Richard A. Perchlik (April 11, 1928 – April 24, 1988) was an American politician and academic. A Democrat, he served as the mayor of

Greeley, Colorado Greeley is the home rule municipality city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Weld County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,795 at the 2020 United States Census, an increase of 17.12% since the 2010 ...

from 1969 to 1973.

Early life and education

Perchlik was born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, the son of Bessie (Kral), and John Prchlik. His siblings included

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, Arthur, and Ruth. He received a bachelor's degree in business from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

and served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during the

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. After an honorable discharge, he attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. He went on to receive a master's degree in Education from

and a Doctorate in Education from the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado syst ...

. During his studies, he added an 'e' to the spelling of his Czech name.

Career

In 1961, Perchlik became a professor at Colorado State College (now the

University of Northern Colorado The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) is a public university in Greeley, Colorado. The university was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education. The institution has officially changed ...

(UNC). He was the first Chair of the Political Science Department, a post he held for over two decades. He also helped found the UNC Faculty Senate and participated in the university's Educational Planning Service. After his death, the university created a Richard A. Perchlik Political Science scholarship. Active in the Democratic Party, Perchlik attended several local and state party conventions as a delegate, and was an alternate delegate at the

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and

1980 Democratic National Convention The 1980 Democratic National Convention nominated President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale for reelection. The convention was held in Madison Square Garden in New York City from August 11 to August 14, 1980. The 1980 convention ...

. Perchlik served as Chair of Colorado Common Cause from 1973 to 1975. He was a member of the board of directors the state board for Colorado's

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

and the Colorado Commission on Respect for Law, as well as the National Council on Social Studies. Perchlik served as mayor from 1969 to 1973. As mayor, he initiated several public works projects. Most iconic of these was Bittersweet Park, which provided flood control to low-income neighborhoods and an asset for the development of an upper-middle-class neighborhood. Also, to make the city's government more accessible, he began broadcasting City Council meetings on local radio. In 1970, Perchlik ran for the Democratic nomination against incumbent U.S. Representative

Wayne N. Aspinall Wayne Norviel Aspinall (April 3, 1896 – October 9, 1983) was an American lawyer and politician from Colorado. He is largely known for his tenure in the United States House of Representatives, serving as a Democratic Party (United States), ...

Colorado's 4th congressional district Colorado's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in the eastern part of the state, the district encompasses most of the rural Colorado Eastern Plains, Eastern Plains as well as the larger C ...

. Aspinall was a conservative Democrat, while Perchlik ran on a platform that emphasized environmental conservation. In addition to his academic and political careers, Perchlik was owner and operator of the Sharktooth Ski Area, a local family-oriented recreation area, from 1970 to 1985.
Greeley Tribune newspaper article on local place names

Personal life

While working on his doctoral degree, Perchlik married Sylvia (Marston) Perchlik. They had four children, including

Andrew Perchlik Andrew John Perchlik (born June 3, 1968) is an American activist and politician from Vermont. A Democrat, in 2018 he was elected to the Vermont Senate from the three-member at-large Washington County Senate District. Early life and education Pe ...

, a member of the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

. Perchlik died of cancer in

on April 24, 1988.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perchlik, Richard 1928 births 1988 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Colorado American people of Czech descent Colorado Democrats Harvard University alumni Mayors of places in Colorado Ohio State University Fisher College of Business alumni Politicians from Cleveland United States Army soldiers University of Colorado alumni University of Northern Colorado faculty People from Greeley, Colorado Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology alumni