Dick and I were just under 12 months apart in age. We grew up in a small house in small town called Bellmore, on Long Island, New York. We had a couple of years to ourselves, then two more brothers, Victor and David came along. Several years after that, another brother and sister, Fred and Annette joined the family. Needless to say, space was at a premium. Dick and I grew up sharing the same bedroom. We fought hard and we played hard. Our personalities and interests were very different: - He was born on the East Coast...I was born on the West Coast - He liked to stay up late at night...I liked to sleep. - He preferred sloppy... I liked to keep my space clean. - As we grew older, he made friends easily ...it was harder for me - His first car was a Corvette...mine was a Volkswagon - He joined the Air Force...I joined the Navy Our careers took very different paths. Years passed quickly while we raised our families. As our kids got older and more independent, Dick and I began to reconnect. As many of you know, to talk to Dick by phone while he was working at the boatyard, you had to be willing to share your call with several other people at the same time... on hold, back again, on hold, back again...he had a great skill to multitask, but phone calls were often short, and sometimes challenging and downright painful. But the common thread that brought us back together was a mutual love of aviation and a passion for flying. As we found ourselves with a little extra time from work and family, we both pursued our interest in flying by building our experience, ratings and skills in many different aircraft. The best times I had with Dick were when I had him all to myself in the cockpit of an airplane. There I could pick his brain and learn so much from his incredible knowledge of the mechanical side of these flying machines. I would occasionally pilot him in my flying machines, and he would do the same for me. These were incredibly fun times. We shared many hours on the phone as he got closer to retirement and we made plans to continue our adventures in flying. But those plans were cut short. Dick’s tragic death is a great loss to all of us. He was a wonderful man. He was a great flying companion. We became each other’s source of inspiration and motivation to keep flying and dream of new ventures. Dick would not want us to morn his death. He would want us to celebrate his life. He has a new co-pilot now. He’ll sit in the left seat and fly as long as he wants with fair winds and blue skies. He’s gone West “not alone into the sunset but into the company of friends who have gone before him.” I will miss him deeply. A part of him will live inside me forever.