Richard Durham Obituary

Richard L. Durham, 86, who graduated from West Point, and later left military service for a career of government service, died Sunday February 7, 2016 after a brief illness. He had lived in Colorado Springs for 23 years.

Born in Portland, OR, he was a great grandson of a pioneer who moved his family from New York in 1847 and settled in the territory that became Oregon. After strong track performances in high school, a track scholarship placed him at Stanford University. But following the loss of the scholarship there, he sought another direction. An appointment from Oregon Senator Wayne Morse enabled him to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, from which he graduated in 1953 with an engineering degree and a commission to the rank of Army second lieutenant in the field artillery branch.

It was at one of the cadet social events at West Point where he met his bride-to-be, Shirley Schaub, from Westfield, NJ. Richard and Shirley were married at the West Point Cadet Chapel the day after Richard's graduation. He was forever grateful to West Point for what it gave him, and in 2013 he and Shirley attended his 60th class reunion there.

He served for six years on active duty, with assignments in field artillery and counterintelligence, including assignments in Germany and several U.S. locations. He left military service to take on various roles in government, with a focus on nuclear and weapons security, and information and documents security and classification. His assignments included Sandia National Laboratories and involvements with the Polaris missile system; the Department of Defense where he advised and assisted the presidential appointee dealing with nuclear policy and weapons development; with the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, where he advised the chief negotiator for strategic arms limitation negotiations; the Atomic Energy Commission where he was responsible for intelligence activities of that commission; and with the U.S. Department of Energy, where he worked at Hanford nuclear research site in Washington state where he established and ran the technical security classification management program.

During this government service, he published a number of abstracts in professional journals, and was founder of the National Classification Management Society, a group that thrives to this day, and has over 6,000 members around the world.

After his federal government service, he worked for the Oregon Department of Energy, with work on alternate energy sources including biomass, geothermal and wind development programs. And he worked as a special assistant in the Bonneville (Washington) Power Administration, with a focus on energy conservation.

Other activities included a term of service as an elected member of the Lake Oswego (Oregon) City Council , Chair of the Portland-Vancouver Solar Access Project, and a Commissioner on the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. He was a long-time member of the Military Order of the World Wars.

After retiring to the Colorado Springs area, Richard's dedication to the community included his service as president, board member, and long-time active member of Monument Hill Sertoma, which became the Monument Hill Kiwanis chapter. His community work also included terms on the Donala Water and Sanitation District Board, and as a president and board member of the Hugh A. Martin Memorial Scholarship Fund. He was an active model train hobbyist, target shooter, and devoted caregiver to his dogs, most recently his beloved Schnauzer Bailey.

He was a congregant at The Church at Woodmoor, where there will be a memorial service at a later date.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley, three daughters: Katherine Brechner (Berl); Maryann Kvancz (Kenneth); and Georgana Humphreys (James); eight grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. His two brothers, Walter Durham and George Durham, predeceased him.

Arrangements are being handled by Swan-Law Funeral Directors. Interment will be at West Point at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Richard Durham may be made to:

The Monument Hill Kiwanis (Monument Hill Foundation, P.O. Box 102, Monument, CO 80132) or the Hugh A. Martin Memorial Scholarship (1980 Dominion Way, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80918).