Richard C. Blum, 90, of Enosburgh, Vt., died suddenly on September 22, 2024, at the Northwestern Medical Center in Saint Albans, Vt.
Richard Clarke Blum was born on March 18, 1934, the eldest of three children. His father, Harry, was a pharmacist who became part owner of the Blum Folding Box Company. During World War II, Harry started as a U.S. Navy pharmacist mate and ended up as chief health inspector for the Port of Bermuda, where he was responsible for inspecting South American food supply ships before they convoyed to Europe. Richard’s mother, Beryl (Clarke) Blum, was a nurse, homemaker and expert knitter.
Born in Brooklyn and raised in Roslyn, N.Y., Richard graduated from Earlham College in Richmond, Ind., attending through the GI Bill, and received a law degree from Brooklyn Law School. Later in life, he furthered his studies by doing graduate coursework in biology at Harvard University.
Moving to Vermont in 1964, Richard was a well-known and, occasionally, polarizing lawyer in Burlington for more than 30 years. When he first came to Vermont, he clerked for and worked at the law firm of Latham and Eastman in Burlington. He worked for the Vermont Consumer Protection Agency, was the first director of Vermont Legal Aid and had a law partnership with Paul Jarvis for many years. He was known for being unselfish in his efforts to help people in need. Toward the end of his career, Richard developed something of a specialty, representing other attorneys in professional disciplinary matters.
Richard was a one-of-a kind man. He was a storyteller known for his quick wit, irreverent humor and love of the English language. Richard was a great cook, loved parties, and was an excellent deep-sea fisherman, especially for grouper out of Islamorada, Fla. He cut firewood and was an avid gardener known for his garlic. As part owner of Esox bar in Burlington, Vt., he authored and published the Esox Fables newsletter and was very briefly a weekend talk show host on WDOT radio. He once donated a copy of the full Oxford English Dictionary to the Fletcher Free Library so others could enjoy looking up an obscure word.
Richard spent the last 20-plus years in peace and harmony at a beautiful spot with gorgeous mountain views in northeastern Vermont with his longtime consort, Elizabeth Trotter.
In addition to Elizabeth, Richard is survived by his two sons, Alexander (Kim) and Lorenzo; former wife, Anne Kreisel; granddaughters, Emily and Amelia; and sister Doris and brother Andrew.
Please raise a glass to this amazing man.
A celebration of Richard’s life will be held at a later date.
This article appears in The Tech Issue 2024.