DAVID RICHARDS

RICHARDS--David Kimball,

age 75 died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at home in Santa Monica, California, with his family Carol, Adam, and Peter at his side. He was an investment manager with a global and historical perspective, ethical in business and in the conduct of his life. As an investor, his special gift was drawing connections between seemingly disparate events and displaying a brave and contrarian bent, setting him apart and keeping him a step ahead of others. He devoted much of his life to making sense of the most complex of matters as a way to make the world a better place. He possessed great intellectual curiosity and pragmatic wisdom which informed all his pursuits. He was a wonderful observer of economic history and a generous supporter of the work of the Joint Centers for History and Economics at Harvard and Cambridge Universities. He supported pioneering research at the RAND Corporation to articulate a vision for a successful Palestinian State, once peace is achieved. He supported a second ambitious RAND study on the costs to Israel and Palestine of continued conflict, to be released this spring. He was a member of the RAND Board of Trustees, and served on the Board of Advisors of RAND Health and RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy. He was born in Portland, Maine, the son of Robert Ladd Richards M.D. and Janice Kimball Richards and grew up in Vermont. He received a Bachelor's degree in English literature from Harvard College in 1961, a Master's in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Wadham College, Oxford in 1963, and a Master's in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School in 1965. He kept strong ties to Harvard and Wadham, as a valuable advisor and supporter, serving on the Chancellor's Court of Benefactors at Oxford and as a Foundation Fellow at Wadham, and at Harvard on Dean's Councils and the Committee on University Resources. David won three varsity letters rowing for the lightweight varsity crew at Harvard for three undefeated years in 1959, 1960 and 1961, and was elected captain in his senior year. His boat dominated its American competitors and won the E.A.R.C. Championships three years in a row. Internationally, in 1959 and 1960, the lightweights won the Thames Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta, the premier rowing event in the world, setting three course records in 1960. He went on to row for the Oxford University Crew and Isis Boat Club, then coached the Harvard Lightweight Crews for two years while attending Harvard Business School. His passion for rowing continued throughout his life. David had a deep respect for the people and communities of the Maine Coast. As a citizen of the world, he enjoyed global travel. However, he nourished his spirit in Maine, walking, hiking and lobster-roll lunching with friends. For 35 years, fishermen, seals and others witnessed David on the ocean in the calm early morning hours, joyfully rowing his single shell among the islands off Stonington. He is survived by his wife, Carol, his two sons Adam and Peter, two grandchildren Theo and Ian, their mother Jane, and his brother, Robert.