2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 80
Celebrating the life of Lieutenant Colonel Richard Grover Vaught, USAF, Ret.
Agreed to by the Senate, March 5, 2026
WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Grover Vaught, USAF, Ret., an unrivaled expert in air mobility who coordinated large-scale movements of personnel and equipment supporting major military operations around the world over the course of his distinguished career in the United States Air Force, died on November 8, 2025; and
WHEREAS, Richard Vaught graduated from Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was a standout track and field athlete and an all-state football player who helped lead the football team to three consecutive undefeated seasons; and
WHEREAS, Richard Vaught continued his education at Vanderbilt University, but left school to return home after his father was injured in a car accident; two years later, he moved to Michigan and worked in the GMC Truck and Coach Division of General Motors while attending Oakland University, from which he earned multiple degrees; and
WHEREAS, Richard Vaught was selected to attend the General Motors College of Manufacturing Management, which is now part of Kettering University, then became a foreman and acting general foreman in car assembly for Pontiac; during his tenure with General Motors, he was awarded three patents in the late 1970s; and
WHEREAS, Richard Vaught joined the United States Air Force in 1980 and was assigned to what is now the 375th Air Mobility Wing at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, where he supported numerous air transportation operations and pursued a master's degree from Webster University; and
WHEREAS, Richard Vaught next deployed to Incirlik Air Base as the traffic management officer and chief military customs officer for United States military personnel in Turkey, earning the Traffic Management Officer of the Year for the United States Air Forces in Europe award in 1985; and