Rice closes the books on courthouse career
Retired Humboldt County Auditor Peggy Rice loves flowers and hopes to spend more time with her live plants now she is officially done with duties at the Humboldt County Courthouse. She has been at home in the Auditor's Office for more than 37 years. Humboldt Independent photo by Kent Thompson.
By KENT THOMPSON
It is safe to say that the last in Peggy Rice’s 37 years plus in public life has been her most memorable.
Rice retired at the end of 2020, after working in the Humboldt County Auditor’s Office since May of 1983.
“When I first started, I thought, ‘I’d give it a try,’ and move on after a few years. I came to like working in the office so much and dealing with the public, I decided to stay,” Rice said. The public is glad she did.
Rice worked as a clerk for a time and then was appointed a deputy auditor by then Auditor Jerry Diedrick. When Diedrick retired at the end of the fiscal year in 1996, Rice took over on July 1 of that year as county auditor. She ran for election that fall against John Vondehaar and won, and has won five elections since, often running unopposed.
“It has been a great experience,” she said. “I learned all the time and that made it very rewarding," the longtime county official said.
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