Sunman, Cameraman, Plantman, Gliderman, Catman, Horseman, Knowledgeman, Earthman, Starman

Holleigh wrote this October 18:

"I met Rick in the summer of 1995 at the Camp Kern facility just north of Cincinnati, working as a camp counselor for the YSU archaeology camp. I was sitting in the cabin reading Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13 when Rick showed up. The other people already knew him, and he was there to take pictures at the solstice markers discovered by Dr. White. He noticed my book, and we started talking about our shared interest in astronomy. After a while, he asked me if I would be interested in a student job at the planetarium, and I said yes. That August I applied, and started working. Working with Rick and everyone else in the P&A department was one of the best experiences of my life! Rick was a feminist, never questioning my ability to learn typically male activities like wiring, woodworking, soldering, film production - anything, and for that Rick provided a safe place for my own abilities to grow. The planetarium was a place of silliness and fun, inquiry and learning.
 
"I worked with Rick at the Planetarium from the late summer of 1995 until 1999 as a student worker. I learned so much from him, and enjoyed helping him put shows together and making people happy. He was always so excited about the Nightlights show, and indeed it was tremendous! Because of him, I can talk to others about the stars, and how exciting it is to know how the sun rises on a horizon because of Rick's dedication to photographing the movement of the morning sun.

"I remember the many nights when we would go to the roof of Ward Beecher Hall and throw popped corn into the vent blowers on the roof. It would blow into the air like snow and the birds would have breakfast in the morning! Rick hated those damn blowers because of the vibration they caused to the building, nullifying any good use of the rooftop telescopes. So, we put them to some good use! Throwing the pumpkins off the roof after the Halloween shows was fun; Rick was an avid fan of "random acts of gardening" across campus, throwing vegetable seeds into the landscaping. He enjoyed watching pumpkin plants grow in the pristine landscaping; it was an act of resistance. I still do random acts of gardening, and think of Rick every time. Oh, and one night we were on the roof with the big laser. If you aim the laser at the sensor on top of each light post, you can turn out the light! It's totally fun! We freaked people out by pointing the light on the sidewalk in front of people, too. Mike DiMuzio and Rick told me about a time they put the laser on a woman's white sweater and it lit up all red - it scared the shit out of her!

"Rick and Victoria welcomed me to their home as they did to everyone. I'll never look at sunflowers and peppers the same way. Rick would grow the biggest sunflowers ever.

"It is so wonderful that Rick and I crossed paths in '95! He liked to cut out things from boxes and hang them in the planetarium office, like the "store in a cool place" notice on a box. He said he hung it in there because that office was a "cool" place. Sometimes we don't do the things we intend to soon enough. I had recently brought home an image of 3 human figures that I cut from a Tyvek box with the intent of sending it to Rick. The images are of human figures in different Tyvek chemical outfits, and I like to call them Aquaman, Spaceman, and Landman. Rick would have gotten the humor. Now as I sit here looking at the cutout, it is a reminder that life is quick and short. Peace to you, Rick - Sunman, Cameraman, Plantman, Gliderman, Catman, Horseman, Knowledgeman, Earthman, Starman. Peace, man!"