Deceased October 10, 2016
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In Memory
We lost one of our most upbeat classmates on Oct. 10 when Dick died in California. He was born in New Rochelle, N.Y., and prepped at Tabor Academy. At Amherst, Dick was a member of Delta Upsilon, majored in English, worked on The Student, and was in the AFROTC program. That led him to serve three years in the Air Force, advancing to the rank of captain.
Jim Brayer ’55 roomed with Dick senior year and remembers Dick as always being “up,” never “down” about anything. At our 25th reunion in 1980, Dick approached Jim, who did not instantaneously respond with Dick’s name. Dick quipped, “Brayer, you had to reach for my name tag, did you?” That was Dick, always ready to ease us into a lighter mood.
After the service, Dick moved to the Los Angeles area and began a career in the real estate business. Over the years he held management positions with several companies. When I talked to Dick last summer, he was busy working for himself, making commercial loans, using just his computer and telephone.
Dick never forgot his Amherst roots. He was a member of the board of the Southern California Alumni Association for more than 25 years. His keen interest was seeking out prospective Amherst students from his area. He could be found at the Amherst-Williams football game telecasts each November.
In late 1961 Dick met Linda Howard, and they were married in 1963. She relates that Dick was an involved father to their two daughters, Jennifer and Kathy, coaching their sports teams. He would always sing “Lord Jeffery Amherst” each night when he tucked the girls into bed! Just once, he ran the Los Angeles marathon—this to say he did it!
That was Dick—always striving to do his very best.
Rob Sowersby ’55