Dick grew up in Brainerd, Minnesota. As a child he loved pets, hockey, and food. His military background began at Shattuck High School, which led to his career at West Point. Descriptive of the man is his informal picture in the 1943 Howitzer, which shows Dick giggling with glee — a grapefruit in one hand and the picture of a lovely lady in the other.

Graduated 19 January 1943, the next day Dick married the lady in the picture: Dorothy Browne of Otisville, New York. Through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, they lived an ordinary married life for the next 37 years. In October 1943, Dick left for England as a fighter pilot. Dotty stayed behind, pregnant with the first of their five children. Dick was shot down in May 1944. Captured by the Germans, he was imprisoned in Stalag Luft 1. Moved later to Bavaria, he escaped, was recaptured, and escaped again.

When he returned, Dick continued his Air Force career. He received his master’s degree in Social Psychology from Harvard. Then he served our country in overseas assignments: Germany, Belgium, Iceland, and also in Puerto Rico; and served also in many stateside duties: Georgia, Long Island, Virginia, Michigan, and California. His career was spent in various divisions of the Air Force: Air Training Command, North American Air Defense, and Aerospace Safety. On 1 April 1972, Dick retired as a colonel after 30 years of ordinary service.

Upon retirement, he settled in Solomons, Maryland, where he had purchased waterfront woodland, and built a house in 1955. For four years he worked for Bechtel Power Corporation as assistant field documents engineer. Meanwhile, he and Dotty added to their house, and ended up with the house of their dreams through all the many years of travel.

In 1976, Dick quit Bechtel and entered into complete retirement doing what he loved best: “putzing.” He was a man of diverse interests and accomplished talents. Golfing, woodworking, photography, gardening, jogging, and reading more than filled his days.

He would rise early to jog, spend the morning figuring out with his calculator how many calories he was allowed by his latest diet, and reading various magazines. The afternoons passed quickly in organic gardening and projects around his property. Then in the evening he would summer outside on the deck balcony overlooking his land, or winter inside by his wood-burning stove. He loved it most when his children, grandchildren, and close friends were visiting so he could discourse on his favorite topics: politics, dieting, and jogging.

Dick started jogging back in the mid-60s. Over the years he developed into a dedicated enthusiast and expert on the merits of jogging. His day usually began with a long jog accompanied part of the way by Dotty and their dogs. On 5 November 1978, at 57 years of age, Dick ran his first marathon. In the next year and a half he ran two others.

10 August 1980 was an ordinary day for Dick. He jogged 10 miles that morning, spent the afternoon putzing around the property, had friends over for drinks, and was on his way to dinner with them, Dotty, and his younger son, when he had the fatal heart attack that ended 59 years of inimitably unique but admirably ordinary life.