Rocky Henderson's Eulogy Speech at Dick's Memorial Service
In St Paul's Cathedral in London there is an inscription on the floor. It refers to Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of that magnificent cathedral and is a quote from his son. It reads simply, "If you're searching for his monument, look around."
Today we are gathered here in this cathedral to reflect on the life of our friend, Dick Pooley. In a sense we are here searching for his monument. I would suggest that we don't have to look around very far to find several of Dick's monuments.
In 1986 Dick had just retired from Tektronix and somehow connected with the Silcox Hut restoration project. The Hut had been built in 1939 as the warming hut and upper bull wheel house for the second ski lift in America. Over the years it had suffered neglect and abandonment. There were discussions going on about possibly just burning it down. Dick, always the visionary, stepped in as the project engineer for the volunteer team that tackled the project. For the next several years Dick practically lived at Silcox, working 6 days a week, managing crews, digging ditches, engineering solutions. Getting a reliable water supply was a formidable challenge. It was Dick's experience, and keen mind that solved the problem with a pump and pipe all the way from Timberline, a 1000 foot drop below. If you have occasion to stop by Silcox Hut, "Look Around" and see one of Dick Pooley's monuments.
Another monument of Dick Pooley is the Mountain Rescue Association. Most of us know that he was the first president of the MRA, our George Washington so to speak, but he was more than just the first president. He was the visionary, the facilitator, the negotiator, the driving force to see what needed to be done to make things better.
Let me take you back to Dicks early climbing days. At age 17 he did his first climb of Mt Hood up Cooper Spur in the middle of a 20 person rope team with one experienced Crag Rat at each end. Next thing you know he was volunteering to help the Crag Rat Flare Gang, hauling heavy loads up the Elliot Glacier to illuminate the mountain to the delight of the residents of Hood River Valley below. That attitude and willingness to help when needed led to an invitation to join the Crag Rats and his participation in the Mazamas, Mt Hood Ski Patrol and then the Mountain Rescue and Safety Council of Oregon. Speaking of helping out, I got an email this week from one of his friends that he helped. Let me read it.
Dear Rocky,
For many years I taught snow and ice climbing courses on Mt Hood. Dick was the one who was responsible for setting up the courses through Lewis and Clark College. He didn't need to, but he attended most of the courses, helping me out with the students. Needless to say, he became my best pupil! Those were good days and I fondly remember those times.
Signed: Yvon Chouinard, founder and president of Patagonia Inc.
Yvon probably doesn't remember me but I was one of those students and that is how I met Dick Pooley.
It was in the late 1950's after several large and challenging missions that mountain rescue seemed to need some larger organizational structure. How can we learn from each other? And help each other be safer and function together across state lines. Dick caught that vision and helped mold it into what we now call the Mountain Rescue Association. It was June 1959 at Timberline Lodge that Dick was elected the first president of the MRA. Today the MRA consists of almost one hundred teams and over 2500 members, all a fitting monument to Dick Pooley and a life well lived.