A Tribute to Barry Richmond

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Nancy Maville
Junior Member
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Mar 29, 2002 3:39 am

A Tribute to Barry Richmond

Post by Nancy Maville »

Barry Marshall Richmond

Hanover, NH

Barry Marshall Richmond, 55, died August 3 at home surrounded by his
family.

He was born November 14, 1946, in Boca Raton, Florida, the only son of
Seymour and Mary Richmond. Due to his fathers Air Force career he spent
his young life in many different parts of the country. He shared those
experiences with his sisters, Bonnie and Lori. His familys journey to
Alaska and the time they spent there was Barrys favorite adventure
growing up.

His life-long passions for teaching, learning, and challenging himself
and others led him to pursue a very fulfilling and altruistic life.

Barry married Katherine Wisman in Colorado Springs in 1969. They have 4
daughters, Jessica, 30, Joy, 28, Julia, 26 and Anna, 21. Barry valued
his family and daughters well being above all other commitments. He
traveled through many a blizzard to make it to every one of his
daughters basketball games. Hed leap out at halftime to teach proper
shooting techniques. At soccer games, he was asked to restrain himself
from racing up and down the sidelines alongside his daughter. His love
for his family overflowed and was apparent in everything he did.

Barry loved children and appreciated the enthusiasm and joy they had for
life. His own youthful and carefree spirit enabled him to forge a
special bond with them and enjoy endless hours of play. The play didnt
stop with the children. His sense of humor permeated all aspects of his
life. He never failed to find or create humor in any and all situations.
He also loved his dogs, those from his childhood and his most recent
favorite, Roxanne, the low-rider.

Barrys educational training culminated with his PhD in System Dynamics
from MIT in 1979. He then accepted a teaching position at Dartmouth
College as an Assistant Professor in the Thayer School of Engineering.
Barry was one of the most popular and well-respected teachers at
Dartmouth for 8 years. Students consistently gave Barry the highest
rating among Dartmouth College faculty. He regularly had over 100
students sign up for his Principles of Systems class. Barry always had
time for every one of those 100 students and every one of their
projects.

In 1985 he founded High Performance Systems, a software development and
consulting business, with Systems Thinking as its foundation. Barry
dedicated the rest of his life to teaching people all over the world how
to live by Systems Thinking principles. He worked endlessly to make
people aware of interdependent relationships and long-term consequences
of their actions, striving to make everyone better Systems Citizens. His
expertise was respected worldwide.

He was granted the 1989 Jay Wright Forrester Award, a prestigious honor
awarded by the System Dynamics Society. The award was for producing the
STELLA(r) software, his pioneering work which revolutionized the System
Dynamics modeling process. He strove to make learning Systems Thinking
accessible to everyone, from grade school students to business
executives.

Barry was a superb athlete and loved hiking, kayaking and camping. He
completed a marathon on Cape Cod in 1998 and a triathlon in Vermont in
2001.

Barry always felt very strongly about supporting non-profit
organizations and helping others. Every year he donated to the Haven in
White River Junction. We know Barry would appreciate donations in his
memory to be sent to:

Upper Valley Haven
745 Hartford Ave.
White River Jct., VT 05001

A private burial will take place Thursday, August 8. Friends and family
are invited to attend a memorial service Thursday at 1:00 PM at the
Richmond home, to honor Barrys life. For directions to the Richmond
home please call HPS at 800-332-1202.

Barry always lived life to the fullest and encouraged those who knew him
to live everyday like it was their last.

--
Nancy Maville <
nmaville@hps-inc.com>
High Performance Systems, Inc.
46 Centerra Pkwy., Suite 200, Lebanon, NH 03766
Tel. 603-643-9636 - Fax. 603-643-9502 - http://www.hps-inc.com
<http://www.hps-inc.com/>
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