The Lexington Hall of Fame for Career Achievement is proud to announce the induction of Richard August Luehrman.

Luehrman’s Lexington roots played a crucial part in the adult he became. From a solid education and church experiences, along with good family support from uncles and grand-parents that especially helped to guide him when he lost his father tragically at an early age (7), all influenced him, even his time during high school, working at Mattingly’s five & dime store in Lexington.

After a short stint in the Army following high school at LHS, Richard attended and graduated from Central Missouri State Teachers College (now UCM (1952), and then from the University of Missouri with a MA (1956).

He followed these by obtaining a PhD in art history (1969) from Florida State University, then returning CMSTC where he taught for the remainder of his career, with full retirement in 1993.

These working years were interspersed with teaching at the high school and college levels. His longest teaching stint was at Central Missouri State University where he taught art history and watercolor for nearly 30 years, from 1965-1993. During this time, Richard produced a myriad of art work — mainly watercolors, as many as 3,000 — that documented European, United States and local travels.

Over the years his works were presented to the public in a variety of shows and private collections. Many pieces were sold and his show openings in the UCM gallery spaces were often crowded with anxious patrons, eager to purchase a particular favorite work before a rival might swoop in to nab it.

In 1950 Richard married Aileen Heimsoth, a Corder girl who caught his eye at a local dance. Together they raised a family of three children: Mick, Jane, and Jill. All were instilled with the small-town values of faith, hard work, family closeness, and the importance of education.

Richard’s church, Warrensburg’s Bethlehem Lutheran, was another consistently important part of his world. It was there that over the years he served in a variety of service positions; as deacon, usher, a variety of committees and choir. The church in 2022 established a Richard Luehrman Hall where many of his art works can be viewed.

An interest in genealogy, kindled by his sister Lucille, led Richard to research and publish several books documenting his family lineage: Luehrman and Kraemer Family History as well as Aileen’s A History of the Heimsoth Family.

Recognizing the financial stresses that students experience while pursuing a college degree, Richard and Aileen established and supported several scholarships to assist students of art, with an eye toward helping to establishing the next generation of art teachers. Luehrman art scholarships at UCM are awarded annually in the Spring to a student teacher, a student studying abroad, and an art student open category.

During his teaching career, Richard was honored with a number of prestigious awards for teaching and for his own art work. Chief among these were the Governors’ Teaching award and the Byler Award, the premeire award for a faculty member at UCM.

The public is invited to honor Richard at the Lexington Hall of Fame for Career Achievement Ceremony on Saturday, March 7 at 2 p.m. at the L.H.S. Arnold Viebrock Activity Center.