March 5, 1944 – June 13, 2011
Rick died in a car accident on June 13. Born in Shelby, Iowa, on March 5, 1944, Rick graduated from the University of Iowa in 1967. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary in 1970. Rick was instrumental in the formation of the Berkeley Runaway Center (Berkeley Youth Alternatives) as well as the Gay Games and the Berkeley gay rights ordinance. A web developer, he was on the staff of Electronic University Online, and Oregon State University in Corvallis. After retiring, he managed his vacation rental, The Meadow House. Rick will be remembered for his generous spirit, gentle intelligence, love of music and nature, and his infectious laughter.
"If I hadn't moved to San Francisco, I'd have missed one of the most important events in my life – being there in 1978 with my beloved life partner, Tandy Belew, when the first gay band stepped off onto Market Street, greeted by a tearful, screaming crowd of celebrants whose souls and creativity were inspired as the gay movement became gay culture," Rick once said.
A memorial will take place August 6 at his home in Oregon. Donations in Rick's memory can be made to Under One Roof, http://www.underoneroof.org, or to Visual Aid, http://visualaid.org.