Don H. Richards

RICHARDS
DON H.
76, President of Don H. Richards Coal Company, Inc., died in the early morning of June 30, at the Wellington at Hershey's Mill, West Chester. He had battled cancer for six years. Mr. Richards grew up in Dormont, Pennsylvania, where he was quarterback of the Dormont High School football team and broke scoring records in basketball. He graduated from Bucknell University in 1956, where he met his wife Nancy. She grew up in Ocean City, NJ. Mr. Richards set eight university records as a pitcher, many of which still stand, and was inducted into Bucknell's Hall of Fame in 1985. In his first college game, he threw a one-hit shutout against Navy. He struck out 21 batters in a no-hitter against Franklin and Marshall and whiffed 19 in a 3-1 victory over Temple. He finished his college career with an earned run average of 1.98. He was named to the NCAA District II first team in 1956 and went on to pitch in the Boston Red Sox farm system. Before starting in the majors with the Red Sox, he got a sore arm. He was equally successful in business, working for Consolidation Coal Company and Continental Oil Company and then starting his own company in the 1970s. Mr. Richards was a resident of Hershey's Mill in West Chester, PA, and loved vacationing with his family at his home in Avalon, NJ. The home is the only remaining boathouse in Avalon. He enjoyed refinishing country antiques and was the owner of Black Lab Antiques in Berwyn, PA, for several years. He managed baseball teams in the Devon-Strafford Little League for nine years. He is survived by his wife; three children (Kirby, Hugh, and Margaret); five grandchildren; as well as a sister. A memorial service will be held 11:00 a.m., Thursday, July 7, 2011 at Wayne Presbyterian Church, 125 E. Lancaster Ave., Wayne, PA 19087. Donations may be made for cancer research to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, care of the Dr. Peter Dwyer Research Fund, Attn: Amy Kramer, 3400 Spruce Street, P.T. 1223, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
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