The youngest and tallest of the Order members, Kemp met up with Robert Mathews when he was only a year out of high school. Now serving his 21st years of a 60-year sentence, in a federal prison for his role in armored car robberies and racketeering Kemp said, “It is an honor to have my name associated with such giants and legends of our Folk.”

While Kemp thinks the sacrifice of such a significant portion of his life was worth the effort he says, “I don’t want to be remembered for my activities of my past, but for what I am doing today. By that I mean, I don’t want to rest on my laurels satisfied by my past deeds. I want to contribute to the advancement of our Folk each and everyday.”

Kemp lives by that statement. He voluntarily teaches Adult continuing Education classes in geography, history, classical literature, German & French language classes, and more. All told he has written well over two dozen curriculums.

He taught finished woodworking for 4 ½ years where the wooden toys and furniture were donated to Children’s Hospitals and organizations that benefit children. Each year he assists in a program where prisoners buy Yuletide gifts for local children that would have had to do without.

Kemp believes our Youth are our future and was one the founding members of a prison organization aimed at reducing juvenile recidivism. Each month Kemp speaks to teenagers from his local community about prison and choices, In the more than five years Kemp has been associated with this program, juvenile recidivism dropped from 36% in Yamhill County, Oregon to 6%!

Kemp founded an Asatru fellowship at Sheridan, Oregon that is now in its ninth year. Sheridan was one of the first facilities to construct a 60’ X 60’ outdoor grove/worship area. They were the first to make the summer solstice a work proscription / religious holiday and have the institution provide a ritual meal for the entire compound.

Each year Kemp organizes cultural events to honor National Tartan Day (April 6th) and Leif Erikson Day (Oct 9th). Each of these events have attracted 100 and more inmates.

In addition, Kemp is a prolific writer. “I must be doing something right as the ADL acknowledge I am “a copier writer’,” Kemp said.

Richard Kemp