I had the good fortune to meet Dick at a Scott Paper dinner to which I was invited as a representative of the School of Management of Widener University. We had a brief conversation but long enough to discover that his ideas on graduate business education were supportive of our mission and philosophy at the University.

Shortly thereafter he was offered a position as Adjunct Professor of Management, probably one of the best decisions I ever made as Dean of the School of Management. He was an immediate hit with our students as he brought his real world experience to bear on management issues. I met with Dick frequently after that and we discussed the possibility of a full time appointment after his retirement. In 1986, he was offered the position of Director of our MBA program. I'd like to say it was another great decision by me but it was really a no-brainer. When new applicants were interviewed by Dick I believe they concluded that Widener would be a smart choice. Our enrollment growth in both numbers and quality attest to that fact. His presentations and recommendations to our Admissions Committee for clean or probationary acceptance were, to my knowledge, always accepted. I truly believe that he had a great to do with the success of our MBA program during his tenure.

Most of us who were Dick's colleagues are now retired but we gather for lunch twice a year. Dick has attended all of our meetings and our bonds of friendship have grown stronger over the past decades. Dick will be greatly missed but always remembered. Our heartfelt condolences to his family.

John Meli