Richard C. "Dick" Squires

Richard C. “Dick” Squires, 72, died at his home in Rowayton, CT on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 following a long battle with emphysema.

Born September 27, 1931 in New York City to the late Dr. Willard and Faye Squires, he spent much of his youth in Bronxville, NY

Dick graduated from The Hill School in 1949 and Williams College, 1953, where he was captain of both the tennis and squash teams. In 1955 he married Ruth Black in Gates Mills, OH. They produced a son and two daughters. The union ended in 1973. In 1986 he married Dr. Joan Finn, a professor at Southern Connecticut State University.

Early in his business career Mr. Squires had sales positions with the Aluminum Company of America and Arcata Printing before founding Sports Marketing Associations in 1970. In 1978 he helped design the Downtown Racquet & Fitness Club in New Haven, CT, and was its director until 1982 when he joined TENNIS MAGAZINE, as national ad manager. When he retired in 1995 he was publisher of TENNIS BUYERS GUIDE and TENNIS USTA, which, at the time, were owned by the New York Times.

He is survived by his wife, Dr. Joan Finn Squires of Rowayton, CT; a son, Gary Willard Squires of Pound Ridge, NY; two daughters, Cathleen Ruth Squires of Rowayton, CT and Pamela Susan Reiss of Fairfield, CT; eight grandchildren; and a sister, Susie Leighton of Duxbury, MA.

Dick Squires was a well-known figure in racquet games, both as a competitor and chronicler. He won national titles in three different racquet sports: tennis, squash and platform tennis. In 1968 he captained the U.S. Olympic Fronton team at the Games in Mexico City. He authored three books on racquet games, and his HOW TO PLAY PLATFORM TENNIS, published in 1968, had six printings. It is still considered to be the definitive instructional book on the sport. When writing THE OTHER RACQUET SPORTS (1978), he played against all the sports’ reigning champions at the time. In 2003 he was inducted into the American Platform Tennis Association’s Hall of Fame. In addition to racquet games he enjoyed golf, and was a longtime member of Silvermine Golf Club. The couple own a second home on Hilton Head Island, SC.

After retiring in 1995 he wrote a by-lined column for TENNIS WEEK for five years, and was doing feature articles and his own column, SQUIRING ABOUT TOWN, for the weekly DARIEN NEWS-REVIEW. His most recent literary effort, published by Rutledge Books in 2003, ONE MOMENT AT TIME, A Love Story, is a memoir about his life and a tribute to his bride. In the book, when asked how he’d like to be remembered, he wrote, As a fun-loving, decent guy who left behind mostly happy memories for a lot of good people whom he both liked and loved.”

A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, November 15, 2003 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 471 Mansfield Avenue in Darien, CT. The Rev. Christopher Paul Leighton, pastor, Mr. Squires’ godson, will preside. Interment will be private. The Edward Lawrence Funeral Home handled the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 471 Mansfield Avenue, Darien, CT 06820.