September 8, 1952 – December 26, 2022
Compiled by Family and Friends
Richard L. Bird, age 70, was the beloved fiancé of Jill D. Noble, loving brother of Jerry M. Bird and Albert W. Bird.
Richard served honorably in the Army during the Vietnam War. He was a national advocate and president for many years of the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America®, an organization for those in the Randolph-Sheppard Business Enterprise Program. He wanted to help blind and visually impaired people manage and be employed in food service facilities, mostly in federal and state buildings. He advocated to improve and strengthen the Randolph-Sheppard Act regulations. He was one of the earliest members of the Sagebrush Committee and helped to make the Sagebrush National BEP Training Conference one of the highlights for vendors and RS staff each year.
Richard won many awards and certificates locally and nationally. In 1997 at the RSVA® convention at the Adam’s Mark Hotel in Houston, Texas, Richard won the RSVA® Vendor of the Year Award. This award is given to an active RSVA® member for at least five years. In 2014 at the RSVA® convention at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, Richard won the Don Cameron Advocacy Award. This award is given to an RSVA® member who has been an advocate for Randolph-Sheppard vendors locally, in his state, and nationally for at least 20 years.
Richard was the chair of the Ohio vendors representative committee for the state of Ohio in the ‘90s. When he was involved, Ohio wanted to disband the business enterprise program, and Richard, along with others, fought very hard for that not to happen.
He also was very active for many years with the Blinded Veterans of America (BVA). He worked on their resolutions committee along with another ACB member who has also passed, Skip Sharpe. He was also an advocate for Blinded Veterans of America. He went to Capitol Hill many times for hearings on behalf of BVA and RSVA.
Additionally, Richard was a longtime member of Visually Impaired Veterans of America (VIVA), another American Council of the Blind affiliate. He was a dear friend, colleague, and mentor to many. He suffered valiantly in his almost three-year fight against COVID-19 and related medical issues created by it.