Richard A. Best Jr.

1944 - 2024

Richard Albin Best, Jr., died August 4, 2024, after a hard-fought battle with heart disease. His wife Alison and son Benjamin were at his side. He was 80 years old.

Dick was proud of his Texas heritage. Born in Houston, he grew up in Dallas and graduated from Rice University (1965), where he also earned a Master's degree (1967). In later years he spent time with his parents, Richard A. Best, Sr. and Alice Botto Best, in San Antonio.

After serving in the Navy, with a posting in the Philippines, he settled in Washington, DC. He worked at the Office of Naval Intelligence from 1971-1979, at the Pentagon and at Fort Meade, before leaving to earn his doctorate in history at Georgetown University (1983). Thereafter he worked for close to three decades at the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress, in the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division, retiring in 2011. His dissertation was published as Cooperation with Like-Minded Peoples: British Influences on American Security Policy 1945-1949 (Greenwood Press, 1986). At the time of his death, he was at work on a book on religious conflicts in Iraq in relation to the Iraq War and its consequences.

Devoted to his city neighborhood, he lived, from 1976 until his death, in his townhouse north of Dupont Circle. In 1990 he was joined there by his wife Alison Luchs, whom he met through historic preservation endeavors while he was serving as president of the Dupont Circle Citizens' Association in the 1970s. Dick and Alison survived several rounds of renovation and home improvement, and their son Benjamin Albin Best, born in 1993, grew up in the house. Their joint efforts helped to win DC landmark designation for the Demonet Building with its octagonal tower and dome at the corner of Connecticut Avenue and M Streets, N.W. Dick also served on the Residential Action Coalition, which strove to preserve the residential character of the Dupont Circle neighborhood.

Dick enjoyed travel with his family to Chincoteague and Colonial Williamsburg. He adored and took pride in their son Benjamin, born late in life. Enjoyable adventures included trips to New York and to Italy with Alison, an art historian and museum curator, and a trip with Alison and Benjamin to London, Oxford and Bath in 2009. In addition, he was a dedicated gardener and an excellent cook, with a particular interest in French cuisine. He was also a fan of ballet, art museums, and country music.

Long a faithful parishioner at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, K Street, Dick assisted as an usher, served on the vestry and property committee, and led a Sunday discussion group. He also participated in biweekly sandwich preparation for the "Grate Patrol" that distributes breakfast to unhoused people in the church neighborhood. For many years he was treasurer for Companions in World Mission, an organization that supported clergy and theological students in Africa. Later he also attended services at St. Brendan's in the City.

His many devoted friends remember Dick as thoughtful, gentle and kind, with a wonderful intellect and a subtle sense of humor. He was a man of deep faith and staunch integrity, principled to the point of occasional stubbornness. He also stood out for sound judgment and simple fairness.

A requiem mass for Dick will be celebrated on August 24, 2024, at 12:30 p.m., at St. Paul's K Street. Gifts in his memory may be made to Central Union Mission; Rescuing Leftover Cuisine; and Americares.