A tribute to My Dad, My Champion

    By Robin Richardson Orcutt, reprinted from RSG March 07

William A. "Bill" Richardson of Waltham, MA passed away on January 3, 2006 at the age of 70.  A lifelong resident of Waltham, he met his first wife Janet (Sampson) at the Wal-Lex Rollerway.  He was at the Wal-Lex the night it opened and he was there more than 50 years later for its very last session in 2002.  Although he never competed, he spent many, many years on the sidelines watching his children, Robin and Billy Jr. grow up to become national and world champion skaters.  When Billy and I retired from competitive skating and began coaching, he was always at the Gold Medal test centers to watch the skates that he still polished skate many a gold medal test.  He never missed a chance to see us or our students compete.  Later, he became the #1 fan of his grandson, five-time World Team member Kevin Kneeland.  “Papa” will always be remembered as the one standing back against the wall, arms crossed, not missing a trick.  He may have been very quiet, but not much got by him.  Any skater that got that ever-so-slight nod from him, knew they had done a good job!  Skaters just looked for the nod when he showed up.  I got the "nod" when Robert Schisler came up to try out for Junior Dance.  He just knew.  I remember him watching Tim Patten and Lisa Friday skate the Night of Champions at Silver City the first year they represented Taunton in World Class Dance.  Before he left the rink that night, he told Lisa to "pack her bags."   Ten days later, after many years of trying, Lisa and Tim qualified for the Senior World Team for the first time!   That  became his mantra.....after that, many a prospective world class skater from Taunton hoped to hear those words from him. He wasn't wrong very often! 

Bill was married to his wife Marion for 33 years and she was always right there with him anytime we were skating in the area. Never a competitive skater himself, he was every bit a champion in his own right and left a very impressive mark on the New England skating world being the proud dad of two members of the New England Hall of fame, and Billy and Kevin both being two-time winners of the Northeast Region Skater of the Year award.  He will always be remembered for his wonderful sense of sarcasm, his delicious donuts, and his big blue eyes and hearty laugh.  You are missed by many, Papa Bill!