Richard McDevitt

McDEVITT, Richard "Rick"

Richard "Rick" McDevitt passed away on March 20, 2021 at the age of seventy five. He spent the last few months of his life in San Antonio, Texas with his son Greg and Greg's family.

A long-time resident of Atlanta, Georgia, Rick was a committed champion of poor children. He brought powerful community and business leaders to support his organization Georgia Alliance for Children in the 1980's, giving life to his motto, "Powerless children need powerful friends". Later, he used his considerable persuasive skills to convert a building the city of Atlanta was about to raze into a vibrant community center for an inner city neighborhood desperately lacking in resources. The Rick McDevitt Youth Center is in the Peoplestown area of Atlanta, an overlooked, neglected, poverty ridden neighborhood to which the center brings a much-needed sense of community, an after school program for children, enrichment programs and mentoring for young people. The youth center was Rick's pride and joy. Despite his struggles with diabetes and other medical conditions, Rick remained concerned and involved with the community he adopted until the end. He could be seen there almost every day until his health challenges necessitated his move to Texas and receive the loving care of his son Greg and family.

Rick grew up in New York City and was no stranger to poverty. He worked diligently and overcame obstacles throughout his life, enlisting in the United States Air Force at 18, serving his country honorably in the Vietnam War. After his time in the military, Rick discovered Zen Buddhism, which opened his mind to the realities of human suffering. Rick worked sincerely and diligently to live by the spiritual principles he believed in and they are deeply reflected in his advocacy work and the legacy he leaves behind.

Rick is survived by his two sons, Gregory Shalom McDevitt and Raphael Allah McDevitt.