Richard "Dick" Ginnold

1937 - 2014

Richard "Dick"

Ginnold

The world lost a bright and caring soul when Richard "Dick" Ginnold of Eugene passed away in the early hours of April 28, 2014 at his home with his beloved partner, Julie Kaspar, by his side. In the weeks prior to his death, he received letters from and was visited by his dear children: Alex and Anne; his grandchildren and many close friends; which brought him great happiness and peace.

Born June 6, 1937, to Roy and Evelyn (Huffman) Ginnold in Seattle, WA, Dick grew up in Spokane. Dick, a proud Gemini, was an industrious youngster. He helped with chores, delivered papers on his bike, and sold hot dogs at the ice rink in addition to odd jobs. He relished the freedom he had growing up in a world shaped by the depression and World War II, a hardscrabble but simpler time.

Dick loved athletics. He credited his participation in sports with helping him develop his self-esteem. He spoke fondly of his Rogers High Tennis Coach Laverne Mabbott, among his many mentors, who lent him a broken racquet and watched him become one of the best players in the city. Sports taught him the value of discipline, patience, competitiveness, and fairness--traits that he brought to his tennis, basketball and golf games, and to everything in his life. Tennis remained a life-long passion.

After graduating from Rogers High School, he worked at Kaiser Aluminum and became a member of the Steelworkers Union. It was an introduction to the labor movement that sparked a lifelong awareness and passion for labor rights and social justice. After receiving his B.A. in Economics and M.A. in Labor Economics at Washington State University, he continued his graduate studies in Economics at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill where he also became active in the civil rights movement and among his other organizing activities, he was successful in integrating the local movie theatres. He received his Ph.D. in Industrial Relations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1976.

After North Carolina, he followed John F. Kennedy's call and joined the Foreign Service in 1963, moving with his then-wife Elaine and their young family first to Sao Paulo, Brazil and later to Rio de Janeiro. In his postings as Assistant Labor Attache and then Labor Attache, he toured Brazil, visiting labor leaders and organizing union-to-union exchanges between the U.S. and Brazil. According to those he worked with at the time, he was instrumental in changing the landscape of the Brazilian workforce. He instilled hope in the workers and their leaders, which empowered them to begin the arduous changes that are still going on. He was most proud, however, of approving a small grant request by some local railroad unionists in a remote area that allowed them to build a school for their children.

A memorable weekend break from his rigorous routine in the Service was when he participated in the Brazilian Open Golf Tournament. After the first nine, Dick had scored a 33 and was shocked to discover that he led the pack, including the great Argentinian Pro Roberto De Vicenzo, who was 2nd with a 34.

In 1968 he transferred to the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Columbia, where he continued as Labor Attache until 1970, when he decided to leave the Foreign Service and return with his family to the States. Settling in Madison, Wisconsin, Dick completed his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin and became a tenured faculty member at the University's School for Workers.

When workers from the grain elevators in the ports of Lake Superior brought his attention to the conditions in these huge elevators and the number of injuries and deaths that had occurred there, he began his research into the toxic fumes and flammable dust that endangered workers in that industry. His research gained international attention. After a cluster of explosions in grain elevators resulted in fifty-nine deaths throughout the U.S., he was interviewed by CBS and PBS and was called to Congress to testify as an expert witness. His advocacy and research was instrumental in changing regulations in the industry and creating safer working conditions for grain elevator workers across the nation.

In 1978, Dick was appointed to the National Advisory Committee on Safety and Health, an advisory committee to the Secretaries of Labor and Health and Human Services, advising on occupational safety and health programs and policies. He served as chair from 1980-1982. While in Madison he was elected for two terms to the Dane County Board of Supervisors where he chaired a state advisory committee on income maintenance and social welfare.

In 1979, Dick accepted a professorship at UC Berkeley and the family moved west. In 1980, he moved to Eugene, OR and stayed for twenty-seven years, first working at the University of Oregon as an Associate Professor then as director of the OSHA program at the University's Labor Education and Research Center. In mid-life he changed careers and became a realtor and developer of multi-family dwellings in Eugene. He made life-long friendships, and loved the warmth and informality of the town, taking every opportunity to champion the city's spirit. He remained informed and active in politics his entire life, warning of dangerous economic trends such as asset bubbles and rising income inequality.

In 2006, on a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, he met Julie, the love of his life, and moved to San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas ("paradise," as he called it). They renovated a lovely old colonial home and traveled extensively and quite adventurously throughout their adopted country. Dick had the soul of a latino, loved speaking Spanish, and loved the rhythms, dancing, and freedom of spirit he found in Mexico. He loved his neighbors and loved going to mass in the church in his barrio. Sudden illness brought them back to Eugene in the spring of 2012.

Dick was an open, giving, generous person whose smile enticed others to get to know him. He loved people and committed himself to supporting several children through Children's International. He visited these children and their families and received regular updates on their progress. He served on several medical missions and stove building projects in Guatemala.

Dick's intellectual curiosity knew no bounds. He read voraciously and traveled widely through Europe, Mexico and Latin America, visiting numerous archeological sites and connecting constantly with new people. He embraced the new social media to communicate his views and stay in touch with friends. He embarked on a study of family history, which led him to discover Ginnolds in Berlin, Germany, and in Palo Alto, California. Dick's adventures are too numerous to recall here, but he has written of his life in great detail at www.dickginnold.com.

Dick was predeceased by his parents, Roy and Evelyn, and his sister, Glenda Anne Oien. His spirit lives on in his survivors: his adored Julie; his precious children: Alex and Anne; his beautiful grandchildren who lit up his world: Elena Martin-Ginnold, Alex Martin-Ginnold, Alexandra and Isabella Ginnold; and his legion of wonderful friends. He cherished them all.

A memorial service to share memories of Dick's life will be held on Saturday, May 3 at 3 P.M. at Buell/Andreason's Chapel, 320 N. 6th Street, Springfield, Oregon. To honor Dick's memory, his family suggests that donations be made in his name to the Dick Ginnold Youth Tennis Scholarship Fund c/o the Eugene YMCA, 2055 Patterson, Eugene, OR, 97405. Attention: Julie Grossman.