I remember hearing about him, discussed by some friends in "health" class. One of them (Danny Black), clearly angry, said it was "impossible to be friends with him now", that he was alienated and unloved. I felt compassion for Dick and approached him in a friendly way in a study hall, but he completely misinterpreted my intention - I was playing with a pencil and he thought I was giving him the finger! - and hit me. I stayed away from him after that, but continued to watch him, and have thought about that encounter over the years. It was my first perception of what it meant to be mentally ill.
I knew Dick at Willard. He was a bully, but not a very bad one. He decided he wanted to be called Rick for a while. I don't think he knew how to be friends with people. And looking back, I feel certain he was abused. He deserved (everyone deserves) better.
Just so you know, Dick was already deceased at our 10 year. I remember thinking how sad that was back then and how sad it still is today. It is just sad every time I look at the growing list of our classmates who are gone....
Dick was in my classes off and on starting in grade school at Willard where he was a "discipline problem." He was impulsive and had trouble regulating his emotions and tended to be overly physical even when he was having a good time...and if he lost his temper you really had to clear out.
Today, I think, he would have been diagnosed and there would have been interventions for Dick. Instead he was just put in the desk in the front row closest to the teach so she could keep an eye on him...and since he was an idifferent student this must have been trture for him.
He had sweet parents who were much older than most. Mrs Hurst would talk to my mom when they ran in to each other, I think because there were four of us at school with Dickie and we were so well-behaved and happy. The Hurst household revolved around Dicikie and his moods, she said they gave him everything he wanted - nice clothes, special toys, bikes .But no one would come to play with him and eventually he'd destory whatever he was given. Mrs Hurst asked my Mom if we "could be better friends to him." My mom felt so sorry for Mrs Hurst that she asked us to try to be friends with Dickie - but really I couldn't. He was soo unpredicatble and it was too easy to set him off.
Aftre grade school we rarely crossed paths, except in the classroom and I had no idea he was dead. He was just missing something, whatever it is/whatever it was...it drove most people away and kept him from having genuine friends.
I pretty well stayed clear of him, although when I was around 13 I saw him at Willard play ground.I engaged in a conversation with him and out of the clear blue he stomped on my foot.He was wearing heavy black boots as I remember. Oh how it hurt! I saw him a few times in high school and it was basically hello and good bye. I really think he wanted to be accepted but didn't know how to make friends.He did have problems and it's to bad he couldn't get the help he needed at that time.
I do remember trying to be pals with him at Willard and yes it could get scary I remember hanging with him and John Norris and Petie Muller. As you might remember I was a bit "chatty" in class myself and got along fine with some of the other busy ones. Do you remember the time we all played the drum solo of Wipeout at the same time on our desks! Pete and I engineered that one.
I also went to Willard with Dicky. You just had to stay clear of him, he had a violent temper. If you tried to be nice to him it seemed to just make him all the more mad. At that age I had never known anyone that mean before. I remember at recess he'd walk out to the swing set and if people were already on a swing, he'd just say "Get off!" so he could use it himself. He really had some major issues and was mentally unstable for sure. Too bad he didn't get the help he desperately needed at an early age. I had heard he ended up committing suicide, not sure that's true though. And yes, Scott, I remember the wipeout solo you guys did.
Robert Crawford
Poor, troubled Dick. May he rest in peace.
I remember hearing about him, discussed by some friends in "health" class. One of them (Danny Black), clearly angry, said it was "impossible to be friends with him now", that he was alienated and unloved. I felt compassion for Dick and approached him in a friendly way in a study hall, but he completely misinterpreted my intention - I was playing with a pencil and he thought I was giving him the finger! - and hit me. I stayed away from him after that, but continued to watch him, and have thought about that encounter over the years. It was my first perception of what it meant to be mentally ill.
Don Wheeler
I knew Dick at Willard. He was a bully, but not a very bad one. He decided he wanted to be called Rick for a while. I don't think he knew how to be friends with people. And looking back, I feel certain he was abused. He deserved (everyone deserves) better.
Kate Morand
Just so you know, Dick was already deceased at our 10 year. I remember thinking how sad that was back then and how sad it still is today. It is just sad every time I look at the growing list of our classmates who are gone....
Janet Kinzer
Dick was in my classes off and on starting in grade school at Willard where he was a "discipline problem." He was impulsive and had trouble regulating his emotions and tended to be overly physical even when he was having a good time...and if he lost his temper you really had to clear out.
Today, I think, he would have been diagnosed and there would have been interventions for Dick. Instead he was just put in the desk in the front row closest to the teach so she could keep an eye on him...and since he was an idifferent student this must have been trture for him.
He had sweet parents who were much older than most. Mrs Hurst would talk to my mom when they ran in to each other, I think because there were four of us at school with Dickie and we were so well-behaved and happy. The Hurst household revolved around Dicikie and his moods, she said they gave him everything he wanted - nice clothes, special toys, bikes .But no one would come to play with him and eventually he'd destory whatever he was given. Mrs Hurst asked my Mom if we "could be better friends to him." My mom felt so sorry for Mrs Hurst that she asked us to try to be friends with Dickie - but really I couldn't. He was soo unpredicatble and it was too easy to set him off.
Aftre grade school we rarely crossed paths, except in the classroom and I had no idea he was dead. He was just missing something, whatever it is/whatever it was...it drove most people away and kept him from having genuine friends.
Robin DeRussy
I pretty well stayed clear of him, although when I was around 13 I saw him at Willard play ground.I engaged in a conversation with him and out of the clear blue he stomped on my foot.He was wearing heavy black boots as I remember. Oh how it hurt! I saw him a few times in high school and it was basically hello and good bye. I really think he wanted to be accepted but didn't know how to make friends.He did have problems and it's to bad he couldn't get the help he needed at that time.Scott Wallenberg
I do remember trying to be pals with him at Willard and yes it could get scary I remember hanging with him and John Norris and Petie Muller. As you might remember I was a bit "chatty" in class myself and got along fine with some of the other busy ones. Do you remember the time we all played the drum solo of Wipeout at the same time on our desks! Pete and I engineered that one.
Mark Nichol
I also went to Willard with Dicky. You just had to stay clear of him, he had a violent temper. If you tried to be nice to him it seemed to just make him all the more mad. At that age I had never known anyone that mean before. I remember at recess he'd walk out to the swing set and if people were already on a swing, he'd just say "Get off!" so he could use it himself. He really had some major issues and was mentally unstable for sure. Too bad he didn't get the help he desperately needed at an early age. I had heard he ended up committing suicide, not sure that's true though. And yes, Scott, I remember the wipeout solo you guys did.
Deborah Smith (DiLorenzo)
I didn't know Dick at all but this is a heartbreaking story...