THE EARTH TIMES/TRIBUTE
MARCH 16-31, 1998
RICHARD F. SHEPARD 1922 – 1998
Tributes from a wide world of admirers and friends
BY ASHALI VARMA
“Learning from his life’
I will remember Dick for his wit, his warmth and his caring. When I felt unwell he used to forget his own serious illness and inquire about my health. He was genuinely concerned that I was overdoing it–that I should take it easy. This from a man who once told me that he would definitely have his column ready for me—one day after, he had had treatment for his cancer.
I will miss talking to Dick, miss his advice, his humor and the time he took to make everyone he met feel that much more special. When The Earth Times went abroad for on-site editions at global conferences, the one person on our team who we could always count on to do in-. depth, insightful and interesting articles was Dick. From women’s rights to the issues of poverty, unemployment and environmental concerns, Dick could always be counted on to write from a perspective that readers would not get from anywhere else. What came through was his caring about people and development issues. I learnt a lot from watching him interacting with people. It is impossible to believe he is gone.
Ashali Vanna is Executive Publisher of The Earth Times, and worked with Dick Shepard since 1991.