Fair Winds: Remembering Richard
LAPWARE’s Founder and Mentor
Many of you communicated with Richard within and out of LAPWARE. He had a huge heart for mariners—he wanted to help them prepare for their exams and to ensure they got a fair shake from the Coast Guard and the National Maritime Center.
Richard’s fingerprints are on every corner of LAPWARE. As our founder and chief developer, he built the platform from the ground up with a sailor’s pragmatism and an educator’s patience—determined that every deck officer candidate would have the tools they needed to earn their license. What set Richard apart wasn’t just his technical brilliance; it was his generous spirit in explaining how everything worked, answering the same questions a hundred times over without a trace of frustration. He believed in the mission so completely that he poured himself into helping others understand it too.
When I acquired LAPWARE, Richard was fighting pancreatic cancer. Yet he spent hours—despite treatment and exhaustion—explaining how every piece of the business worked, determined I would truly understand it. His wife welcomed me into their home. That dedication to LAPWARE’s future and his generosity to those around him never faltered, even as he was suffering. He was a great mentor and friend. I will miss him for his knowledge, his perspective, and his remarkable strength of character.
—Brandon