Richard S. High

Richard S. High Richard S. High, 90, of Boise, former State Senator and Idaho Public Utilities Com-missioner, passed away at his home Sunday, July 13, 2008. A memorial open house will be held at his residence, 200 North Third, Apartment 1203, Boise, from 4 - 6 p.m. Thursday, July 17, 2008. Burial services will be held at 11:30 a.m., August 8, 2008 at Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery in Twin Falls. Arrangements are by Summers Funeral Homes, Boise Chapel. Dick was born Dec. 28, 1917, at Glenwood Springs, Colo., the oldest child of Samuel and Nina High. He grew up in a mountain mining town where his father was a railroad engineer and later moved with his family to Arizona. He graduated from Phoenix Union High School and later received his B.S. in mining engineering and metallurgy from the University of Arizona. He was commissioned in the ROTC program and following graduation he began five years of active duty with the U.S. Army, first serving in the Horse Cavalry. While at the U of A he met his future wife, Laura Owsley Gillette. They were married in 1941, while Dick was stationed at Fort Knox as a second lieutenant and instructor at the Armor School. There he developed a dual mount for tank machine guns which was an early improvement in tank anti-aircraft defense and first used in North Africa. He also was commended for his instructional skill. He next volunteered for airborne duty and served in the European theater as a company commander with the 13th Airborne Division. After the war he served in the Active Reserve for 30 more years and retired with the rank of colonel. During that period he was commended for instruction in nuclear warfare. The couple had four children: Richard, born in 1942; Carol in 1944; Nancy in 1945; and David in 1946. In 1950, the entire High family Dick and Laura, Dick's parents, and his brother's family moved from Arizona to Twin Falls. There, he and his father Sam and his brother Bob formed S.A. High and Sons, which sold and serviced irrigation pumps. They later developed land and farmed in Magic Valley. In the mid 1960s, Dick and Laura co-chaired a parent-teacher group in Twin Falls and became interested in improving state funding for public schools. Dick decided to be a candidate for the Idaho Legislature and was elected in 1967 to the first of seven terms as the State Senator from Twin Falls. He was co-chairman of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee for ten years, and later chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee. During his finance tenure, he was instrumental in strengthening the committee staff from temporary help into a permanent staff of budget analysts. He was a major supporter of public school funding, and during his tenure, state funding for schools rose from about 30% to 80%. In 1981, he was chosen as Idaho's first "Statesman of the Year" by Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honorary fraternity at Idaho State University. After Dick left the Legislature, Gov. John Evans appointed him to a six year term on the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, an appointment his Senate colleagues unanimously confirmed in less than a minute. That year, he and Laura moved to Boise. He also served on the boards of the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho and the Idaho Association for the Humanities. In 1970, he was diagnosed with an incurable eye disease, and lost his sight in the ensuing years. In 1989, Gov. Cecil D. Andrus appointed Dick to the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, where he served until 1992. Always a voracious reader, he continued "reading" through recorded books provided by the Talking Books Program of the Idaho State Library. Later in life, he developed a passion for sailing on his boat at Payette Lake. He was known as an intelligent, reasonable and kind man, genuinely interested in the perspectives and experiences of others. In his public roles he was widely respected for his integrity and fairness. He considered life a gift. He learned from his parents to improve what he could, and to accept with grace things that could not be changed, such as his blindness. He was devoted to his wife of 64 years, Laura, who preceded him in death in 2005, and to his extended family. He often said his family was his greatest accomplishment. He is survived by his children: Dick and Judy High of Oceanside, Calif.; Carol Waldman of Wayne, Penn.; Nancy and John Zelnick of Pearsall, Texas; and Dave and Lindy High of Boise. He is also survived by grandchildren: John (Dawna) Venzon, Kate (Mike Malone) Venzon, Trevor (Jeannie Marsh) High, Laura Waldman, David (Heather) Waldman, Murray Zelnick, Paul Zelnick, Leila Zelnick, David Zelnick, Marshall High and Matthew High. He is survived by great-grandchildren: Ian Venzon, Kiah Venzon, Alyssa Venzon Slattery, Sophie Malone Venzon, Rachel Buhnerkempe, Sophia Waldman, Erika Waldman, Parker Zelnick, Melanie Zelnick and Karen Zelnick. He was also preceded in death by his brother Bob High, and by his sister Lucille High Hanley. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Shirley High, and his cousin, Howard (Betty) Ilk. The family suggests memorials may be made to any charity.