Richard Segal, loving husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend to all humanity passed away peacefully at age 72 at his home in Maine on February 13, 2017. Here is the PAW Memorial.

Richard was proud to be the son of Bernard and Geraldine Segal of Philadelphia. At Harriton High School, in Bryn Mawr, he played soccer, starred in school plays, and was elected President of the Student Council. Richard majored in English while at Princeton, where he was selected to be a University Scholar, led bicker at Cottage Club, and studied in England to complete his thesis on the evolution of characters in the writings of T.S. Eliot. He roomed with Carl Feldbaum his freshman year in Middle Dod, and became close friends with John Edie and Don McCabe, who roomed together nearby. Richard and John remained close friends for many years. He also came to know both Rick Bowers and Larry Luchino ’67 quite well. Richard graduated from Princeton in 1968 and went on to pursue his Master’s in Psychology at Harvard University.

Richard dedicated his life to service. From the time he was a boy Richard was universally described a "kind” and "honest”. He despised injustice, and worked to put an end to the war in Vietnam, to apartheid in South Africa, and to racial prejudice in the United States. He developed a career as an independent counselor, working in Princeton’s Office of Counseling and Psychological Services in the mid 80s and serving as the Founder and President of the National Foundation on Counseling. In his professional practice Richard focused on helping individuals overcome depression and suicidal ideation, and he took great pride in the fact that none of his patients attempted suicide after commencing to work with him.

Richard had a unique ability to help people feel better. The range of individuals affected by his efforts extended from homeless young persons on the streets of Boston, to students at Princeton and Harvard, to aspiring teachers who were participating in national service programs, to young professional athletes. Richard’s uncanny ability to understand human behavior allowed him to forecast political and economic events. His brilliance in analyzing human issues at individual, organizational and national levels was matched only by his tireless dedication to advancing individual satisfaction and societal equality. Richard married Susan Stein, of New York City, who was also a Princeton graduate. They had one child, Meredith. Richard was a boundlessly devoted and wise father who home schooled his daughter for four years and shared with her his love of poetry, politics, soccer and service. He worked selflessly to make possible every one of her dreams.

Richard was interred in a mausoleum in the backyard of his home, in Cumberland, Maine. A memorial service was held for him on May 15, 2017, on what would have been his 72nd birthday. The men in the picture below are (l-to- r) Jim Parmentier, John Edie, Rick Bowers and Larry Luchino '67. The woman is Karen Tilbor, who worked with Richard in Princeton’s Office of Counseling and Psychological Services.