Dick was valedictorian of his class at Villisca High School. Wrote for the Volcano, was active in FFA and 4-H and acted in the senior class play. Received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Agronomy from Iowa State College (now University), and his Ph.D. in Crop Science from Oregon State University. Elected to scholastic honorary fraternities at both Iowa State and Oregon State.
Dick worked as a research agronomist and research rangeland scientist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 39 years until retiring in 2001. He became a world-renowned forage and range management scientist, and has been called “the most noted grazing management specialist in the world.” Published 311 research papers in scientific journals and popular farm and ranch magazines. Faculty member at University of Wyoming and Colorado State University. Guest lecturer at numerous other universities and dozens of meetings of ranchers and farmers. Named a Fellow of both the American Society of Agronomy and the Society for Range Management; received SRM’s top honor given annually to one member for research. A recognized poet, author and performer, he was named the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Poet Laureate in 2001.
Stayed connected to VHS. Presented the commencement address to the VHS Class of 1990. Presented his poetry at the 2005 All School Reunion. Actively involved in his VHS class reunions. When home inVillisca, he shared ideas about forage and grazing with local farmers. Richard H. (“Dick”) Hart, a 2013 member of the Villisca Bluejay Hall of Fame, lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming.