farewells
IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Richard Farmer ’56
At his memorial service, one of his closest friends, Roger Howe ’57, gave a eulogy. The following are excerpts: Dick and I were the closest of friends for 66 years, dating back to our college days. At Miami, he had a reputation for being a popular and fun-loving fellow with an outsized personality. At our first meeting, Dick — a guy I had never met — walked in with a big smile on his face, threw an arm around my shoulder, and said, “Rog, old buddy, good to see you again!” The first in his family to attend college, he graduated from Miami, served in the Marine Corps, and married college sweetheart Joyce Barnes. Then he sought a career with a great company. His father’s 12-person family business was Acme Wiper and Industrial Laundry. To use his words, he didn’t want to be just in the “shop towel business.” Learning his son’s intentions, his father was deeply disappointed. As Dick told me, “I was breaking his heart.” Dick succumbed and joined his father. As he grew it, he founded a sister company that became Cintas and later merged Acme into it. Today it provides employment for 42,000. Eventually he was in pursuit of what he termed BHAGs — Big Hairy Audacious Goals — that would take years to achieve. I knew no one else so driven and motivated. A key ingredient in the mix was the unfailing support of Joyce Farmer, who for years ably managed the homefront. Often, he acknowledged her critical role, saying he could never have done what he did without her. Dick never stopped impressing me. A few weeks ago, I was visiting him at home in Cincinnati, and his son, Scott ’81, was there. He had just one question for Scott about Cintas: “How are our people doing?” It was quintessential Dick, showing concern and compassion for his partners at all levels.
Photos courtesy of Joyce Barnes Farmer ’57
Miami University mourns the loss of Richard “Dick” Farmer ’56, who died Aug. 4, 2021, of Parkinson’s disease at age 86. In 1992, Dick and his wife, Joyce Barnes Farmer ’57, provided the cornerstone gift to Miami’s business school. A little more than a decade later, they announced a $30 million leadership gift through the Farmer Family Foundation, $25 million of which helped underwrite the construction of the Richard T. Farmer School of Business building. He also served as a university trustee and chairman of its board, a foundation board member, and chair of the business school’s board of visitors.
As illness advanced during the past couple of years, Dick no longer brought up subjects in our conversations. However, he would participate on subjects I introduced. Two years ago, as we were going out for lunch, he was having considerable difficulty getting out of the car. It was an exception when he said, “You know, this darn disease is really taking a toll on me.” Then he stopped, looked me in the eye, and said, “Hey, I’m 84 years old. I’ve had a wonderful life, and I don’t have a thing to complain about.” Just a month ago, to my utter surprise, he again brought up a subject, saying, “You know, there are a lot of big problems in this country, but our country has always had big problems, and somehow we muddle through them. I’m optimistic that America has a good future.” Again, quintessential Dick — thoughtful and forever the optimist.
Fall/Winter 2021
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