From Steve Horwitz, Professor of Economics and Associate Dean of the First-Year ---

There is so much to say about someone who meant so much to me. As Stephan said, David and Ann were the welcome wagon for new faculty in Economics. Ann, in particular, made Jody feel like a part of this community when we arrived - a difficult task given that we were much closer in age to the students than to my faculty colleagues and their spouses. Few days go by that Jody doesn’t miss Ann’s friendship.

For me, David was my role model and my mentor. David's reputation, so perfectly captured by Dan, of being fair, open-minded, and always taking others in good faith, is something I have strived to emulate over the years, as was his commitment to speaking the truth to colleagues or the administration, no matter the issue. David was also the model of the teacher-scholar. I think I speak for every faculty member who has passed through our department in saying that you could always go to him with a question about your life as a professional and David would always take the time to talk it through with you and give you sage advice. Anything from a struggle with pedagogy, to figuring out the best way to work with some data, to how to navigate the waters of faculty politics was fair game. David’s impact on students is well-known, but his impact on the professional work of faculty here at SLU may not be. David was this type of mentor to many.

Having watched David and Ann raise their children and make their mark on this community, I think Jody and I also saw them as role models in those ways as well. And anyone who has seen their four children deal with the last few years of their lives with the same grace and class that their parents brought to everything they did, can understand why you couldn’t pick better role models for parenthood and community involvement.

As Dan said, for the campus as a whole, it’s hard to imagine a St. Lawrence without David. For me, this is as close to the loss of a parent as I can imagine, and it comes on the heels of losing another mentor, my dissertation advisor, to the same damn disease less than 4 years ago.

In my 20s, after knowing David a few years, I used to joke with people that when I grew up, I wanted to be David Richardson. I’m 41 years old now and watching the way David lived his life and faced the loss of Ann and his illness with the same courage, grace, and optimism he brought to everything he did, I can still say, with even more conviction, that I want to be David when I grow up.

Thank you for everything David. You will be missed very deeply.

From Dekkers Davidson '78 P'06 ---

David’s passing saddens me and our family deeply. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family in Canton and his friends everywhere. St. Lawrence has truly lost a giant of a leader, educator and human being.

I had known David for only a few years when by an unfortunate circumstance, I would spend part of an afternoon with him at the Canton-Potsdam Hospital.

Our son, then a St. Lawrence sophomore, had just sustained a somewhat serious and painful injury playing club rugby. I had driven to the North Country that day to be with him; but, by the time I arrived, he was already in surgery to repair his broken ankle and leg. But, David was there – our son was his student and he was concerned about him and wanted to be nearby to offer support that afternoon. I was – and still am -- awestruck by the kindness he showed us that day; his own health was still fragile and he had only recently lost his wife. In the face of such heartbreak, he spoke about the future with optimism and demonstrated such genuine grace.

We spent about 45 minutes together that afternoon talking a little about St. Lawrence and then mostly about each of our sons. Two fathers talking on a bench in the waiting room at the Canton-Potsdam Hospital. I learned a lot that day….and I’ll never forget David Richardson for what he showed us about living life to its fullest.

From Kyle Davidson '06 ---

David Richardson became my advisor very early on into my sophomore year. At the time I didn't know much about him, but I selected him because I was taking one of his classes and he came off as an incredibly friendly and easy to talk to individual. I quickly realized that Dr. Richardson was much more...

Only three weeks into that semester I had a horrible accident and broke five bones in my leg, which required surgery. The day of the surgery, before even any of my friends had come to visit, Dr. Richardson came over to the hospital to check in on me and to see how I was holding up. He waited through the long surgery, until my family eventually arrived after driving several hours to the hospital. This is something I will never forget about Dr. Richardson, the caring, warm-hearted and friendly individual who always went out of his way to help people.

It was not only the pleasant surprise of his company at the hospital but also how he went out of his way to assist me in catching up on the missed material, that just amazed me.

He truly demonstrated to me how close the St. Lawrence community and family is. And to me, whenever I think of the St. Lawrence family, Dr. Richardson is the first person I think of.

If we could all be a little bit more like you Dr. Richardson, this world would be a much kinder, caring place. Thanks for everything, you'll be greatly missed.

From Hook Huang '02 ---

Dr. Richardson represented every aspect of my greatest memories of St. Lawrence - free spirit, kind regards of every individual, warm support, depth and width of knowledge, open mind and international perspectives, and above all, a home full of love open to all of us in need.

There are too many stories to tell - I will always remember how he gave me envelops of articles to read and finally lead me into a passion for research, how he disputed the "cookbook teaching" of statistics, how he supported me to seek art educations outside my majors, how he opened his family to my parents visiting for graduation, yeah, and his comments about why there's no SLU building named after any recent Phi Betta Kappa's... ^_^ Whenever I think of Dr. Richardson, the first sound in my mind is his laughter and the first image I see is a young David with beard in a picture Ann once showed me. I know he's always that young fellow in soul and that's partly why he's brought us so much joy.

Here is a note from my parents: Ann and David Richardson have shown us the characteristics that made their nation great. Thank you so much for everything my dear doc - all you have taught me will guide me through my life.

From Patti Frazer Lock, Cumings Professor of Mathematics ---

David Richardson was one of the best people I have ever known. He has been, and will continue to be, a role model for me in so many ways. He was always honest, always fair, always trying to do the best for St. Lawrence and for St. Lawrence students. He treated everyone with respect, and he treated everyone equally. Whether he was dealing with trustees or custodians, he treated everyone with respect and compassion. He was always willing to go the extra mile for this University, and he had an insight into what was important here that made his input so incredibly valuable. I can't tell you how many times I've said "What does David say?" and how many times in the future I know I will say "What would David say about this?" He always tried to do the right thing. He was a role model for me as a faculty member, and as a person. They don't make them any better than this. We have, indeed, lost a giant.

From Mickey Wu, Coe College ---

When I started my graduate work in Economics at the University of Kentucky, David was on an exchange program in Malaysia. The 'senior' graduate students told us that he was an accomplished econometrician and an extremely demanding teacher. When he returned, I signed up for his Econometrics class and immediately discovered that the 'seniors' were correct. What an incredibly sharp and clear mind he had. What a long list of readings we had to do on our own!I took several more classes with him. When it came time to work on my dissertation, I asked him to be my director. He agreed to do it even though he did not have much experinece in the field of exchange rates and balance of payments. He told me that he would learn it with me.What a gracious gesture from a busy graduate research professor. It should not surprise anyone that he quickly became an expert in the field. I learned from every meeting with him but more importantly, I saw a man generous with his time, humorous, never critical of my dumb mistakes and misstatements, and always encouraging.

Since then we worked on several projects together. He did the work and I was the free rider. He always took an interest in what I was doing.

Ann and David were a great pair. Once when we were in London presenting a paper, Ann, with David making side remarks, insisted that I stop my culinary tour of the city and attend at least one play. David was amused when I finally gave in.

David was my teacher,and I am proud to say, my friend. What a great loss.

From Baylor Johnson, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of Outdoor Studies ---

I worked with David in a variety of ways during his years at St. Lawrence. We served on committees together, studied the work of Amartya Sen together in a group preparing for Sen's visit to SLU. We also relaxed outside work together at parties. I always deeply admired David, Ann, and the family they created. St. Lawrence was fortunate to be home to such an extraordinarily talented and generous man. As president Sullivan wrote, in losing David, we have lost one of the giants among us.

From Alan Searleman, Professor of Psychology ---

I arrived at SLU the year before Dave did, so I've had many years to get to know the character of this remarkable man. On and off, we served on many committees together. I recall with great admiration how he could remain impartial to a fault, even when he held a strong conviction about something. Time and time again, many of us can remember him standing up in a general faculty meeting and marveling at his ability to logically -- and with his trademark even temperament -- point out the seminal issues at stake that may have stymied many of the rest of us. Listening to Dave was both a pleasure and an education. He was a professor's professor, and I will miss him...

From Bob Durocher, Head Men's Soccer Coach ---

The news from President Sullivan's office about David's passing was stunning! I have wondered over and over, how could so many devastating things happen to such a nice family in such a short period of time.

I am very appreciative of the kindness, and the wisdom, that David shared with me and the student athletes I work with. The academic advice and the advice on dealing with life's hurdles will be remembered by all of us, forever.

David and Ann have raised very good children, and it is easy to see their outstanding charactertics within them. I received my first coaching lessons from their daughter Sara. As a "fresh" college graduate, with little track and field experince, Sara, tutored us through a very successful season. Her attention to details, and willingness to help others, were very familair traits of people very dear to us. Coming home from the last track meet Sara thought it would be a great idea to celebrate our successful season by sneaking champagne onto the bus. After I turned three shades of red from anger, and fearing for my newly aquired position, Sara came forward with bottles of grape juice! At that moment I knew what type of patience David and Ann had raising teenage children. Sara told me that I needed to work on my sense of humor.

I think we all can take lessons from someone that "lived" and developed the St. Lawrence Community that we call "Family" David, thanks for all of your caring and sharing.

From Bob Thacker, Professor of Canadian Studies ---

While we certainly had many different social contacts here in Canton over the years, my favorite memory of David and Ann was when, while they were on sabbatical in Vancouver, David discovered that I was spending a couple of extra days there in between two obligations out West. He insisted I stay with them. I did, and I had a wonderful weekend with David, Ann, and John. Intent on doing something I was interested in while I was visiting, they decided we should follow up a story I’d read in a Canadian paper. So we set off that Sunday driving up the Fraser valley to a town famous as a stopping point for migrating bald eagles. We got there and found hundreds, maybe even thousands of them, dotting every tree in sight. David, Ann, and I just stood and marveled at the sight. It was a magic moment.

But most of my contacts with David were connected to the university. We were on department chairs together, and on the PSC. Others have quite rightly said just how fair-minded David was, and how judicious. I saw this quality most precisely when we served together on a Joint Board of Inquiry dealing with a particularly difficult altercation between two groups of students. Tempers were up, accusations had flown, people were incensed. David chaired the board. He led us through myriad issues, he arranged testimony and questioned students and staff sensitively, he got at the truth of a fraught matter in ways that could only be called masterful. Throughout, he kept each person’s point-of-view and role in the institution in clear view. In all these ways, and many more, David displayed just what a remarkable university person he was, what a remarkable human being.

From Jeffrey Young, A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Economics ---

In Memoriam: David Richardson When the great Scottish philosopher, David Hume, died in 1776 his best friend, Adam Smith, wrote a short eulogy in which he praised Hume’s character as the nearest to perfect virtue that he, Adam Smith, had ever known. In the last edition of The Theory of Moral Sentiments he described the perfection of virtue as the “best head joined to the best heart”. These sentiments come to mind when I think back on the character of David Richardson. While I have been privileged to know a few men of high virtue, none of them surpass David in the quality of his character. He truly was the “best head joined to the best heart”.

I first met David in 1979 in a job interview. Frank Piskor had hired David to “clean up the economics department.” I was the first one he (along with the rest of the department) hired in this endeavor. I don’t think David knew very much about the areas of economics I was interested in, but he still mentored me in my early career at St. Lawrence, both as a scholar and as a teacher. He would read drafts of some of my papers, and he would encourage me to submit them for publication. He taught me that you never knew what was valuable in a paper and how to revise it until you had some referee reports from good journals. On his advice I began submitting my work, and started to get some acceptances. David also mentored me as a teacher and shepherded me through a particularly difficult tenure and promotion process. I was granted tenure but denied promotion to associate professor. It would not be appropriate here to go into the details, but David’s unfailing support helped m! e to get through this particularly difficult time.

The economics department today is to a great extent a tribute to David. I believe that it is one of the best economics departments among comparable liberal arts institutions. Scholarship and excellent teaching are both flourishing. But the outstanding feature of the department is that it is a fun department. People really like each other, there are no skeletons in closets, and there are no egos that need to be stroked. I have never been affiliated with an economics department that has a better atmosphere of collegiality and camaraderie as in the St. Lawrence department. I have never even heard of one from friends and acquaintances all over the world. This is a rare achievement in academia, and no small part is due to the influence of David’s “best head joined to the best heart”. He would deny this, of course, but his intelligence and wisdom guided us whenever we had to recruit new people into the department. His influence will be enduring as we continue to follow i! n his footsteps.

My father, a retired professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin, met David and interacted with him on several occasions. He was also very much impressed with the quality of David’s character and intellect. And, trust me, he is not easily impressed. Since Dad and I shared similar careers we often talk about university affairs. When I would suggest that things were not going all that well at St. Lawrence his response was something like, “Aren’t the people who hired David Richardson still there? They knew what they were doing.” Dad judged the quality of the entire institution on the basis of the fact that David was a part of it. My prayer is that in remembering David we will continue his legacy of intelligence, wisdom, and virtue both in the economics department and in the university as a whole.

Jeffrey Young
A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Economics

From Robert Stroup, University of Kentucky Professor of Economics, Retired ---

My name is Robert Stroup and I am a University of Kentucky Retired Economics Professor.  You don't know me but I knew David Richardson, Ann, Sara, Lori and Jenny very well although I have no connection with St. Lawrence University.   There was a time when we were very close, both as colleagues and friends here at UK and, especially, in Malaysia. 

I was Chair of the UK Department of Economics from 1971-1975 and I was the one that lured David away from the University of Kansas.  I always regarded it as the best job of recruiting I ever did.  Dr. Richard L. Anderson, Chair of our Statistics Department and later President of the American Statistical Association, asked me more than once how I was able to do it. 

David was absolutely honest.  He could always be counted on to call a spade a spade, no matter the subject.  He knew how to make the tough judgements.  If he thought you were wrong he would say so but it was never personal.  That was just the way it was.   
He told me he was going to leave UK before he started to look elsewhere.  He was just totally up front about everything.  I didn't try to change his mind because I knew it was useless.  He wasn't asking me a question.  He was simply telling me what he was going to do and why. 

I was sorry when he was offered the position at St. Lawrence but glad at the same time.  Sorry that such a good friend was leaving but glad that he was going to such a fine school.  It was exactly the place he was looking for. 

I must tell you that Mary Lee, my wife, and I are flattered beyond words that he came to Lexington partly to see us when he was so sick and just a week before he died.  It's just so hard to accept the fact that he is gone.  I can truly understand why someone would say, "When I grow up I want to be David Richardson."

From Richard Thalheimer, Univeristy of Louisville ---

It was my great pleasure to know David and Ann Richardson and their three young daughters, Sara, Lori and Jenny when David was at the University of Kentucky. At the time, I was a graduate student working on my dissertation while also working full-time in State Government. I met David when he first came to the University and we instantly hit it off. While working for the state, the Department in which I worked applied for and got an NSF grant to study automated appraisal systems. I immediately thought of David to spearhead this project and he agreed. It was during those several years of the project that we got to know each other well and had many fun and interesting conversations over a beer or two. Ever the academician, under David’s guidance, we published three articles as a result of the project. Ann was always a gracious host and many were the times that I was invited to stay to dinner - always an enjoyable experience. The kids were small at the time and it was! obvious how much love there was in the family and how family oriented David and Ann were. After he left, I saw David once over the years at an economics conference in Kentucky. I talked to him several times about coming to other conferences and visiting us in Kentucky but we were never able to quite arrange it although he always said he would love to come back for a visit.

When David called this year and asked if I could get tickets to the Kentucky Derby (10 days before) I told him that I would try but it was not likely that I would be successful. Miraculously, and with a little help from my friends, we were able to get the tickets. When he came to Kentucky, my wife Sally and I had time to visit with David and Lori and we were truly blessed to have had this time with him. Meeting Lori as an adult spoke volumes of what a great job David and Ann had done with their children. Typical of David, on sheer guts and determination, he got to see the Kentucky Derby, one of the things he told me he wanted to do before his time was up. He did it!

David Richardson was an honest, bright man, soft-spoken but never afraid to express his opinions, with a great sense of humor, and a good friend. I will miss him greatly.

From Michael Sheard, Rutherford Professor of Mathematics ---

In his characteristic understated way, David Richardson had an immense impact on the course of my career as a faculty member at St. Lawrence. Early in my time here, as we worked together on a particular issue, David casually suggested that I take on a visible leadership role that would normally fall to him as the senior colleague. It became my first real public introduction to the faculty, and was an opportunity for which I have been enormously grateful ever since. Later, I had the pleasure of serving on Faculty Council while David was its chair. He handled the job artfully, with professionalism, grace, intelligence, and humor. The term role model is used too much nowadays, but David was a role model in the truest sense, to me and to so many of our colleagues.

My wife Sue and I were honored to count David and Ann among our friends. We were always touched by their sincere interest in our children and their well-being. They joined us in celebration of some good times and helped us through some rough ones. We have missed Ann these many months; now we will miss both David and Ann very deeply. The consolation, which perhaps all of us can share, is in realizing what a gift it was to have known them.

From Andy Wojcicki '98 ---

Wow. Having graduated in '98 I remember Dr. Richardson as quite young. I sure didn't expect to be reading this today.

I'd like to add comment on how quiet Dr. Richardson was. Maybe others will remember a different Dr. Richardson, but I can hardly imagine it.

Dr. Richardson was one of the quietest professors I've ever had. And I share this as a huge compliment. I think it's reflective of what an amazing listener Dr. Richardson was. There was always a pause after you asked him, or shared with him, anything. He'd give you time to develop your thought fully and he'd take time to reflect on it.

I also remember how Dr. Richardson was always in his office and always had his door open. I remember this because with his door open, you had to whisper to the secretary to ask if Dr. Horwitz had already been by to collect the papers which had been due by four. But I'm sure Dr. Richardson would have been the first to suggest you put your paper two thirds of the way toward the bottom of the stack. He was an extremely kind man with a sense of humor.

There was always a calm that exuded from Dr. Richardson's office as well. Dr. Richardson gave us the time to find the best in ourselves and each other. I will always remain a student of Dr. Richardson. And I will always be grateful for his example.

Thanks Dr. Richardson!

From Tom Greene, Gaines Professor of Psychology ---

We spent many hours together in cold hockey rinks watching our sons. David warmed those places with genuine friendliness and class.

We spent many hours together in the heat of tough committee meetings. David cooled those places with diligence, insight and class.

David was precise, elegant, honest, and gentle. I will miss him.

From Jim Shuman, Associate Professor of Education ---

David and Ann Richardson were some of the first St. Lawrence people I met when I arrived in Canton in July, 1989. I met them at Howard and Beverly Smith’s home on Farmer Street when they stopped by to pick up their son, John, a friend of the Smith’s daughter, Alison. When my own children met John, it didn’t take long for them to get to know the entire Richardson family, as they soon began to spend time in their home, too. Our lasting connection between families continued since then, punctuated by such shared moments as coaching little league baseball teams with David, dividing responsibilities for hosting kid parties and sleepovers, cheering at innumerable soccer games in Canton’s lovely (?) fall weather, and helping out with school events, ski trips, proms, and all manner of adolescent camaraderie. Throughout the years, my kids were always welcomed at the Richardsons, far beyond any usual bounds of hospitality to the point that they were more like members of t!
he family – and they loved it there. This is yet another testament to what people are saying about David, Ann, their family, and their home. It was a place where people wanted to be – a genuinely warm gathering place.

When I met Laurie in 1993 I learned quickly that her kids knew the Richardson family, too. Thus both of us have been connected to the Richardsons over the past two decades, and both of us share now in the loss that Sara, Lori, Jenny, and John must be feeling.

David’s friendship with me obviously extended to St. Lawrence as well, and I always valued his combination of insightfulness, down-to-earth common sense, and good humor about higher education. It is noteworthy that whenever he spoke up in faculty meetings, people found themselves agreeing with his comments. He commanded a level of respect among colleagues rare even at St. Lawrence, something from which we can all learn, and something we can all hope to emulate. We are better people because David chose St. Lawrence, spoke for it, and helped us see our own institution, our profession, and our calling more clearly.

Thank you, David, and Ann, for your time with us. Thank you for your warmth, your friendship, and your way of showing us a good way to live. We will miss you, and you will be remembered in our hearts and minds.

Jim Shuman, Laurie, John, Dan, Betsy, Corey, and Ryan

From Andrea Nouryeh, Associate Professor of Speech and Theatre ---

I didn't know David very well when he came to London to visit the program and stayed with me. In our various walks through the city together and over shared meals and theater, I learned what a warm and caring person he was. His concern for the educational needs of the students and his genuine interest in the work of his colleagues was palpable; his engagement with finding ways to enhance the learning experience was evident in every conversation we had. To me he epitomized the best of St. Lawrence and is sorely missed.

From Mickey East, Colgate '63 ---

David was a classmate, fraternity brother, and roommate at Colgate, as well as a faculty colleague at Kentucky, and a life long friend. And it will be no surprise to hear me say that all of David’s traits and virtues mentioned here were already there back in 1959. The vitality, caring, intellect, integrity, warmth, and bonhommie were all there when we first met

A few vignettes: David was leader of a very good Colgate golf team; he was elected Treasurer of our fraternity precisely because we knew with his integrity and numbers skills he would “fix” the financial abuses that had developed especially around our social programs; he always finished his math and econ homework and THEN went out for a drink or two; David and Ann first met in a North Country bar while he was celebrating my marriage (suffice it to say, he was not on his best behavior!); as chair of the Economics Department at Kentucky, he had the temerity to challenge wide-spread cheating by athletes in the classroom; he and Ann moved to a horse farm near Paris in Bourbon County KY (which was then a dry county!) so they and their children could experience a more intense and wholesome family life.

Talking with and being around David and Ann highlighted the fact that they always seemed to have their priorities straight – and it always reminded me – and countless others also! – just how very important that is. Thank you, David, for making my life ever so much richer and more fun!

Mickey East, Colgate ‘63

From Howard Bodenhorn, Lafayette College ---

I know it must be sad days in the economics department at SLU. David was a true scholar-gentleman. He was smart and kind and generous. He will be missed by a great many people. I was happy to have had the opportunity to spend the afternoon talking with him at Horwitz bar mitzvah in November. Even then he was in good spirits and genuinely interested in my life and work. What I most appreciate is that he recognized something in me in 1990 that I wasn't fully aware of in myself, and he provided me with an opportunity to develop into a teacher and scholar at the expense of Saint Lawrence's students. He turned me loose on a bunch of kids when I barely knew what I was doing and he repeatedly demonstrated great confidence in my abilities. He also taught me, through example, how to be a better senior colleague. I try, but rarely succeed, to be as patient and generous a mentor as he. I am happy that I was afforded the opportunity to know him and sad that I will not be able !
to repay him.

From Margaret Kent Bass, Associate Professor of English ---

I respected him first, and then I loved him. David and John made one of the most extraordinary gestures of caring and kindness that I've ever received. No words or warning...One long hug. Hail and farewell, my dear David.

Mark Forsyth '02 ---

I knew Dr. Richardson fairly well. I’ll never forget when at the start of the 2nd semester of my first year he flatly asked me if I could make it to an 8:30am class three days a week. Being naïve of Dr. Richardson’s personality at the time, I was impressed with his candor. However, I was more impressed, and awed, when he remembered my name on the first day of class.

Three year’s later when I was presenting my economics thesis to the department faculty, Dr. Richardson again “zinged” me when he said “that sounds like an interesting history paper.” Knowing Dr. Richardson better at this point, I smiled an waited for the helpful advise that was about to come. Dr. Richardson gave me some caring guidance and made sure I knew that he would be there to help. Help he did. Towards due date, I wandered in to Dr. Richardson’s office on a Friday afternoon and found him deep in his own research. He seemed happy to be interrupted even though he was immensely busy. Dr. Richardson took the next forty-five minutes to answer my questions.

Dr. Richardson was a great influence on me while I was at St. Lawrence. He was a key reason why I decided to major in economics. Dr. Richardson was always honest, thoughtful and helpful. I will miss him.

From Pat Alden, Professor of English and Associate Dean for International and Intercultural Studies ---

I've read through these posted reflections with some real pleasure in remembering the "sides" of David that people are recalling. No surprise that a person of such integrity should evoke so many of the same responses in all of us -- the quiet David, listening; the most excellent, fair-minded colleague; the deep advocate for what SLU should be. I will always remember four things associated with David and Ann. First was Ann's helpful support about a pregnancy issue. Second was attending probably my only high school baseball game and seeing a very handsome man (whom I didn't recognize as sober David Richardson!) being a terrific coach for the kids. Third was working with David as a prospective director for the London program and the terrible day he came to tell me he would have to withdraw because of his cancer.
Fourth is serving on PSC and learning from David what it meant to REALLY read a file exhaustively and be in command of all the details. So many times he directed our discussion to important matters that were being overlooked.
Role model: yes indeed.

Eric Bunyan '04 ---

I am proud to say I was a student of Dr. Richardson my sophomore year in Micro-Economics and again my senior year in Econometrics, Senior Seminar, and Independent Research Project. From my sophomore to senior year I grew to appreciate what an unbelievable person Dr. Richardson was. As a sophmore Dr. Richardson's intelligence intimidated me. As a senior it fascinated me. I can assure anyone I was never Dr. Richardson's smartest student, yet I felt he treated me as if I was. He always made me feel I was asking the right, smart questions even when my questions to him were simple and common sense.

Before I graduated I gave him a picture I took of our Senior Seminar while we were all invited to his house for dinner and a beer. I included a card thanking him for all he had done for me. I felt a gesture to show appreciation was the only meaningful gift I could ever give such a noble man.

To me Dr. Richardson was well beyond the essence of what a Liberal Arts professor is expected to be.

I would like to write one last time to thank you for everything.

From Grant Cornwell, Vice President of the University and Dean of Academic Affairs ---

I have always seen David as the paradigm of fair-mindedness and integrity. The reason he found himself in every significant position of leadership in faculty governance is that these qualities were widely known and universally respected.

David was on Faculty Council – of course – when we were selecting the dean who would follow Tom Coburn. With characteristic ambition and earnestness, David set out to talk with every faculty member at St. Lawrence: EVERY ONE! His purpose? Just to listen. Going into this process, David didn’t feel like he had his finger on the pulse of how the faculty was feeling, so he simply set about fixing that. Of course, only David could do this. David had the trust of the faculty, to a person.

I always looked to David as a model of good judgment and even-handed analysis. And I continue to.

From Tom Coakley, Vice President for Administrative Operations ---

Thank you everyone for making David's memorial service such a fitting tribute. That service and the many many wonderful comments herein, prompt me to publicly thank David for all that he has meant to my family and me. Twenty-three years ago, finding myself totally frustrated with a private sector career, David appeared in my livingroom and asked if I might want take a year as a visiting lecturer in the economics department. I did and with David's help and guidance through the rough spots, I came to enjoy teaching and the University environment very much. David's intersession at a tough time has led to a very satisfactory career at St. Lawrence. I am most grateful that David cared as much as he did, about all of us in his circle of friendships. I'm not sure we could find a better model of living one's life in all the right ways.

From Tom Coburn, President, Naropa University ---

I am filled with both sadness and appreciation as I review the 24 years that David and I served together on St. Lawrence's faculty. I am also struck by how consistently he emerged at the center of so many critical events and transitions in the University's history. What is particularly striking is that David did not aspire to put himself there, but that we turned to him to help address our needs of the moment. And this awareness, in turn, invites me to make two associations.

The first comes from David's own field of economics and business. In his landmark study of the qualities that transform a company from Good to Great, Jim Collins comments on the leadership required: "We [the research team] were surprised, shocked really, to discover the type of leadership required for turning a good company into a great one. Compared to high-profile leaders with big personalities who make headlines and become celebrities, the good-to-great leaders seem to have come from Mars. Self-effacing, quiet, reserved, even shy-these leaders are a paradoxical blend of humility and professional will. They are more like Lincoln and Socrates than Patton or Caesar."

The second comes from my own field of comparative religion, in particular from the two thousand year-old Chinese classic, the Tao Te Ching:

· "From the Sage it is so hard to get a single word at any price that when his task is accomplished, throughout the country everyone says "It happened of its own accord."

· "Heaven is eternal and Earth everlasting. They can be eternal and everlasting because they do not exist for themselves, and for this reason can exist forever. Therefore the Sage places himself in the background but finds himself in the foreground. He puts himself away, and yet he always remains."

· "Just because he never at any time makes a show of greatness, the Sage in fact achieves greatness."

This testimony that so wonderfully describes David, taken from two such different cultural settings, at such different points in human history, suggests that he was truly "a man for all seasons." No wonder he enlarged each of us who knew him. And how fortunate the St. Lawrence community has been to have him in our midst.

From Brian Chezum, Associate Professor of Economics - remarks from David's memorial service ---

I speak today as a colleague of David’s in the department of economics and at St. Lawrence.  

My knowledge of David dates to some years before I came to St. Lawrence, it is one of those strange things that reminds us how small the world is. One evening I received a phone call inviting me to a campus interview for a position here at St. Lawrence. The caller was of course David Richardson. His name rang a bell and after some thought I remembered where I knew the name from.  

As an undergraduate economics student I wrote an honor’s thesis under the tutelage of a gentleman named Mickey Wu. It turns out that Mickey wrote his dissertation under the guidance of none other than David Richardson while he was at the University of Kentucky . This I guess makes me something of an academic grand son.  

Anyway, I called Mickey and he simply told me how lucky I was about to become.   I had no idea!!  

I arrive at St. Lawrence like so many others and I meet David, over dinner as I recall. Two things stuck in my mind that night: What an insightful economist, I think I would like to work with this guy. But more importantly, you felt almost immediately how genuine the individual you had just met was.  

The next day was the interview, in the middle of the day you take a walk with David somewhere across campus with David enthusiastically promoting St. Lawrence. By this time you had already concluded that David spoke only from a position of honesty. It was soon after this that you are certain, if he called with an offer, you were going to accept.   After little more than a few months here, I realized that Mickey was right, I had become one of the luckiest people I know, I had the opportunity to work with David Richardson.

The entire department is able to tell some similar story.  

So what is it made David so unique, this is what is hard to put into words. One helpful insight comes from a look at his vita (a resume for academics).  

The Vita is utterly impressive the publications – several in the Journal of the American Statistical Association, several in Econometrica, he was even an associate editor for Econometrica. I must admit that I wait for the Cliff’s notes for most articles in these journals.  

There were his academic positions beginning with an appointment at the University of Kansas in 1966, the year I was born. His academic career spanned my lifetime.  

But his academic accomplishments are not what you see first. The first page (and there are multiple pages) has the standard data, name, home address, office address but then something different, personal data   Born -- July 3, 1941 Carthage , New York Married– Ann Lormore August 22, 1964 Children – Sara, Lori, Jennifer, John   This is not information often found on a vita. A colleague asked David about this once, why would family data be on his vita? David’s response was simple enough, he said, “My family is my greatest accomplishment.”  

This is the David we know, always with his priorities and heart in the right place. So today, I stand before you to celebrate David and to say Thank You  

When we came to town looking for an apartment and you and Ann let us stay in your home, or when our families came to town and you opened your doors, Thank You.  

For bringing us to Canton and St. Lawrence-  

For answering our questions –about econometrics, or teaching a difficult subject or how to react to some sticky political situation and for just listening Thank You.  

For reminding us of the value our service has to the university and that we must serve when called upon,  

For always being fair, open minded, and completely honest, Thank You  

For caring about our pains, our injuries our families,  

For visiting us in the hospital, thank you.  

For learning a topic unfamiliar in order to assist us in our own research,  

For giving us a chance, recognizing skills we did not know we had, and for believing in us, Thank You  

For inspiring students to do their very best and inspiring us to give our very best to students,  

For being the person we want to be when we grow up, Thank You  

For having the best head joined with the best heart,  

For being our friend, our colleague, our mentor, Thank You  

For introducing us to Ann and for you and Ann together being two of the best people we will ever meet,  

For being gracious and courageous through it all, for showing how a life is well lived, Thank You.

From Ansil Ramsay, Professor of Government Emeritus ---

I taught at St. Lawrence for 35 years and during that time there was no faculty member for whom I had greater respect than David Richardson. In addition to being an outstanding scholar and a fine teacher, he was for me the model of what it means to be a good colleague. As others have mentioned, he was always open to questions So many of us went to him with questions because we had such respect for his opinions on everything from using statistics in scholarly articles to retirement matters. He served with distinction as the chair of the Economics Department and on major committees. He did so repeatedly when he could have begged off because of requirements of his scholarship or teaching obligations. While having his own well thought out positions, he was always fair minded in dealing with those who took different positions. He did somethng no other faculty member has ever done. When David wanted to know faculty opinions on choosing the dean who would succeed Tom Cob! urn he talked to every single faculty member. It was a huge commitment of time, but it was also one of the best indicators of David's willingness to listen to others. It is also why so many were willing to listen to David. It was not just his intellectual ability, or the clarity of his statements, but the knowledge that David would also listen to you. It did not mean that he would always agree, but in the process of dialogue David raised the level of discussion.

He was a role model for many, and he will live on at St. Lawrence through the colleagues he inspired.

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