You may not recognize his name, but you or your neighbors may have benefited from his good deeds.

The Boy Scouts have tapped former Burger King franchise owner Ron Rybarczyk as Heart of Ohio Council Distinguished Citizen for 2008.

In the past 24 years, Rybarczyk helped raise about a million dollars for Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio, according to Julie Chase-Morefield, executive director.

Car dealer Jack Matia, a previous recipient of the Distinguished Citizen award, said he nominated Rybarczyk to give him a little credit for all his hard work.

“I don’t think many people know how much money he’s raised for the food bank and other organizations,” Matia said.

Rybarczyk, 59, said the real credit goes to employees at his Burger King restaurants, who were responsible for getting customers to buy millions of coupons at 25 cents each or five for $1.

“Every one of those quarters went to Second Harvest,” Rybarczyk said proudly.

As one of six children of a Lorain steelworker, Rybarczyk said his own childhood was fairly modest, but he got a good education at St. Stanislaus School in Lorain and later at Oberlin High School.

After graduating from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in industrial management in 1970 and a master’s degree in industrial relations in 1972, he worked at TRW for several years before returning to Lorain County.

Rybarczyk and his wife, Monte, live in an 1856 historic home on East College Street in Oberlin, the same house where the couple first met as teen-agers.

They have four adult children ages 21 to 32. 

For 24 years, Rybarczyk operated Oberlin Country Day Camp before it was sold to Sisters of Humility of Mary.

Matia, who attended the camp, said kids learned how to ride horses, do crafts and enjoy the outdoors.

In 1977, Rybarczyk became involved in building and operating 20 Burger King franchises, a job he held until he sold his interest last month. Rybarczyk was minority shareholder in Midwest R. Corp., headed by John Renuart, who died four years ago.

A dinner to honor Rybarczyk will be Aug. 28 at DeLuca’s Place in the Park, according to Jim Dillon, Boy Scouts spokesman.

Dillon said scouting is alive and well in Lorain County with some 6,000 boys involved. At its height, there were about 8,000 Boy Scouts, but the poor economy has taken its toll, and there would be very little scouting in the city of Lorain today without help from foundations and donors, Dillon said.

Past recipients of the Distinguished Citizen award include Roy Church, president of Lorain County Community College, businessman John Beckett, philanthropist Beth Stocker and Greg White, former Lorain County prosecutor and U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Dillon said those chosen for the  honor have shown they care about people and want to make lives better for those around them.

“Everybody says nice guys finish last, but through my 20-year career with the Boy Scouts, I’ve found the more people have, the more they’re willing to give,” Dillon said.

Contact Cindy Leise at 653-6250 or cleise@chroniclet.com.

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