JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — For the last 25 years, Bill Wyrick has stood sentry at the Bingham Gallery in the Missouri Capitol. But on April 25, Wyrick closed the chapter on that part of his life and officially retired — for the second time in his 87 years of life.
“I enjoyed the whole 25 sessions I worked. Every year, you look forward to going back in January, and then every May you look forward to getting out for a while,” Wyrick told The Missouri Times. “It was just a good job, and I enjoyed it.”
Throughout his time at the Capitol as a Senate doorkeeper, Wyrick made plenty of friends — people who have made his life so full that retirement wasn’t an easy decision. In fact, he says he met “some of the nicest people” while at his job. He also got to serve in tandem with his son-in-law, former state Sen. Kurt Schaefer.
The Senate honored Wyrick with a signed resolution Thursday morning before gaveling into session, thanking him for his renowned service in the Capitol. Sen. Mike Bernskoetter said legislators wanted to acknowledge Wyrick’s time with them, noting most people change jobs after only a few years.
Wyrick has had a storied career outside the walls of the Missouri Capitol. He served in the U.S. Navy, based in Korean waters for various assignments, from 1948 to 1952 and then spent nearly a decade on the road selling electronics for the now-shuttered Central Missouri Distributing.
And he’s retired once before: Wyrick spent 32 years with the U.S. Postal Service before retiring in 1992. Two years later, he was back at work — this time at the state Capitol.
This go-round relaxation is on the horizon for Wyrick. His son lives on a big lake near Kansas City, and he intends to visit soon — soaking up the warm weather and time with family.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
