Thursday, January 16, 2025
Ahh Dick, you were way too young to leave this life and many of us who knew you, loved and cared for you, admired and respected you, mourn your passing. You were a man of many talents and yes, you were larger than life; yes, you could light up a room, and yes, you were a family guy first, and a friend to many. I knew you in several of those scenarios but also as an hard worker, a loyal employee, and a caring leader to your CSEA Union organization.
There were many times in my twenty years of DCS tenure that Dick and I sat at opposite ends of the table. He, as the Union president, would haggle, negotiate, agree, disagree, and disagree agreeably. Together, we worked to further opportunities for our staff which ultimately benefited our kids and our community. He was passionate about his constituency and always wanted to do the best he could for his members in all of our discussions. He could see all points of view, he was proactive, and he was honest and admirably fair. In short, he was a man of his word and his word was respected.
Dick…Rest well. Your work legacy remains in negotiated agreements, in student-driver relationships which included mutual respect, and in adminstrative dealings that I believe enhanced life at DCS. You, Dick Axtell, are definitely one of the good guys and it was my pleasure to know and work with you in all of our dealings.
