Dr. Hugh T. Richards Obituary (1918 - 2006)

Hugh Taylor Richards Dr. Hugh Taylor Richards, PhD, died September 29th, 2006 at the Dunn County Health Care Center, Menomonie, Wisconsin, where he received loving and respectful care during the last three years of his life. Hugh was born November 7th, 1918 on a homestead in Baca County, Colorado. He graduated from Platteville High School, Platteville, Wisconsin. In 1939 he received a B.A. from Park College, Parkville, Missouri and in 1942 he earned his PhD in nuclear physics from Rice University, Houston Texas. During World War II Hugh collaborated on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, New Mexico. His area of expertise was neutron measurements of the atomic bomb. While there he met Mildred Paddock and on February 11th 1944 they married. After the war he accepted a research and teaching position at the University of Wisconsin and moved to Madison. In 1952 he became a full professor of physics. While at the university he served terms as Department Chair and Associate Dean of Letters and Science. Hugh's true passion was scientific research and he was a mentor to forty-nine PhD level graduate students. After the 1970 bombing of Sterling Hall in which a physics graduate student was killed, and years of valuable research destroyed Professor Richards' leadership has been credited with preserving the personnel, focus and morale of the physics department. Hugh was an active member of the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Madison and promoted using reason to solve problems between nations. In 1988 he became Emeritus Professor and remained active in his field until 2000. In retirement he treasured his family, especially his grandchildren, entertaining them with his unique "punny"sense of humor. Hugh and Mildred moved to Menomonie, Wisconsin in 2000 in order to be cared for by his son and daughter-in-law, Tom and Mary Richards. In 2001 he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. He was beloved and respected, touching the world in many profound ways. He was preceded in death by his parents, Dean Willard Richards and Kate Taylor Richards; two sisters Hila Stratton and Ruth Alice Tatman. He is survived by his brother Dean Boyd Richards; his cherished wife of sixty-two years Mildred his children: David Richards (Wilodene) Vernal, Utah Thomas Richards (Mary) Menomonie, Wisconsin John Richards (Ann) San Diego, California Margaret Carr (Timothy) Lawrence, Kansas Elizabeth Thurow (Gregory) Sheridan, Wyoming Robert Richards (Gail Griffin) Indianapolis, Indiana his grandchildren: Maura Olszanskyji, Joanne Richards, Heather Richards, Kate Applehans, Julia Richards, Joseph Carr, Carolyn Thurow Banks, John Thurow, Michael Thurow and his great grandson, Gregory Olszanskji. The memorial service is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. October 6th at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 420 Wilson Avenue Menomonie, Wisconsin 54751 with Rev. Rob MacDougall officiating. Olson Funeral Home in Menomonie assisted with the arrangements. A memorial gift to an educational institution of your choice would honor the spirit of his life. To express condolences online, please visit obituaries at www.olsonfh.net.