Obituary of John Richardson

John Richardson John Richardson died on 26 December 2014 at Maplewood Park Place, Bethesda, Maryland. He was born on February 4, 1921, in Milton, Massachusetts to Hope Hemenway and John Richardson, and grew up with four older sisters, Faith, Hope, Isa and Hetty. He attended Noble and Greenough School and graduated from Harvard College in 1943 and Law School after WW11. He served as a World War Two paratrooper, a Wall Street lawyer (Sullivan and Cromwell) and an investment banker (Paine Webber). He was President of Radio Free Europe for eight years, Assistant Secretary of State for Education and Cultural Affairs 1969-1977, and President of Youth for Understanding 1978 - 1986. He had leadership roles in many voluntary organizations during his lifetime, was a founding staff member of the U.S. Institute of Peace, founding board member and chair of the National Endowment of Democracy and a board member of numerous educational and service organizations, including the Council for a Communities of Democracies, the International Rescue Committee, the American Forum for Global Education, and was chair of the Board of River Road Unitarian Church, Bethesda Maryland. He was decorated by the Governments of Germany and Japan for his work in international youth exchange and in 1988 for his ontribution to the Polish struggle for freedom and democracy during the Cold War period. He married Thelma (Bonnie) Richardson in 1945, and had five daughters, Teren, Hope, Cathy/Cate, Hetty and Eva, six grandchildren and five great grandchildren. A memorial seravice will be held Saturday, May 9, 2015, at Cane Creek, Hillsborough, North Carolina.