Waldo Richard Buchanan was born September 2, 1923, the son of Richard Stanley Buchanan and Jewel Peyton Buchanan.  He passed away on December 4, 2007, after a long, fruitful and successful life.  Funeral services will be held 3 p.m. Friday December 7, 2007 at the Mudd-Veach Funeral Home in Bowling Green.  Burial will be in the Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Bowling Green.  Visitation will be held from 2 p.m. until the time of service at the funeral home.  He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Ruth Cook Gerard Buchanan who was born on October 1, 1929 and died on May 4, 1995; and one son, Richard Gerard Buchanan who was born August 10, 1956 and died on June 11, 2005.
     Waldo was raised in Perry, Mo, and began a career in telephony in the summer of 1940.  He entered the armed services in defense of his country in March of 1943, and served with Headquarters Battery, 65th AAA Brigade, for West Coast defense.  Following World War II, Waldo returned to work in telephony before being recalled to again serve his country during the Korean Conflict.  He attended college at both Mizzou and UCLA.
     In March of 1950, Waldo commenced telephone service in Silex and Eolia, Missouri.  Waldo did the billing, trouble shooting, line work, installations, and janitorial duties.  He sometimes had to retrieve the change from local pay phones in order to buy groceries. Waldo and his wife Ruth slowly but steadily built up the telephone company until it encompassed seven communities over two and half counties.  He served as the president of the Missouri Telephone Association in 1983.
    Over the years, Waldo proved to be an innovator, installing some of the first underground telephone plant and fiber optic cables in Rural Missouri.  Part of his vision was to install the first cable TV systems in Bowling Green, Troy and Warrenton, which he accomplished from 1982-1985.
  Waldo was active in many industry and civic organizations.  He was an elder in the Presbyterian Church of Bowling Green, Missouri, and was a member of the Lions Club and Rotary Club.  He also served as a member of the Pike County Democratic Central Committee and for fifteen years as a member of the Bowling Green R-I Board of Education, where he was instrumental in starting the football program.  As a child growing up in Perry, he would listen to football games on the radio, and even though he had never seen a game, when they used words like “block,” “punt” and “tackle,” Waldo knew he had found his game.  He loved Missouri Tiger Football, and was a baseball Cardinal fan after the defeat of the Browns in the 44 World Series.
  Waldo spent the last years of his life in Columbia, MO, living at Boone’s Landing, where he made several wonderful new friends.  Waldo never really retired, serving as Director of the Board for Newz Group during the years 1997 – 2007.