Dick Hale died at home in Orland, Oct. 5, 2018, after an adventure-filled 89 years. Born Dec. 27, 1928, in Lake Placid, NY, to Edward and Marguerite Stanley Hale, he spent most of his youth on the campus of Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, Ct. He attended Salisbury and Hotchkiss schools, Hobart College, and graduated from St. Lawrence U. He served in the U.S. Army stationed in Tokyo.
Dick taught at Hotchkiss, was hutmaster at Tuckerman Ravine, spent two winters at Mt. Washington observatory; other work included ski trail crew at Aspen, cabinet builder in NH, and a lawn-care business in Castine.
Dick was a champion ski racer during and after college, winning a number of local races and a gold medal in the 1952 National Cross Country race.He was among the founding members of Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust and worked with many environmental conservation groups.
He leaves his companion of 27 years Sharon Bray, sons Thomas and Theodore Hale and their mother Judith, and many loyal ski, kayak and hiking friends. His sister Nancy Helmers predeceased him.
Dick, was the first person to meet me upon my arrival at Pinkham in early summer 1964. My first hut job was assistant cook for the construction croo at Mizpah. I was a real rookie and had no idea what I was getting myself into . Dick patiently showed me how tie on my personal to hump it up to the construction site. He loaned me a pair of boots, showed me the way to the Crawford Path. His final instructions were to hike the trail and take the cutoff, Dinner was at 6PM. Since it was still before noon, I’m sure he thought no problem. Upon my arrival about 5PM, I was escorted to a tent and my cot which was to be home for the next several months. No running water, a pit toilet, and a card board box for storage. Wow, It was not quite what I had expected but Dick, Phil Costello, and Sully showed me the way.
Over fifty years later I still think of it as the defining moment of my life. Here were a group of very bright guys doing what they wanted and constructing a facility that would allow future generations the same experience we had each day.
Dick, thanks for all you did for me as my mentor. Doug Hotchkiss