Mildred Richards, 2005 Inductee

An active early-day resident, Mrs. Richards was the first president of the Fountain Hills Women’s Club. One of the club’s early fund-raisers was a town cookbook. She coordinated this project and drew illustrations for it. One of her loves was music. Not only did she direct the choir at Fountain Hills Community Church, she also directed and founded the Desert Singers, an all-woman choral group that sang at functions around the Valley (the community’s first ambassadors). Always ready to flash her big smile and greet people with her booming voice, she was one of the first “get things done” people to reside in Fountain Hills.Her style and determination inspired others to reach out toward goals that would intimidate others. Mrs. Richards became a familiar face to residents in the mid to late 1970s when she managed the local U.S. Postal Service’s contract station. People referred to her as our local Postmistress.