Richard passed away in June 2024 in Colorado – a place he called home for a long time since departing his native Australia.
Richard was long a supporter of the work at NREL and the national lab network here in the US. We initially met during his tenure at NREL where he led the commercialization efforts for the entire campus in Golden, CO. His lifelong passion for sustainability and climate work was balanced with a sense of what made commercial sense in the world and it was the blending of those two things that made him so good in his roles there.
More importantly, it was his imperturbable sunny disposition that really set Richard apart. Always smiling, he never seemed to let little things get in the way of having a positive impact every day.
He was, above all else, my friend. We realized early on that aside from sustainability, we also shared a love of something more banal – beer. Whether it was closing a restaurant down after last call, or sharing a virtual happy hour during COVID, I could always count on Richard to knock a couple back and unwind at the end of the day.
Gone way too soon – we have lost a good man.
Rest in peace my friend and Godspeed.