They moved to Laurel from Newton, Iowa. Gossip had it that they must be a little strange and different because they, supposedly, belonged to a church in Newton called the Four Square Gospel.
It was my junior year, 1960, at Laurel and I'm not sure when I first met Rick or if I liked him right away. He was slight and all of 5'7." A small Buddy Holly with those black horned-rim glasses, tight wavy black hair-combed straight back. He spoke precise, but, yet was soft spoken. He never swore or talked badly about anyone. Don't get me wrong. He wasn't perfect. He smoked a little, but, a lot of us did in those days. Conclusion: he was cool, a maverick of sorts. I liked him. I liked his whole family. His dad started and ran his own Auto Body Shop in Laurel and his mother was a teacher and taught at Laurel for many years. They were just plain, likable, honest, and nice to be around kind of people.
He drove his dad's Rambler. A what? What kid would want to drive a Rambler you say! But, it would get out and move. A real sleeper. Enough said. He joined in by becoming the football team manager. Although, most of the guys in our class were good size farm boys, he wasn't. I'll say it again. He was just a cool guy!
In 1961, his family invited me to go along with them on a summer vacation back east. They primarily wanted to visit family in Pennsylvania and from there we traveled to Washington D.C., and up through New York City and back home.
I still have a black and white picture taken with my little Brownie 127 mm camera through the fence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It was a perfectly cropped photo of the White House. I also still have the camera. John Kennedy was preident and may have actually been in there at the time. It was a great trip and one I'll always remember.
After high-school we drifted apart somewhat. He married his high school sweetheart, Sue Boyle. They lived in Shenandoah, Iowa and Rick worked for a local Radio/ T.V. station in advertising sales. I would visit them on occasion while traveling for General Mills.
He passed away far too young. I still think of him often. He will always be the kindest, honest, and most gentle man that I ever known.
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