Introduction

Biography

Richard was the son of Me­tho­dist mis­sion­ari­es Ralph Blan­chard and Grace Kip­ka.

He grew up in In­di­ana and North Ca­ro­li­na. Af­ter gra­du­at­ing from high school in 1943, he at­tend­ed Da­vid­son Col­lege, North Ca­ro­li­na, for a year, then joined the na­vy.

After a me­di­cal di­scharge from the navy, he stu­died at Mer­cer Uni­ver­si­ty, Ma­con, Geor­gia (BA 1947), and the Cand­ler School of Theo­lo­gy at Emo­ry Uni­ver­si­ty, At­lan­ta, Geor­gia (BD 1949).

Blanchard was or­dained a Me­tho­dist dea­con in 1949, and el­der in 1950, af­ter serv­ing two years as pas­tor of the Snell­ville-Gray­son cir­cuit of the North Geor­gia Con­fer­ence.

He trans­ferred to the Flo­ri­da Con­fer­ence in 1950, and com­plet­ed 40 years in the min­is­try of the Unit­ed Me­tho­dist Church, serv­ing in Or­lan­do, Cor­al Ga­bles, Fort Lau­der­dale, Mi­ami, Tam­pa, Jack­son­ville, and Ho­li­day.

He re­tired in 1988.