nadine; three children, Mark Sheppard, Cassandra Gordon and her husband Jack, Christopher Sheppard and his wife Petra, and stepson Michael Klassen and his wife Jessica. He is also survived by nine grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his brother AB and three sisters, Betty, Violet, and Lois.

The family thanks the staff at Dycora Transitional Health in Reedley and Bright Horizons Hospice in Fresno for giving such wonderful, loving care, and also Dopkins Funeral Chapel in Reedley for handling the cremation. A military service is pending.

Published in Fresno Bee on Feb. 14, 2021.