Dr. Rev. Richard “Dick” L. Pearson ’49, a long-time pastor and early civil rights advocate, died July 23, 2008, in Estherville, Iowa. He
was 80.
Pearson spent most of his career leading churches throughout Iowa, including Sioux City, Estherville, Bettendorf, and Des Moines. While in Sioux City in the early ’60s, Pearson served on the boards of the local chapter of the NAACP, the Sioux City Council of Churches, and the local Iowa Civil Liberties Union. In 1979 he was invited to the White House by President Jimmy Carter for a briefing on SALT II (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty).
Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Ramalee, four sons, and a sister.
