Ditzfeld named Torch winner

He can’t talk about himself without talking about his community. Maybe that’s because Ron Ditzfeld mirrors Sedalia. Ditzfeld, like his community, has faced challenges but managed to remain warm, friendly and compassionate.

Ditzfeld, 59, is The Sedalia Democrat’s first Torch Award recipient. His brother, Donnie Ditzfeld, nominated him, and The Democrat chose him as the award recipient because of his widespread contributions to the community.

A successful businessman, Ditzfeld supports the Boys and Girls Club, Smith-Cotton JROTC, the Liberty Center, State Fair Community College, Missouri State Fair, children’s sports teams and Sacred Heart Football. He’s helped truck food and supplies to disaster relief efforts such as the floods in 1993 and hurricanes Katrina and Andrew. Two of his most conspicuous contributions are the Susie Ditzfeld Memorial Soccer Field, in honor of his late wife, and the Ditzfeld Center for Recovering Alcoholics.

Few will ever know how much Ditzfeld gives, and that’s the way he wants it. He’s modest about his philanthropy, and says he’s not big on “bragging” on himself.

“I’m really honored someone put my name in the hat, I don’t know that I’m deserving of it,” he said of the nomination.

Ditzfeld gives credit to the community for the success of his efforts.

“There’s never one person. ... There’s so many people in the community that make it happen,” he said. “You might be the driving force, you might have had the idea, but it’s always that community that makes it happen.”

Pettis County charities are the biggest recipients of Ditzfeld’s generosity because he believes in giving back to the people here.

“I’m just really, really big on our community,” he said. “It probably has its faults, but it’s provided a good life for me and my family, and we appreciate it.”

Brett Barth-Fagan, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club, said Ditzfeld has financially supported the organization and speaks highly of the group.

“For us to have his support, it means a tremendous amount because of his stature and influence in the community,” he said.

Barth-Fagan thinks of Ditzfeld as one of the top leaders in the community who has an “understated amount of influence.”

“With that comes power, and I think he holds it with all the tenderness and respect it should be held,” he said.

Friend Tony Ross said Ditzfeld is “just a great guy who is willing to do anything for anybody.” Plus, he’s generous and hard working, Ross said.

“What you see with Ron on a community basis is what you get as a friend,” he said.

Ditzfeld’s commendable gestures began long before any business success. His brother, Donnie, remembers when he was a child and Ron had a ’59 Buick that “was breaking down more than it was running.”

One time, the car broke down on a rainy night and Ron used his own coat to shield his little brother from the rain while he carried him home.

“The admirable act he did that night, looking back, has now become indicative of what was to come in the next 40 years of admirable acts,” Donnie said.

Ron Ditzfeld said part of his giving comes from appreciation and how he was raised.

“In my opinion, what makes me tick is my upbringing and my parents,” he said. “I think that’s where most of us get our traits, our personalities.”

Ditzfeld views his life in decades.

“When I was in my 20s, I got married. When I was in my 30s, I raised kids,” he said. “In my 40s, I lost my wife, and might even have lost my mind, I’m not sure. In my 50s, the business has expanded a lot. We’ve had tremendous growth, but that growth has been based around the people who work for us.”

Ditzfeld was born and raised in Sedalia, graduating from Smith-Cotton High School. He spent a year Central Missouri State University to appease his father. But trucks were in his blood.

“My whole dream and my whole life has been trucks,” Ditzfeld said. “I never wanted to do anything but drive a truck.”

After dropping out of college, Ditzfeld was drafted into the Army in March 1969 and was discharged in 1971. He had orders to ship out to Vietnam, but those were canceled.

Ditzfeld “immediately went to trucking” upon coming home. He also fell in love and was married to Susie in 1972.

Throughout his life, Ditzfeld has responded to difficult situations by giving to others.

“I’m sure I’ve had some (adversity), or all kinds of this or that, but I look at the whole picture. I’ve been very blessed and very fortunate,” he said. “If you’re not appreciative of the good things that happen to ya, I think you’ll let the bad things eat you alive.”

Susie was killed in a car accident in 1990. Her death was “the toughest time in my entire life,” he said.

Ditzfeld answered by building the Susie Ditzfeld Memorial Soccer Field, home of the Smith-Cotton High School soccer team. She loved soccer, which their two sons played.

“One reason (for the soccer field) was my deep love for my wife,” he said. “The other reason, I think, was a true love for my community.”

When his father died in 1996, Ditzfeld built the Ditzfeld Center for Recovering Alcoholics in his honor.

Ditzfeld’s life is centered around his family, work and community. Ditzfeld Transfer has grown from a small company with about 10 employees to a fleet of 47 trucks with 105 employees that log more than five million miles a year in the 48 contiguous states and Canada. Ditzfeld attributes the success to the company’s relationships with manufacturers here.

“They believed in us,and we believed in them,” he said.

The Ditzfeld family has brought the generosity of this community to others in need. Ron Ditzfeld drove to McComb, Miss., with a truck load of supplies collected by the community following Hurricane Katrina.

“Our experience as a family is we’ve never felt short-changed by helping people,” he said. “It just always seems like it comes back to you.”

Opportunities are a funny thing, Ditzfeld said.

“Some people never get an opportunity. Some people never recognize an opportunity,” he said. “Some people take a chance on them. I don’t know how it works; it still comes down to that right place at the right time in my opinion.”

Ditzfeld spends less time on the road and more time in the office these days. His sons, Steve and Sam, have taken the reins of the business, overseeing the day-to-day operations. Ditzfeld still helps with finances and offers business advice.

“I’ve slowed down quite a bit, but I don’t ever see giving that up. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, I’m looking forward to retirement,’ ” Ditzfeld said during an interview at his office. “I don’t look forward to it at all. If I can keep sitting in this chair until the day I die, I’ll be happy.”

Editor's Note: In this special section, you will read about the winner of the first Sedalia Democrat Freedom Torch Award and the nine finalists for that honor. Publisher Dave Phillips’ idea for inaugurating this award was to honor and recognize people within The Sedalia Democrat’s reading area for their outstanding community service, particularly in ways that advance individual freedom and promote self responsibility.

We hope you enjoy reading about these 10 exemplars of community service.

Also, videos featuring the people who nominated our finalists may be seen elsewhere on this site.

— Oliver Wiest, editor