Richard Charles Larson was born April 22, 1934 to Warren and Gloria (Gilliam) Larson in Mason City, IA. He graduated from Boone High School in 1952 and attended Boone Junior College from 1952-53. He earned a BA at the Iowa State Teachers College in 1956. He then served two years in the U.S. Army achieving the rank of E-4 Spec. 3. During this time he was united in marriage to Ruth Buechler on September 13, 1957 in San Antonio, TX. Following his separation from the Army he and Ruth returned to Iowa where he obtained teaching postions with the Mitchellville and Southeast Polk school systems. During this period he also earned a MSE from Drake University in Des Moines in 1964. In 1968 he accepted a position at Ellsworth where he taught full-time with an additional two years as a part-time adjunct until his retirement in 1995. During his tenure at ECC he also coached women’s basketball and women’s softball. In 1971, Larson coached his softball team to a 37-6 win-loss record and the team won the NJCAA Women’s Softball Championship held in Fort Dodge, IA. Larson is a member of the Iowa Falls Lion’s Club and Bethany Lutheran Church. In his spare time, he enjoys golf and steam engine model railroad collecting. Ruth (Buechler) Larson was born July 24, 1933 to Emil and Nina (Beeli) Buechler at Detroit, Michigan. She graduated from Denby High School in Detroit in 1951 and then attended Wayne State University. Ruth served in the U.S. Army from 1954-57. After coming to Iowa Falls in 1968 and until her retirement in 1990, she was employed as a Medical Records Librarian at Ellsworth Municipal Hospital. She passed away January 26, 2014. The couple has two daughters, Sandra (Larson) Ausenhus and Debra Larson.Two grandsons Cameron and Brandon Ausenhus.