I met Dick when I became an associate at the Leva, Hawes law firm. Dick was my teacher, my mentor, and then my partner. A few years after the law firm dissolved he brought me into EDS, where he was building a professional team of lawyers and contract professionals. Again, he was my teacher and mentor, and he prepared me to take on his position (general counsel for government work) when he became General Counsel for the company. After his retirement (and then mine) we stayed in touch, visited (too infrequently), and even created crossword puzzles together. (He was generous enough to give me co-developer credit on the puzzle published in the Washington Post, but he was the guru.) He was still my teacher and mentor, but he became my friend.
Dick was always the smartest person in the room. (I remember him interrupting a consultant midstream to praise him for successfully avoiding a split infinitive.) That intimidated many. But he had a softer side, and he was passionate about helping his people grow. After Dick’s passing Vicki (Throp) Venezia, a former EDS paralegal, wrote to me: “He had a huge impact on me … I’ve always been so thankful for him calling me in and forcefully announcing that he was tired of me acting like what I had to say was any less important than anyone else’s opinion. Changed my life.”
I will always remember Dick’s advice when I was frustrated with events I could not control. “If you cultivate your own gardens well, those gardens will grow.” I always tried to, and they did. And there is the famous “Yellow Rope,” created award in Dick’s honor. (If you don’t know what that is, you’ll have to ask someone who does.)
It took me a while to feel ready to write this. Dick will be missed.
Fred Geldon
