Born in Marianao, Cuba, on February 16, 1928, Dr. Ricard was the first of nine children. He came to the United States in 1963 as a Cuban exile. He stopped briefly in Brownsville, Texas, and Atlanta before coming to Huntington in 1964.
He first worked at the Huntington State Hospital as a staff physician, later becoming the medical director. Dr. Ricard was a key player in the development of the family practice specialty in Huntington as well as the creation of the Marshall University School of Medicine. He has served as chairman of the Family Practice section at Cabell Huntington Hospital, Saint Mary's Hospital and Huntington Hospital. He served as president and chairman of the board for the West Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians from 1990 to 1998. He was appointed president of the Cabell Medical Society in 1993. In 1994, he received the Family Doc Award for being instrumental in developing the Family Weekend and Sports Medicine Conference in Huntington. He was vice president of the Family Medicine Foundation of West Virginia in 1981.
In 1986, he was named Huntington Outstanding Civic Leader and an Honorary Alumnus of Marshall University, his beloved adopted university. In 1996, he was enshrined in the Marshall University Athletic Hall of Fame for his contribution to sports medicine and his unselfish care of student athletes. In 2002, he was inducted into the Marshall University Sports Medicine Hall of Fame.
