In Memory: Martin Richman '50

Dear Laurentian community,

I write with the sad news that St. Lawrence Trustee Emeritus Martin “Marty” Richman ’50 passed away on May 22. He was 92.

As a student and an alumnus, he breathed life into the substantive intellectual connections and professional achievements that define St. Lawrence.

During Marty’s undergraduate years, his distinctive scholarly work added to the considerable accomplishments of the St. Lawrence Class of 1950. He was honored on campus as a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa—and he graduated magna cum laude (government). Marty was also recognized through Phi Sigma Kappa (vice president), government honorary (founding member), journalism honorary, Winter Carnival Committee, debate club, Laurentian (editor-in-chief), first-year handbook (co-editor), Scarlet Saint (associate editor), Hill News, Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, and received the Laurentian Literary Prize.

Following his graduation from St. Lawrence, Marty attended Harvard Law School, where he was Case Editor of the Harvard Law Review. After serving in the U.S. military, he clerked for two of the most respected federal jurists of the time: Calvert Magruder, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. With that experience, Marty launched a nearly 60-year career in private legal practice, punctuated by his appointment during the Johnson administration as Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice.

Marty received an Alumni Citation in 1972. He became a St. Lawrence Trustee in 1979, remaining on the Board through 1995, when he was elected Trustee Emeritus. During his tenure, he championed the University, its priorities, and mission. Starting in 1994, he served for six years as Chair of the Committee on Planned Giving and he received the G. Atwood Manley Society Award in 2000. Marty was an avid supporter of unrestricted giving to the St. Lawrence Fund. He and his wife created the Martin and Florence Richman Unrestricted Endowment, which provides valuable support to the University each year.

Marty is survived by Florence “Flo” E. Reif Richman, his loving wife for more than 60 years; children, Judy and Andy; daughter-in-law, Diane; and grandchildren, Sarah, Dan, and Emma. In addition to his family and many friends, he loved music, travel, a good book, and the beauty he found in Wellfleet, MA.

As we mourn the loss of our friend and devoted Laurentian, we recall Marty’s exemplary decency, his command of facts, law, and common sense, and his insistence on putting the needs and wishes of others ahead of his own. With profound gratitude for Marty’s service to St. Lawrence, we are honored to remember him and all the contributions he made to this community.

Please join us in celebrating Marty’s life by sharing your memories of him on the St. Lawrence University website. You can read the remembrances of others here.

Sincerely,

Kate Morris