We are conscious that many people from this time at school may not be in contact with us and we would be very grateful if you could pass on this information to those that you know.

As is usual practice, we would like to place an obituary for him in the next OI Journal and would be very grateful if anyone felt they could come forward to write one. Alternatively, if you know of any stories or memories, please pass them on so we could put them together for the publication. Address any contributions to me through oldipswichians@ipswich.school.

With best wishes

Iain Chesterman
OI Chairman
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Rick’s academic ability was recognised very early on and he was promoted a full year ahead of his peer group. In school, our paths did not really cross until we both took up German as well as French and we continued both subjects into A level. As part of our German A level course Mike Butler arranged for a small group of us, including Rick and I, to take part in an exchange, for a whole term, with some students from a school in Ahrensburg, a small town north east of Hamburg. We set off from Harwich in early January 1967 and then travelled by train from the Hook of Holland to Hamburg where we were met by our host families. We attended the local Hochschule every day and did our best to take part in their lessons. The host families were all very welcoming and we got on well with their sons who would come back to Ipswich in the summer term. Our time in Germany was a wonderful and edifying experience which was made even more special when, shortly before returning home in late March, our group flew from Hamburg to Berlin for a long weekend to visit Paul Sutton, who had elected to do his exchange there, the highlight of the visit being a coach tour which took us through Checkpoint Charlie into East Berlin.

In 1968 Rick took his A levels in German, French and English and gained a place at Christ’s College, Cambridge. Following his 3 years there he joined the family firm of Phillips and Piper, where his father, Dennis, also an OI, was managing director. He worked there as a sales representative until the firm closed in June 1982. He then joined Kimberley-Clark, again in sales, for a few years before joining Greene King in their sales department until he retired in 2015. 

Rick and I formed a great friendship with John Fieldman, meeting up on a regular basis and went on 3 canal holidays organised by John. We each met and courted our future wives in the mid 1970’s and attended each other’s weddings in 1976,77&78. Rick was best man for both myself and John and performed his duties in his usual impeccable style! We all had children of similar ages, though sadly John died soon after the birth of their second child in 1985.

Rick and Maggie had 3 children, 2 daughters and a son, and it was only last year that they became grandparents for the first time, when both of their daughters gave birth.

Affable, modest, genial, gregarious, he had a wonderful sense of humour and a sharp wit and it was always a pleasure to be in his company. He celebrated his 69th birthday in December last year and will be sorely missed by so many.   
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