Richard Cassels Thomson

1934 - 2017

Richard Cassels Thomson, 82, died calmly at home February 13, 2017, after a lengthy fight against the effects of multiple sclerosis. He spent much of his adult life as a civil rights worker, attorney for various California agencies, student of government, avid theater-goer, reader and collector of books. He spent his later years, retired and living at home on the River with his beloved wife Nina, embraced by her love and care, by wonderful friends, and the love of his and Nina's children and grandchildren. Richard was, in the words of longtime friends, a man with a brilliant and inquisitive mind, a lifelong student and scholar of the classics and theatre, mentor to many, patron of the Ashland Shakespeare Festival, international traveler; a gentle giant. He had an amazing knowledge of American, British, and European politics and history. Richard was born October 23, 1934, in Pittsburgh, PA, to Edward Wood Thomson and Cecile Gillespie Cassels Thomson. He spent his childhood on the east coast until his father was killed in action in 1945 while in command of support for those who flew the hump. His airplane, a C47 (DC3), was on fire and crashed, probably as a result of an encounter with a Japanese fighter. Richard was 10. The family then relocated to Santa Barbara, CA. Richard attended Midland High School in Los Olivos and graduated from Pomona College in 1956. He served a two-year enlistment in the U.S. Army and then attended Harvard Law School, graduating with a law degree in 1961. After law school Richard returned to Southern California and became active in the civil rights movement there and in the South. He met Mari Goldman, who became his partner until her death in 1995. Mari was an Administrative Law Judge and had received numerous awards for her work aiding the underprivileged. Richard became a legislative employee in 1967 as an Administrative Assistant to State Senator Alfred Song. His duties included bill management and writing: a weekly newspaper column, press releases, newsletters and speeches. Richard passed the California Bar exam in 1975, and in March, 1976, became Staff Counsel to California's Lt. Governor Mervyn Dymally. In November, 1976, he was named Chief Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, serving under successive chairs Senators Song, Jerome Smith, Bob Wilson, Omer Rains, and Barry Keene. In this capacity he supervised four other attorneys responsible for analyzing more than 450 bills annually, providing informal legal opinions as requested by legislators, and drafting amendments and bills. In November, 1984, he joined the Attorney General's Office as Deputy Attorney General and then Supervising Deputy Attorney in environmental law, prison law, and ERA. In these capacities he handled a variety of cases before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and other state and federal trial and appellate courts. In 1993, Richard became a Deputy Legislative Counsel, where his duties included drafting legal opinions and pleadings for members of the Legislature. There he met and worked with Nina Ryan, who became his wife in 1998. Following his retirement in 1998, Richard participated in an ABA program created to assist countries recently freed from Soviet domination in drafting their own legal codes attuned to western democratic principles rather than the Soviet system. This program gave him the opportunity to travel to participating countries including Kazakhstan, Kurdistan, and Georgia. He loved the combination of this purposeful work and the travel it offered. Richard is survived by his wife Nina, their children and grandchildren whom he cherished, his brother and sister-in-law and his last, faithful cat. At Richard's request, there will be no service. Also at his request, his body has been donated to UCD Body Donation Program (dbpinfo@ucdavis.edu). By way of a memorial, when you think of Richard, pick up a book or a newspaper, a Nook or a Kindle and read, as he did. A folded copy of the latest edition of The Guardian was always in a coat pocket or at least within easy reach. One is still in the passenger side door of his car. If you wish to make a memorial contribution in his honor, it would please him for us to continue his lifelong support of excellence in journalism by subscribing to The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/us) and/or by contributing to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (https://www.icij.org) and so to support international cooperation among investigative journalists around the world. Condolences, memories, or reflections of Richard, may be emailed to 4RichardandNina@gmail.com.