I cannot remember exactly when I met Richard. I'm pretty sure I was at the Roosevelt so it had to be 40-something years ago. Richard was at the Mildew .. ooopps, the Milford .. Plaza. (One of our private jokes.) Or maybe it was even before that, when he was at the Holiday Inn Coliseum on 57th Street, the first time, long before it became the Watson.

At the Milford Plaza Richard was Sales Manager of Tour and Travel which was really gaining steam as an important market segment and fit in very well at the more than 1,300 room Times Square property.

Richard had moved from Manhattan to a cool apartment in Jersey City where he annually hosted his famous "I Love Lucy" party. He then moved to London for a short time before being offered the Director of Sales & Marketing position at the Holiday Inn Midtown 57th Street (the same). Four and a half years later Richard became the Director of Sales and Marketing at the Holiday Inn Wall Street District Hotel where he stayed for almost six years and included the 9/11 experience.

In July 2006 a long-time customer, Wolf Mertel, offered Richard the position of Director of Sales for CTN. Richard's mandate was to add India to the Visit USA markets of the UK, Ireland and Italy for CTN.

Eight years later, having met the love of his life, Richard decided to go back to the on-property hotel side of the business. There he stayed until covid came calling.

Richard and Christopher were married outdoors at the Princeton Club on a gloriously sunny day in May of 2012.
Both Richard and Christopher spent many years in a chorus .. although not the same one. Richard was President of the Glass Menagerie and a long time member of the HSMAIGNY Chapter Board of Directors. For more than twenty years, Richard was a Top 100 Fund Raiser for the NYC MS Society.

For years Richard was my dancing partner at the Annual Frank W. Berkman Tourism Achievement Awards dinner. Along with a client from London and Gerry Traino, another long-time HSMAIGNY member and chapter Past President, Richard and I were near the piano in the Pine Bar in London the night of the infamous poisoning.

A celebration of Richard's life will be held on Sunday, October 20 from 2-4pm at St. Paul & St. Andrew .. 263 West 86th Street at West End Avenue.

Christopher has one request: "please don't wear black! This is a celebration and tribute to who Richard was and what he brought to all of us."

Beautifully written by Lucille Yokell.