Mr. Richard C. Gould

Class of 1972
Career Pathway: Human Services

Richard C. Gould was nominated by Jim Tobin.

Rick graduated in 1972 from Grayling High School, where he lettered in golf. He then graduated from Central Michigan University in 1976 with a bachelor of science degree in sociology and secondary education.

After completing his undergraduate studies, he attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan, graduating with a Juris Doctor degree in 1979. He passed the Michigan Bar Examination and was admitted into the practice of law in February 1980.

Mr. Gould has spent approximately half of his professional career in the private practice of law. He has also served as deputy general counsel and interim general counsel at Ferris State University in Big Rapids and has served as in-house counsel for various private and publicly-owned corporations.

He was a front runner in the competitive telecommunications field after the Telecommunications Act of 1966 was enacted, assisting start-up companies in gaining a strong foothold into the field and positioning them as viable acquisition corporations.

He has been a trial attorney throughout most of his professional career and has argued matters before many of the State of Michigan district and circuit courts, the federal courts for Eastern and Western Michigan, the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court and the Federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Since 2003, he has been the sole practitioner in the Law Office of Richard C. Gould in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Mr. Gould wrote: "I note that one of the purposes of the Hall of Fame is to encourage and assist students in realizing that their career goals are within their grasp. If I can do it, I encourage all to determine what their career goals are and to follow through. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. I remember talking with my high school guidance counselor (long retired) at Grayling High School after taking an aptitude test, and he told me to get a job in a factory as I would never make it in college. I worked hard and have had a satisfying legal career for 30 plus years."

He has been married for over 30 years and has two children who are both joining Americorps this year.

Mr. Gould is the son of long-time Grayling resident Lora Gould. His brother Bill, a fellow Hall of Fame inductee, is a 1968 GHS graduate.