Editor’s note:
Boscobel Chamber of Commerce President Tom Richter was named Boscobel Citizen of the Year at Saturday night’s annual Chamber Banquet. Following is an introduction read by 2013 co-Citizen of the Year Judy Reynolds prior to the award’s presentation.

The Outstanding Citizen Award is sponsored by the Boscobel Chamber of Commerce and established in the memory of Chuck Yahn, a Boscobel businessman, church, school and community booster.

This community has many devoted people who give endless hours in community service year after year. It is an honor to receive this nomination. Once a name is received, the nominee will remain eligible for the next three years.

Each year, Boscobel residents submit nominations for this award. We are privileged to have so many people dedicated to our community. We acknowledge their devotion, service, and support to the Boscobel area and its people. At this time, we would like to recognize and say “thank you” to this years’ new nominees: Todd Fisher and Stacy Hagenston.

This year it is our pleasure to present the award to a Boscobel native who is truly an advocate for the Boscobel community.

He was raised in rural Boscobel on a farm and loved his life as a child.  His family lived on and from the land—gardening, milking cows, raising tobacco, hunting and fishing.

The only thing they would buy from town was sugar and flour.  In his own words, “We had it all.”
In his mom and dad’s eyes, “He could do no wrong,” but he was the second youngest of seven children so he didn’t always get his way!

When he was about eight years old he was nicknamed “squirrel packer,” which simply meant when they went hunting for squirrels for dinner, instead of being able to carry a gun, he got to carry the squirrels! (and sometimes there were as many as 50 at a time!).

He attended a one room school house through sixth grade and even bragged about being salutatorian of his second grade.

Come to find out, there were only two students in second grade that year.

He graduated from Boscobel High School and from there worked a few years before realizing that what he really wanted to do was be his own boss.

So he opened up his own business in Boscobel 40 years ago.

He is the kind of person who would go out of his way to help a stranger.  Several years ago on a Friday night, a couple stopped by his shop with their vehicle that had just broken down.  They were heading to Dubuque from Black River Falls to watch their grandson play in a tournament that weekend.  All the garages were closed so he gave them the keys to his truck and said to get to their grandson and he would have their vehicle ready for them when they returned Sunday evening.

He has had a non profit golf tournament for the past 12 years that has raised over $32,000 for the Boscobel area.

He got the ice skating rink up and running after being closed for many years.

He started the Festival of Trees at Christmas time.

He has been the Boscobel Area Chamber of Commerce president for the past five years.

Other events he has been instrumental in developing include the Fourth of July Firecracker Run, the Parade of Lights, the Sportsman’s Club annual banquet and the Boscobel Car Show.

He volunteers at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, where he does mock interviews for graduating auto body technicians.  and he was very instrumental and involved in the flood relief benefit in 2013.

He raised two daughters, Tasia and Miach, and then met and married Kathy, who has four daughters: Kelly, Sara, Jody and Alisha.  And he will tell you at times it feels like he is in a “woman’s world.”

He is also known to brag about and show off pictures of his grandchildren: Kiarra, Jasmine, Ava, Jacob, and Jarod.

This year’s recipient can be described as dependable, loyal, energetic, honest, inspirational, caring, determined, hard working (and maybe a few others that won’t be mentioned here).

His time and donations are endless to organizations, groups, schools and the community.

He is a person who truly exemplifies the Boscobel community.

We would be surprised to find someone that doesn’t know exactly who we are talking about, and we are honored to present his years Citizen of the Year award to Tom Richter.