ANNOUNCEMENTS Rick & LaVonne Kirkpatrick

When did you move to Butterfield?

We signed our contract on December 27 and then promptly left for a trip to South America and Antarctica. We came home on January 21 and began moving in the next week. The crazy winter weather slowed down the move, but we still made progress!

Where are you from?

Rick was born and raised in Forrest City, Arkansas, while LaVonne was born and raised on a farm in South Dakota. LaVonne moved to Fayetteville in 1984 and Rick moved to Fayetteville in 1995.

We met on a blind date in December of 1996 and were married in September of 1998. Our first date was on Rick’s sailboat on a beautiful Saturday in December, proof that some blind dates do work out well!

What did you do before retirement?

After earning her doctorate at the University of South Dakota in 1984, LaVonne accepted her first higher education position at the University of Arkansas where she taught for the next 26 years. As well as teaching elementary undergraduate and graduate courses at the U of A, LaVonne served as the childhood/elementary coordinator for several years.