Richard W. Sheffield
“Upbringing”
I am the middle child of seven raised by parents who grew up in the small towns of Kaysville, Utah and Oakley, Idaho, and who found each other in Washington, D.C. In their own ways, both studied and learned from the lives of others.
Dad gave us a basketball standard and sought to live and serve with character. Mom gave me a filing cabinet and a belief in possibility with work. See The Basketball Standard and the Filing Cabinet and Best Advice Ever Received.
While obtaining a B.A. degree in media communications and a law degree from Brigham Young University, I was inspired by professors and visiting speakers, moved by plays and concerts, and energized through associations with other students. During the law school years, I had the opportunity to work for two summers and a fall at the U.S. Supreme Court, where under Justice Byron R. White’s direction, I coordinated the educational outreach for a PBS television series that dramatized the stories of four landmark court cases.
As a business lawyer for twenty years with Arizona’s largest law firm, and now with a Utah firm, I have learned from clients’ purposes, innovations, and causes for good. Separately, I have been humbled to work with others in founding and overseeing the Timpanogos Legal Center, a nonprofit organization that provides pro bono legal services for those most in need.
While serving for twelve years on our city school board, I began studying and gathering materials and examples that show how we learn and grow most – inspired by teachers who kindled interests and engagement, by students who nourished their natural curiosity and love for learning, and by the light, growth, and promise that I saw in both.
As the fortunate father of seven, I had already been watching and learning from the greatest influence for good in our children’s lives – their mother. When our children ranged in age from 6 to 24, Annette was diagnosed with cancer. While still mothering and mentoring in the three years before she passed away, she showed us all how to find light in the most difficult times and to see what matters most. See A Web of Ordinary Miracles.
I have since remarried and been blessed again with a wonderful spouse, who loves our children and nurtures our grandchildren. Tammy is a consummate learner, teacher, and companion, who uses her three graduate degrees in medicine, public administration, and public health to serve as a medical director promoting community health and preventive care.
