Legacy Winner’s Flame Shines Eternally
By Pam Caraway, ACN Board Member
Those who spoke of Len Richardson in the wake of his passing last month often noted his gentle ways and soft-spoken speech.
Perhaps because few remember that his presidency with this organization is known as “The Year of The Flame.”
Richardson nearly wasn’t elected president of the American Agricultural Editors Association, now the Agricultural Communicators Network, in 1983. The “Young Turks,” a small group of members, nearly overthrew the election to make a point regarding commercial sponsorship. Tensions, Richardson once recalled, were high.
His solution was a meeting at Lake of the Ozarks that started with a campfire-style steak dinner at which everybody cooked their own steak and made their own salad. The forced teamwork, Len recalled, created a camaraderie that set the groundwork for resolving those tensions. The resulting ethical framework continues to support ACN today.
“When AAEA was in crisis,” Past President Mike Wilson recalled, “it was Len who stepped up to lead and help put the organization on solid ground.
“He had a soft-spoken, matter-of-fact way of expressing himself, but you always wanted to pay attention because his words were full of wisdom.”
That may not be why Richardson, most widely known for his 32-year tenure as editor of California Farmer, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. After all, he was also California State Fair’s Agriculturalist of the Year in 2007, the only journalist so named, a testament to his outstanding contributions to the agricultural community. He also received the California State Fair Agricultural Progress Award in 1999 and the prestigious Reuben Brigham Award for Agricultural Communication in Education in 1988. His volunteer contributions, in addition to AAEA, included member and past chair of the California 4-H Foundation and the Agricultural Advisory Committee of the California State Fair. He also served on the University of California President’s Advisory Commission on Agricultural and Natural Resources and served on the UC Davis Agricultural Advisory Council until 2015.
And though accolades may be why he was a Lifetime Achievement Award winner, he is also personally known to many for the mentorship and friendship he generously gave.
Past ACN President Bill Spiegel recalls being first intimidated and then amazed by Richardson. He remembers Richardson offering journalistic direction, and – perhaps more importantly – giving parenting advice as Spiegel became the parents of twin boys, tips offered with the credibility of someone who was a twin.
“Len was a true gentleman, a journalist of first-rate and most importantly, a kind soul who – whether it was leading AAEA or taking a young editor under his wing – made the ag journalism world a better place,” Spiegel said.
That better place includes a structure for maintaining the journalistic integrity he was known for in an organization that sets guardrails on the high road for the ag media industry.
“Honesty, hard work, fact-checking, and relentlessly following key farm beats” continue to be the hallmarks of successful ag journalism, Richardson noted in his Lifetime Achievement Award video.
“The major change is in the way we pursue those objectives and how they’re delivered,” he said.
He put involvement in this organization on par with FFA and 4-H. He put his time and energy into ensuring those who came after him would pursue ag journalism with the integrity it deserves. Ultimately, for those who read the accolades and remembrances of everybody from fledgling journalists to leaders of state, that integrity is the legacy woven into each one. And that is a lifetime achievement that endures.
Len Richardson, May 31, 1938, to March 5, 2024
Danville, Cali.
Len is survived by his beloved wife, Mary; his children, Randy (wife Mitsuko) and Robin Mertes (husband Steve); two grandchildren, Tyler Richardson and Alexandra Mertes; and his twin brother, Glen (wife Walli).
Donations may be made in Len’s honor to the Agricultural Communicators Network Professional Improvement Foundation, the National 4-H Council, or the National Future Farmers of America Organization, organizations close to his heart.