Pub. 57 2016-2017 Issue 4

11 SUMMER 2017 Key Director 2017 Richard Karr RichardKarr received the TADAKeyDirector awardat the annual conference inApril. The following is the introduc- tion of the award presented by previous Key Director Winner, Donnie Buckalew. The Key Director Award is the only TADA achievement that is not announced in advance. Behind the scenes intrigue is the hallmark of this award which recognizes the most outstanding member of the TADA Board of Directors for the past year. The mystery will now be revealed. This year’s honoree began his life in the well-known high school football Texas town of Odessa, Texas. As a very young man, becoming a car dealer never crossed his mind. A sense of fortunate events had to take place for that to become a reality. Our honoree was an early fan of sports medicine working as an athletic trainer for the Odessa High School where he worked under Jerry Rhea, who later became the head trainer for the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL for 25 years. A very educational experience. He left Odessa, Texas to go to Baylor University and contin- ued as an athletic trainer for the Baylor football team with Hall of Fame track coach Clyde Hart. He was originally preparing for a future as a college athletic trainer. Unknowingly, being an athletic trainer in high school and college was preparing him for the long work hours of the car business. Hemet hiswife andbest friend, ColletteRountree, in July of his last year at Baylor and theyweremarried inMay of the next year. After graduating from Baylor with a degree in accounting, he worked for a Waco CPA accounting firm for a year and half before his father-in-lawasked himtowork in the business office at Rountree Oldsmobile Cadillac. After 25 years and serving in several management positions and as a General Partner of RountreeOldsmobile Cadillac, he bought his own dealerships in Waco in 1999, Frank Weaver Pontiac GMC, in 2004 the Waco Buick franchise from Malcom Duncan and in 2007 Rountree Oldsmobile Cadillac Mitsubishi. They are now a third generation dealer. After 45 years of marriage and with three daughters in the house, our Key Director stressed family activities and making memories with the four women who helped define his life. An avid racquetball player, fisherman and snow skier, he taught his daughters to ski by the time they were six. Also, not a fan of warm weather destinations, he was always outvoted by the family and found himself traveling to the most remote islands of the Caribbean. Throughout a lifetime of nurturing awonderful family, coaching his three daughters’ grade school basketball teams, attending every soccer game, gymnastics event, softball game, various school programs, and making sure that homework was done, our honoree was building a successful business.