Richard "Dick" Grover Rhodes (1937-2019) was born in Lake Wales, Florida to Grover (1910-2003) and Gertie Johnson Rhodes (1912-2003). Rhodes graduated from Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Florida, in 1955, and attended Florida State University. He later served in the United States Navy before moving to Athens, Georgia, in the 1960s. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1971. A staunch advocate of LGBTQ+ civil and human rights, he served as the first openly gay delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1988. The same year he and Gil Robison (1947- )also were the first openly gay candidates to run for the Georgia House of Representatives. He also served as the first openly gay chair of the DeKalb Democratic Party in 1992. In 2012, Rhodes received the Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award and Fenuxe Magazine included him in the 50 Most Outstanding Individuals of Our Community as “The Trail Blazer.” In 2019, the Spiritual Living Center of Atlanta awarded him Greeter of the Year. Rhodes resided in Brookhaven, Georgia, until his death.