| Graduation Year | Class of 1941 |
| Date of Passing | Jun 18, 2014 |
| About | Obituary of Richard D. Palmer 11/5/24 – 6/18/2014 Age 89 Richard, (Dick to some and Palm to others) beloved teacher, orator and historian passed away peacefully after spending the last 30+ years on his acreage in western Arkansas with his family of pets. Palm loved animals and, in his retirement, maintained a “family” of dogs and the occasional cat ranging in size from 4 to 12. The locals in Arkansas knew him as the Dog Man. A typical scene was of Palm walking through the Arkansas woods with his dogs in tow. Palm was an avid collector of stamps and coins with contacts across the globe for trading. He loved tennis, and as coach and competitor, taught the game to many, while traveling to local communities to play. Many remember the beautiful home where he lived with his mother, Laura, until she passed away in 1976. Palm attended Algona High School and then received a teaching degree at Coe College. After a stint in the army, during the end of WWII and the Korean Conflict, he returned to teach economics, history, social studies, speech, debate, and personal finance, ultimately becoming the head of the social studies department. He coached the debate team, having been a state champion debater and extemporaneous speaker himself. In his free time, Palm wrote movie reviews for the local paper for years. Palm has no immediate surviving family but several second cousins and many friends will remember him fondly. He is survived by his dearest friend Steve Willrett. Palm’s ashes will be interred in Riverview Cemetery, Algona, in the Palmer/Chubb family plot. Friends are invited to meet to reminisce on July 10, 2014, at 12:30 PM at the Godfather’s Pizza, 1323 Hwy. 169 N. |
