Richard V. Pierard

Richard V. Pierard, 90, of Asheville, North Carolina, passed away on February 24, 2025.
Dick was born May 29, 1934 in Chicago, Illinois to the late Jack P. Pierard and Diana Russell Pierard. He was raised in Richland, Washington, where his father worked at the Manhattan Project's Hanford plutonium production facility. Dick served in the U.S. Army in Japan from 1954-1956. He earned a BA and MA in history from California State University–Los Angeles and a PhD in modern European history from the University of Iowa.
In 1957, Dick married his wife of 68 years Charlene Burdett of Hemet, California and together they welcomed two children, David and Cindy. He served as professor of history at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana from 1964 until his retirement in 2000, and went on to fill the Stephen Phillips Chair of History at Gordon College in Beverly, Massachusetts until 2006.
Dick was a prolific scholar, a caring mentor, an intrepid adventurer, and an occasional troublemaker who was not afraid to speak truth to power. Travel was a lifelong passion–taking him to six continents–and he saw himself as a citizen of the world. Dick held teaching positions or research fellowships in England, Germany, India, New Zealand, Scotland, and the former U.S.S.R., making many friends along the way. His knowledge was broad and deep–it was a rare topic on which he could not generate a lecture. He believed in civic engagement and provided service at the local, state, national, and international levels. He also found joy in singing and performed in numerous choirs and barbershop quartets. He was a terrible joke teller, but he loved a good laugh. His life was rooted in his Christian faith, and guided by love and the desire to keep learning. If death is a change of worlds, we can't wait to catch up to him.
He is survived by his wife (Charlene) and son (David), both of Asheville, as well as his daughter (Cindy), son-in-law (Jim Dryden) and grandson (Henry P. Dryden), all of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is also survived by his brother Burt Pierard of Richland, Washington, his sister-in-law Geraldine Burdett of Asheville, and many other family members.
A celebration of Dick's life is planned for Friday, May 30, 2025 at 1:30pm, in the Pulliam Chapel at Givens Estates. Inurnment will be at The Sacred Garden of First Baptist Church of Asheville.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Baptist Historical Society or the Overseas Ministry Study Center.