A
book could be written about Richard Andre's life, of which I am in no
position to do. Like most people, Richard was a complicated man. I will
however attempt to briefly hit the highlights:
A lifelong
admirer of history, especially of Kanawha County and Charleston in
particular. His and Stan Cohen's books "Kananawha County Images
Vols I and II are the bibles of pictorial history and reflect
Richard's love for the past. No greater amount of local
history has ever been published.
Richard's
feature in the Charleston Gazette for many years "20th Century Images"
was considered by a large number to be the main reason they enjoyed
reading the paper.
Spring Hill Cemetery
Richard
realized the historical nature of the Spring Hill Cemetery, as many of
us did. But he fought hard to turn the cemetery into more than
just a place to reflect. It's nature preserves, named roadways,
and historical plaques are just a few things he was involved with, in
order to make the cemetery "come alive" for the living. Today the
cemetery is not just stones with vague names , but a real life history
lesson that few classrooms can duplicate.
His Dad
A
huge fan of early local racing, both car and motorcycle. Richards
father B.E. Andre was a locally famous motorcycle racer in the
teens, and Richard could have no greater role model.
Richard too has a son (Doug) that shared in Richards adventures while growing up.
A good life.
A
man can expect only so much from life before he dies. Some expect
little, and muddle through the best they can while others try to make
every minute count. Richard was one of those people. His
mind was never still and his life's work reflects this. The
people of Charleston and Kanawha County are privileged to have had such
a man as their native son. R.I.P.
