Show Rich Gains Position I By TONI TOM Maxwell E. E Rich executive vice president of the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Commerce Commerce Com Com- merce has resigned his his' post past and will soon leave our area MAJOR GENERAL Maxwell Maxwell Maxwell Max Max- well Rich former adjutant general of the Utah National Guard has been appointed executive vice president of the National Rifle in Washington D. D C. C He replaces the late former Assistant Secretary of the Army Franklin Franklin Frank Frank- lin L. L Orth Born in Centerville in 1913 he was the middle child of ofa a two boys one girl fam family ly CENTERVILLE was just justa a small farming g community in those days Gen Rich recalls My father FredRich Fred FredRich FredRich Rich was a banker in m Salt Lake City We owned neither a horse nor cart and traveled mostly by foot Max att attended Centerville Elementary School Bountiful Jr High and Davis High in Kaysville With now Governor Gover Gover- nor Calvin Rampton Hampton as his campaign manager he was elected student bOdy president president president dent in 1931 WHILE IN school he was active in public speaking played tennis and Men M-Men basketball He won a statewide statewide statewide state state- wide contest for Boy Scouts and became the first boy in Centerville to gain his Eagle Scout award The scouting program with its hiking and camping camping instilled instilled l- l led in turn rum a great love tor the outdoors It seemed only a natural transition for him rum to join the Utah National Guard in 1932 Max Rich and Calvin Rampton joined the ROTC program in Bountiful on the same day He was commissioned in 1934 BECOMING A general isa is isa isa a family tradition with the Riches Charles C. C Rich Maxs Max's great grandfather was wasa a major general in the Nau- Nau vou Legion later crossing the plains with the early pioneers Pioneering in my days meant to commute on the old Bamberger Railroad with about 20 other passengers Gen Rich was talking about the three years he spent at atthe atthe the University of Utah pre- pre law school THERE EVEN was a tramway tramway tram- tram way in Bountiful in those days It ran from Centerville to Chase lane and up around the Val Verda area In Aug of 1940 when he was a salesman for Rocky Mountain Banknote Co he married Billie Seamount a Salt Lake City girl The Riches have two daughters Mrs Charles Susan Whitney Whitney Whit Whit- ney and Mrs Richard Julie Gaddis both bath Salt Lake City residents MAXS MAX'S TOUR of active duty began in 1940 when as first lieutenant he left for training in Cal California ornia with the Utah N N. G. G Field Artillery Artillery Artillery Artil Artil- lery Division From Calif California California Califor Califor- ornia or- or nia he was sent to Ft Sill Okla The week he graduated graduated graduated Japan attacked Pearl Harbor When Maxs Max's unit left for forthe forthe forthe the Pacific he remained in Ft Sill as an instructor of artillery tactics In 1944 as Commander of the Field Artillery Battalion he left for Europe LT COL Rich exhibited qualities of outstanding leadership leadership leadership leader leader- ship and courage as they advanced through France Belgium and Holland After his battalion arrived in Germanys Germany's Germanys Germany's Germanys Germany's Ger- Ger many's Ruhr Valley and captured a town after an all- all night artillery duel before other units did the outstanding outstanding outstanding ing young Utahn was awarded the Silver Star the Nations Nation's second highest combat medal THE AWARDS citations and plaques Gen Rich has since garnered in public civil and army affairs cover an entire wall of his sunny downtown office located in inthe inthe inthe the heart of Salt Lakes Lake's business section After the war Max rejoined the national guard Of interest interest interest inter inter- est to Davis County residents was the attempt made by Max Rich Cal and Byron Rampton Hampton to establish the first Bountiful transportation company with the purchase of some old GI buses Three years and later the company went broke HE lIE AGAIN became a salesman salesman salesman sales sales- man for Rocky Banknote Banknote Banknote Bank Bank- note covering several Western Western Western West West- ern States In 1950 the company company com corn pany promoted him hum to sales manager and the national guard advanced him to col col- onel Three years later he was promoted to Brigadier General and named Utah adjutant general for the nat- nat guard In 1956 Gen Rich received his second star and graduated from airborne training at Ft Campbell Ky after which he originated the strong special forces air borne troops of the guard AMONG THE many new training programs inaugurated ed under his leadership were the road-and road bridge building projects Guardsman Pass between Midway and Brighton was a direct result of these efforts It opened thousands thousand of acres of new recreation areas to During his leadership Utah's N G. G was cited as the first in combat readiness and efficiency In 1964 Gen Rich was honored honored hon hon- ored with the Utah N. N G. G Distinguished Service Medal and the award for profound demonstrations of belief in the potential of Utah GEN RICH has also headed the Generals the Guard Army Affairs Committee and the Army's Gen staff committee on N. N G. G Policy He is a Kiwanis and arid American Legion member and has been a director for the Rifle since 1963 Until the recent new appointment he was Nt vice president for forthe forthe forthe the When on Sept 15 1964 Gen Rich was appointed exec vice president of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce by the board of Governors His knowledge and leadership were directed towards one goal Utah's progress IN THE LINE of duty of promoting business attracting tourism and new industries Gen Rich has been involved in a multitude of ventures i d f k 14 0 S fA W 4 Pr MAXWELL E. E RI RICH H He went to Rome to make a bid for the 1972 and 1976 Winter Olympics for Utah helped to bring the Worlds World's I Tournament of Judo to the State and was instrumental in initiating Ford Motor Company's Company's Company's Com Com- pany's study for Utah's transit system Gen Rich described by many as A UA born leader with witha a drive for perfection will not be a stranger to his new duties in administration public public pub pub- lic relations organization and affecting legislation with the over a million membership NR A. A WILL HE LIE make Washington Washing Washing- ton D. D C. C his home I dont don't really know yet Gen Rich conceded The is a wide nation-wide organization and Ill I'll probably do a lot of traveling Something he has done extensively all his l life eWELL e. e WELL JUST have to wait and see Mrs Rich agrees They have many friends in Washington Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington and she's excited about visiting there again But she says Salt Lake City is our home and we plan to keep our apartment at the Carlton Towers as home base I I |