I am very sad to learn of the death of my friend and mentor, Richard Andrews. Rich was one of my first out and proud atheist friends in Utah and helped me realize that not only is it okay to be an atheist, but that its important to come out as an atheist - that living a proud and authentic life would also help others who were afraid to come out of the atheist closet by letting them know they are not alone. Richard was one of the first few people to get me interested in holding a leadership position in a secular organization. I am happy to have served with him on the board of trustees for Atheists of Utah beginning in June of 2011, and also as a co-organizer with him for Salt Lake Valley Atheists starting in May of 2012. As his health declined, Rich resigned from his position on the board for Atheists of Utah. He also asked me to take over leadership of Salt Lake Valley Atheists in May of 2012. SLVA didnt meet very often, but it was a lot to take on while working full time and while I was also serving as Vice President for Atheists of Utah. I was happy to help, but I knew it would be a lot of work and that he would be leaving some very large shoes to fill. After becoming President of Atheists of Utah in July of 2012 while simultaneously serving as President for Salt Lake Valley Atheists, I was spread so thin it was clear that the time had come to merge the two groups. I met with the rest of the board for Atheists of Utah who all agreed to move ahead with the merger. I remember calling Richard to pitch the idea of merging SLVA and Atheists of Utah. His initial response wasnt what I would call enthusiastic, but he finally consented to the idea after about a half-hour of coaxing. We hashed out the details, and SLVA was merged into Atheists of Utah in March of 2013. Rich seemed to know everybody in the atheist community. I was thinking just the other day how surprised I am by the fact that whenever an atheist somewhere in the world would send me a Facebook friend request, almost without fail, they were already friends with Richard. I know Rich was very excited about American Atheists hosting #AACon14 in Salt Lake City. He told me several times over the past few months that he was hoping his health would improve enough to allow him to attend at least some of the sessions. Im sad to know thats no longer a possibility, but I am glad he played a role in getting it hosted here. I look forward to making friends with even more of the people he knew and whose lives he touched. Atheists of Utah as an organization, and myself as an individual, owe more to Richard than most people know. He will be missed, but the legacy he leaves will never be forgotten.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 03:06:56 +0000