RICHARD STOTHERS Obituary

STOTHERS--Richard Blair, age 72, died on June 28, 2011 at his home. Survived by his brother, Hedley Stothers, his nephews Josh Nims, Seth Nims and Hedley Stothers III, and his nieces Ruth Stothers Dolan and Sarah Stothers. Predeceased by his sister, Susan Stothers Nims. Graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, Princeton University and Harvard University. Richard Stothers walked into the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in June 1961, a first-year graduate student looking for a summer job, carrying a one-paragraph note from a professor recommending him simply as a "very good man". Within two years, he published four papers in the most prestigious journal, the Astrophysical Journal, received his Ph.D. from Harvard and became a permanent staff member of the Goddard Institute, where he worked the rest of his life. He became a world expert on the structure of stars, as well as their origin and evolution. It was Dr. Stothers' work and technical advice that stimulated Dr. Robert Jastrow, the founding director of the Goddard Institute, to write his famous book, Red Giants and White Dwarfs. Dr. Stothers was a scholar of classical mold, able to read original papers in several languages. He published almost 200 papers, mostly in astrophysics and solar physics. In the last two decades of his life he spent much of his time on climate science, especially investigating ancient writings to extract information on climate change throughout recorded history. Contributions in his memory may be made to The Community Fund, Point O'Woods, NY 11706.

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Published by New York Times on Aug. 28, 2011.

Memories and Condolences
for RICHARD STOTHERS

Sponsored by Maria Asaro.

10 Entries

Maria Asaro

September 30, 2018

Thinking of you today, Richard.

Andrei Ol'khovatov

September 29, 2018

Today I checked old files with articles and discovered several of them which Richard B. Stothers kindly sent me about 2 decades ago. Being interested to read his following publications, so I looked for him in internet and discovered sad info about his death...
He was a rare type of a scientist with vast field of knowledge...
His name is already placed in the building of Science...

mario asaro

June 16, 2017

Richard, I am interviewing dr. alex filliplanko this evening and you came to mind. In researching your work I came across this. I will bring you up tonight when we do our interview. Rest in eternity my friend.

Maria Asaro

November 8, 2015

Just thinking of you Richard, as I often do. Forever thankful for your many gifts..

Maria Asaro

September 20, 2012

It's been over a year now, Richard. We still miss you.

Requiem for
Richard B. Stothers
Who Died
Sometime in June,
2011

What if you were a brilliant scientist
A polymath, or sorts,
A knower of all trees
in Central Park
And how many days, and inches
Of rain had watered them
And how many were lost
In the storms of '09?

And what if you died
When no one was looking,
alone in your apartment
With all that unfinished work?

But the one nut cracked-
The one no one really cared about anyway,
So you said.
Not so much as black holes,
at least:
The one about stars no one was wishing upon.

The star you discovered
and filed away
With the 200 some-odd-others.

And what of those millions of pages you read?
to solve the mysteries of those days of darkness
in antiquity,
bringing plague,
and covering hope?

What about those
volcanic clouds?
Where were they anyway?
Could one decipher your texts
And find them covering your windows?
The cracks under your door?
Sealing death's odor
Leaving you alone again

No one wondering
Soon enough
Strongly enough
Where you had gone?
Why it'd been so long?

What if you were that scientist?
Sending years of roses
Blushing red
Buying trinkets for others' children
Bending to wave into car windows
rolling up
and going home.
All those Saturday nights
alone?

What if you were alone- like that-
With one nephew who knew you when,
and loved your wit,
and eccentric running
miles through
Central Park
in regular shoes.

And one waitress
Who knew you again
And mourned your loss
And hers
In the end.

What if it was you who never made it?
To that last meeting at the Met-
Or was it Port Authority?
And what if they were so busy they figured
You were too
when you never called?

And what if you were dead?

And two months later they'd finally write about it:
A paid notice in the Times
For those who might notice
How you died
in your home
Six days after- or was it before-
You were supposed to meet
at the Met-
Or was it Port Authority?

Or the top of the Empire State Building,
if there was time?
Without a care of the cost
of going up-
only to look down-
At what?
The park? Rooftop terraces?

Did we look down
and see you that day?
Quietly calling
Calling for help?
Or just quietly departing.

Dearly departing,
Six days later, so they wrote.
Six days too late
To call
Six days too late to wonder,
Too late for trinkets,
Too late for bending waves in cars rolling up
and going home
one last time.

Too late to say goodbye.

And thank you.

Thank you,
Brilliant scientist,
And all your roses
Blushing
Red.

Maria Asaro
9/4/11

April 25, 2012

I haven't seen Dick since 1962 when I graduated from Princeton two years behind him. I have forgotten nothing and will always fondly remember the times we had together.
I have only just learned of his death, this April, almost a year later. I have always missed him and continue to do so here on the other side of the world. Syed Hamde Ali Princeton 1962

Yvonne Norton Leung

January 31, 2012

Dick Stothers was a friend and anchor in New York for almost 45 years. We miss his presence and remember him with love and friendship..

Nell Twining

September 21, 2011

I treasure the times at the Stothers home whenever their Uncle Dick was present. His encyclopedic knowledge about... well, almost everything was breathtaking. And his generosity in sharing some of that knowledge was sincere, kind, never condescending, always with a smile. The odd dots he could connect were so original but made perfect sense as he put them before you so disarmingly simply. I will miss Richard very much.

Maria Asaro

August 31, 2011

I am shocked and saddened to hear of Richard's death. I have been a longtime friend of Richard's going back to when he was a loyal customer and mentor to me where I grew up and worked in my family restaurant and coffee shop, Arlene's, on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.

Having moved from NY to Arizona, our visits with Richard came annually, usually with visits to the American Museum of Natural History or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We were planning to see Richard on our trip back east this June, and I was surprised to not receive a call while we were there. Now, I so sadly understand why.

My sincere condolences to Richard's family and colleagues. Richard was one of the most kind, accepting and generous individuals I have known, not to mention the most brilliant! We will so miss our visits with Richard. New York City will just not be the same for us. My daughters and I will always remember and be forever grateful for all the wonderful exhibits we toured together, for the butterflies, playground visits, and for the magical fireflies in Central Park. We, and New York have lost a quiet gem.

We love you Richard!

Maria Asaro
Bisbee, Arizona

Josh Nims

August 31, 2011

I admired and loved my Uncle Richard greatly. His brilliance, broad interests, eccentricity, and sense of humor appealed to me since my earliest memories of him.

His contributions to science (especially our current perplexing climate change) were tremendous. He loved his work, and his out-put was monumental to my unstudied eyes.

Among many other hobbies, he loved to jog in Central Park, and ski every year at Mt. Tremblant, Canada.

I had the unique experience of jogging with him one day in Central Park. He wore normal shoes for a six mile run! These eccentricities were typical of him.

The work of Dr. Richard Stothers will be his legacy for decades to come--possibly for centuries to come.

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