Political figures past and present were on hand in the Statehouse rotunda to honor seven former Speakers of the House, going back 50 years. The leaders, along with their families, friends and colleagues, were there for the unveiling of their portraits.
Former Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina), who served from 2011-2015, was very pleased with his portrait by Leslie Adams. “Oh, it’s beautiful. It’s just beautiful. As a matter of fact, I don’t look that good.”
Batchelder’s predecessor Armond Budish (D-Beachwood) was similarly humble about his portrait by Daniel Greene. “It’s hard to make me look good. They had to put me in the right light and touch it up about 50 times, but they did a nice job.”
Portraits of Charles Kurfess (R-Perrysburg, 1967-1972), AG Lancione (D-Bellaire, 1973-1975), Vern Riffe (D-New Boston, 1975-1995), Larry Householder (R-Newark, 2001-2005) and Jon Husted (R-Kettering) were also unveiled. The first woman House Speaker, JoAnn Davidson (R-Reynoldsburg, 1995-2001), was the first to have a portrait, back in 2013.
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