As many of us face wintry weather across the US this week, we invite you to take a moment to pause and celebrate the life of a long time friend and dedicated Shadowcliff volunteer, Rick Robson, who passed away on January 28, 2022. Rick served on the Shadowcliff Board of Directors for several years and contributed to many on-site projects beyond that time — from leading major renovations to advising on sustainable, cost-effective solutions for Shadowcliff. All this, Rick did with a generous spirit and kind smile. I especially enjoyed working with Rick and his wife Kelly Parker on the “Laws of Nature” interpretive trail which was dedicated in 2013.
We’re so grateful to have many amazing volunteers that have stewarded Shadowcliff throughout the years, but today, we want to especially highlight the legacy of our friend, Rick. Below is a reflection from Shadowcliff Advisory Council member and past Director, Bob Mann, that tells more about Rick’s wonderful contributions to Shadowcliff. If you’d like to know more about Rick and his journey, please visit Rick’s CaringBridge page. Rick and Kelly also generously asked that friends and family donate to Shadowcliff in lieu of flowers.
– Kelly Yarbrough, Shadowcilff Board of Directors
02/01/2022
Rick Robson is one of my heroes. He lived life with a wonderful sense of wholeness. Whether in a lab, woodworking shop, holding up a roof, breaking bread, hosting a meeting, sharing time one to one or facing difficult health challenges……. Rick invited us in. His beautiful gentle smiling face was so welcoming, how could we resist?
Our mutual friend Ed Van Leeuwen introduced me to Rick in the late 1990’s. Ed and I had coaxed Hallmark’s slow movement toward more sustainable practices for several years and as Ed neared retirement and became Chair of Bridging The Gap, Rick became increasingly the leader in environmental initiatives at Hallmark.
In 2003 and 2006 Rick joined us in Shadowcliff Sustainability Workshops and in the process fell in love with this special mountain sanctuary. He joined the Shadowcliff Board of Directors in 2006 and led our Facilities Committee for the next decade. Rick’s leadership was “hands-on. He was the point person on the Rempel third floor renovation and I can still see him standing like a rock under that huge roof with support beams holding the roof in place as others ran to help by working another wall in place. One early May Rick led our volunteers in the renovation of the Cliffside kitchen and dining room and the addition of new showers in the bathrooms. When Rick was not onsite he and Randy Friesen were my “go to’s” for phone calls, decisions and crisis solutions. Rick’s detailed Facilities Overview remains the baseline for many of our May work projects.
Shadowcliff’s Laws of Nature Trail was a wonderful team effort but at the core were Rick, wife Kelly Parker and Chris Taylor (all Kansas City folks). Rick and Kelly designed and built the wonderful benches along the path and worked hand in hand with Chris on the signs at each of the rest stops along the trail. Once constructed Rick and Kelly loaded the benches on a trailer and brought them to Shadowcliff and located them on concrete slabs.
Years before any other person, Rick and Kelly initiated recurring monthly contributions to Shadowcliff and were the only such contributions until the last two years.
I could share so much more about this delightful human being, but I especially wanted the Shadowcliff community to know the tremendous impact Rick and Kelly have on our mountain sanctuary. My heart is heavy this week, but I take solace in knowing that our planet is better because Rick walked with us, our species is more whole, and his family, friends and so many of us are better human beings because we were touched by Rick.
Certainly Shadowcliff will always bear his footprints.
-RJM