Marv and I are so sorry to hear of our wonderful friend Rich's passing and extend our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the entire family. He was such a dear, kind and loving man with a great smile and sense of humor. We always loved being in his presence...his positive energy made everyone feel a little better just being around him. He will be truly missed by all of us who knew him and we will keep him our hearts always.
First off I want to express my heat felt sympathy to Ann and the Selph family. Rich and I go back to the summer of 1960. Rich was from the great city of New York and I was from a dairy farm near Fall Creek Wisconsin. Despite our different backgrounds we immediately became friends. Rich was way ahead of the curve academically and I struggled with the math, physics and aerodynamics but he spared no time helping me through the program. We both finished basic flight training at Pensacola Fl and went on to advanced training at New Iberia La. we received our coveted wings and we’re both commissioned 2nd lieutenants in the USMC and assigned to the same squadron at Cherry Point N. C. Once we were qualified on the KC 130 we were sent to the same squadron in Japan where we became room mates until returning to the USA Again we were assigned to the same squadron at Cherry Point N.C. While here my wife Ginny and I were married and Rich arranged for us to stay with his parents in New York City and they treated us as royalties and besides touring the City we enjoyed the Worlds Fair o 1964. Rich opted to go with Pan American Airlines and I went to Northwest Airlines but we remained life long friends. I cherish many of our life long memories and will forever be in debt for your many contributions to making my career in aviation possible. I am sure you have passed your final check ride west and await all of us on the other side. Semper Fi my friend until we meet again. Larry Amelse