There was a time when everything the Rev. Richard Pritchard did or said made news in Madison. For several decades starting in the 1960s, Pritchard was a prominent culture warrior. He decried X-rated book stores, massage parlors and nude dancing. He fought against same-sex marriage and lent his spiritual counsel to Citizens Concerned for Our Community, an anti-pornography group.
He was a beacon of morality to some, a homophobe and a prude to others. Still, even his enemies found him gentlemanly and good-humored. That was the Pritchard who met me at the door of his Downtown independent-living residence late last month. He’s 98 now but still hale, with a startlingly vigorous handshake.