I was born in Chicago and during the war years lived in Portland, OR, San Francisco and Santa Cruz. After the war, the Rick family (including a sister four years younger) continued to live in the Santa Cruz area until the spring of 1948. My dad had been hired as a State Park Ranger and was transferred to Donner Lake for a year, then to Lake Tahoe for six years. Living in state parks was wonderful for me as a teenager with little responsibility but not so easy for my parents. High school was 30 miles away by school bus which only came within 10 miles of our house. In 1952, at Lake Tahoe, they had to deal with being snowed in for three months. (Imagine no sunshine through the windows, nowhere to go outside and two restless kids.)

After graduation, I spent a couple of years working for Placer County maintaining roads, etc. and in the winter plowing endless snow (measured in feet, not inches).  After two years, I’d had enough and moved back to Santa Cruz where, after a year working in a sawmill and hauling redwood logs out of the woods, I was hired by Pacific Telephone as an installer/repairman, replacing crank phones and climbing poles the old-fashioned way, with spikes attached to my feet.

I enjoyed life away from the snow for a couple of years until I caught the attention of Uncle Sam. I had been in the naval reserve until they found what they thought was a heart murmur and decided they didn’t want me, but the Army didn’t care. In the fall of 1959, I was drafted for a two-year hitch and was shipped off to Augusta, GA where I had my first experience with serious racism- separate drinking fountains, restrooms, dining, etc. I also had some good experiences off-post. I heard the visiting Philadelphia Orchestra with Eugene Ormandy and saw, close up, some professional tennis with Pancho Gonzales.

After six months of training in the Signal Corps, I was transferred to Ft. Sill in Lawton, OK. My remaining Army career was spent playing soldier and hitch-hiking to Denver to visit the sister of a California friend. Hitch-hiking was considered a normal mode of travel in those days. These visits, along with lots of letters, turned into a 16-year marriage (hard times.)

When I was released from the Army, I took a job with an aerospace battery company and with help from the GI Bill, was accepted by UCLA. For me, that was the University of Colorado between Lawrence and Arapahoe. This led to a job with Martin-Marietta, helping to activate Titan I and Titan II missile sites on the Lowry bombing range and various other sites around the country. When I was laid off (in Idaho), I came back to Denver and was happy to be accepted in my previous mob with the battery company.

In the mid-70’s, after my divorce, another employee at my company (Dave Force), a member of Montview Church, invited me to a Young Adults party. It was there that I met Joan Pedersen. After getting acquainted, one thing led to another and eventually to marriage which, so far, has lasted 47 years.

My mother was a piano and voice teacher, so, starting at about age eight, I began learning piano and have continued playing off and on over the years. Along with playing the piano, in 1972, I got acquainted with the inner workings and hidden mechanisms of a grand piano that I rescued from an abusive family. Replacing strings, tuning and refinishing the case was an educational experience in which I learned lots of things not to do.

Another hobby I’ve enjoyed over the years is painting with watercolors and pastels. I have shown some of my efforts with gratifying results.

After 18 years in the ‘burbs, Joan and I have been living at Montview Manor for the last 22 years. We continue to be active in the Manor’s social events and since the pandemic we have participated in Sunday services through Montview’s streaming service. We have two sons within easy driving distance and still travel occasionally. We are looking forward to a Mississippi River cruise ending in New Orleans for a visit with Joan’s brother.

I credit my longevity to patiently taking life as it comes and to a big dose of good luck in health and family.

– Submitted by Dael Rich