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Richard Cortis Green ’35

A picture of Richard Green

Richard Cortis Green ’35 [né Lawford], September 18, 2009, in Olympia, Washington. Richard came to Reed from Bromley, in Kent, England, where he spent most of his childhood. He earned a BA from Reed in biology, self-directing his studies to support an ardent interest in oceanography. After graduation, he took a walk-on position on a 45-foot Coast Guard cutter with skipper Iceberg Smith, who had explored various parts of the Arctic. Richard served 27 years with the Coast Guard and published Ice Patrol, an illustrative narrative about his experiences. Later he worked for outdoor gear sales for Smilie and Eddie Bauer in San Francisco and Seattle. Richard enjoyed backpacking and snowshoeing with the Sierra Club and with the Seattle Mountaineers. His last years were given to hiking, photographing wildflowers, and watching the passage of ships through Puget Sound. In his public obituary, we read: “He remained kind-hearted, humorous, open to new experiences, and good-natured through his final days.” Richard married Helen M. Chelland in 1944. They were together until her death in 2004. Surviving him are his daughter and son and four grandchildren.

Appeared in Reed magazine: June 2010

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