By Kay Conklin
Contributing columnist
It all began the very same minute that a man named Mr. Carr was heading west on the highway with the blinding sun shining in his eyes, and our nephew, Rick, was heading east on his motorcycle to go home. And just as Mr. Carr started to make a left turn, he and Rick collided, and Rick was hit head-on and thrown to the ground where he died instantly.
That evening my phone rang at home, and I was told that the Clark County Coroner’s Office was calling for George Conklin. When I said he wasn’t there, the officer asked if I was Kay Conklin and if so, for me to give George a message that “Richard Conklin” had been killed in a motorcycle accident.
My first thought was that I didn’t know any “Richard” Conklin, so why was he calling me? Then it dawned on me that Rick always rode his motorcycle and his name was really “Richard.” Oh, NO. So, I called our daughter and asked her to go over to the barn and tell her dad what had happened. What a shock! Then we had to find Rick’s grandparents and tell them the bad news. Such terrible news!
At that time, our nephew was 37 and had a bike shop in Clark County. His own father had died from cancer when Rick was only 10, and his mother was now living in Texas. He was like a brother to our daughters. He loved his bike and had graduated from the “Harley Davidson School for Mechanics” out in Arizona. He was a friend to lots of bikers, and they called him “Pup.” This accident happened back in May of 2004.
Rick was the type of person who didn’t hold a grudge. He didn’t hate, and he saw the best in people. He gave everyone his unconditional friendship. He lived life to the fullest and passed away doing what he loved, riding his Harley!
Going back to the time of the accident, Mr. Carr was at that very spot on the highway because he was going home from an anniversary party where he had been drinking.
He was under the influence of alcohol. We didn’t meet him until the day of his sentencing for vehicular homicide at the Clark County Courthouse. When he and his wife arrived, they looked very frail and seemed to have to help each other walk as they entered the courtroom. They looked as sad as anyone I had ever seen. At that time, he knew the law said that if you are driving drunk and cause someone’s death, you must spend eight years in prison. He was 72 years old at that time.
The majority of persons in our family did not want Mr. Carr to have to spend the next eight years in prison. Therefore, our daughter, Carolee, read a letter to the Clark County judge asking him not to send Mr. Carr to prison. She knew that Rick would not have wanted him to spend the last part of his life in prison. Sending Mr. Carr to prison is not going to bring Rick back. Mr. Carr suffers enough just knowing what he did and having to live with it.
I have to add the quote from the judge right after Carolee finished her speech. He said, “Well, the world hasn’t gone to Hell in a handbasket after all.”
Mr. Carr will have to follow a lot of other rules that were set by the Judge, such as giving up his driver’s license and not leaving the house other than to go to the doctor or to church. As he ended his other rules, he made it very clear that Mr. Carr would not be sentenced to prison at all. Thank you, judge!
Kay E. Conklin is a retired Delaware County recorder who served four terms. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a degree in sociology and anthropology.
