Founding OTC board member Frank Farmer passes away

Frank Farmer, a founding member of the Ozarks Technical Community College Board of Trustees, has passed away at the age of 89. Farmer served on the OTC Board of Trustees from 1990 until his retirement in 2007.

Mr. Farmer was named a Trustee Emeritus upon his retirement. The OTC Springfield Campus is home to the Frank Farmer Room located in the Information Commons West building.

“Mr. Farmer played a critical role in the creation, development and growth of OTC,” said Dr. Hal Higdon, chancellor of Ozarks Technical Community College.” He was a dedicated member of our Board for many years who always placed students ahead of everything else in all of his decisions. We are thankful for the support he provided in his lifetime.”

Mr. Farmer received the second-highest number of votes among 21 candidates in the first election of the first six members to the OTC Board, which faced the responsibility of forming the first community college in southwest Missouri.

“The board members recognized the responsibility they had been handed (and) got down to business,” he said at the time.

In 1956, Mr. Farmer joined the Springfield News and Leader, where he began as a reporter and eventually rose to the position of editorial page editor.

On Dec. 3, 1986, Gov. John Ashcroft declared the day Frank Farmer Day in the state of Missouri in honor of Farmers thirty years of public service as a veteran reporter, author and editorial page editor of the Springfield Newspaper.

Mr. Farmer served on numerous boards including the Greene County Farmer’s Cooperative, Greene County Extension Council, Greene County Board of Education, Springfield Library Board, President and member of the Willard R-2 Board of Education. He also helped in the establishment of Ozarks Food Harvest, Good Samaritan Boys Ranch, The Willard Retirement Village and the Golden Rule Society.

Graveside services will be held on Friday, Feb. 21, 2014 at 11 a.m. in Wesley Cemetery, Willard. The family will receive friends on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014 in the Ash Grove Funeral Home Chapel, from 5-7:30 p.m.