Does anyone know more deatils about the reported fatality at Sylmar today?
http://cbs2.com/local/Hang.Gliding.Death.2.753918.html
Jun 21, 2008 4:39 pm US/Pacific
60-Year-Old Man Killed In Hang-Gliding Accident
LOS ANGELES A 60-year-old man died in a hang-gliding accident near El Cariso Golf Course, according to a city fire official.
Authorities received reports of the accident at 2:55 p.m. in the 12000 block of Gridley Street, said d'Lisa Davies of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The man was severly injured when rescuers arrived and died about 20 minutes later, Davies said.
Fatality at Sylmar Today?
Moderator: Chip
-
JT
I think everyone was a little stunned and reluctant to bring the news to our club:
Richard Seymour side-slipped a turn close to the ground, in difficult conditions and impacted near the homes to the West. Joe Greblo was present, witnessed the event and was first on-scene to provide life-support. I'm sure an accident report will follow. Richard was unconcious and never regained consciousness while paramedics attempted to resuscitate him. His wife, Julie was notified and a crisis unit from LAPD was responding. She did not seem to want any interaction with friends at the time and intended to bring the news to his parents yesterday evening.
According to Joe, this is the first fatality at Sylmar-Kagel in 21 years.
Not in the news was Rome's collapse immediately after Richard's accident. Rob Burgis found no pulse or respiration and began CPR with another pilot (sorry, I don't know who) which brought Rome back. Rome was attended by the paramedics already present but refused hospitalization. His partner, Trish, told me he was resting comfortably last night. She also said that Rome does not do well in extreme heat; somehting we probably all need to watch as we age.
Edit from Chip: Rome asked me to pass on that he had mistakenly taken a high blood pressure pill to closely to the time he had taken the first one. He thinks this may have lead to the condition that caused him to pass out.
Richard Seymour side-slipped a turn close to the ground, in difficult conditions and impacted near the homes to the West. Joe Greblo was present, witnessed the event and was first on-scene to provide life-support. I'm sure an accident report will follow. Richard was unconcious and never regained consciousness while paramedics attempted to resuscitate him. His wife, Julie was notified and a crisis unit from LAPD was responding. She did not seem to want any interaction with friends at the time and intended to bring the news to his parents yesterday evening.
According to Joe, this is the first fatality at Sylmar-Kagel in 21 years.
Not in the news was Rome's collapse immediately after Richard's accident. Rob Burgis found no pulse or respiration and began CPR with another pilot (sorry, I don't know who) which brought Rome back. Rome was attended by the paramedics already present but refused hospitalization. His partner, Trish, told me he was resting comfortably last night. She also said that Rome does not do well in extreme heat; somehting we probably all need to watch as we age.
Edit from Chip: Rome asked me to pass on that he had mistakenly taken a high blood pressure pill to closely to the time he had taken the first one. He thinks this may have lead to the condition that caused him to pass out.
Richard,
Thanks for the good times, my friend. I will never forget you. A short remembering...
You would pick a spot in the LZ to sit down by yourself and before long there would be a group of guys gathered around you. Some may think this was because of the good brew or the pork rinds you brought. Not for me! I came for great stories you spun and the great jokes you told. What a sense of humor!
You were always so nice, easy to talk to and even keeled. Always one to lend a hand and make lite of this tough world.
Hey, have we ever had a better newsletter editor?
I am sure there will be many more Richard Seymour rememberings and tales to tell! I just had to let my sorrow out. You know, it hurts.
Richard, I count myself very fortunate to have walked this earth with you, even for the brief time that it was.
Richard, you touched me and because of this, have made me a better person. Thank you.
Fly high my friend...
My condolences to Richard's family and friends.
Thanks for the good times, my friend. I will never forget you. A short remembering...
You would pick a spot in the LZ to sit down by yourself and before long there would be a group of guys gathered around you. Some may think this was because of the good brew or the pork rinds you brought. Not for me! I came for great stories you spun and the great jokes you told. What a sense of humor!
You were always so nice, easy to talk to and even keeled. Always one to lend a hand and make lite of this tough world.
Hey, have we ever had a better newsletter editor?
I am sure there will be many more Richard Seymour rememberings and tales to tell! I just had to let my sorrow out. You know, it hurts.
Richard, I count myself very fortunate to have walked this earth with you, even for the brief time that it was.
Richard, you touched me and because of this, have made me a better person. Thank you.
Fly high my friend...
My condolences to Richard's family and friends.
-
flyingbigf00t
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sun Jun 22, 2008 3:22 pm
Richard,
You will be missed.
We worked together for a month in Traverse City. I got to know you well in that time. I know that you had a huge impact on my life. You taught me more about how things work and how to get along in the world than I had learned in the rest of my life. You and Mike were a great group of guys to work with. I will miss that time.
I am not a hang-glider, but iIknew Richard through work. He and I worked on a museum exhibit in Michigan together along with my mother Mary. He was always the first there and one of the last to leave. Never let a job go undone, even if he hated it. And always bought a round at the pub after we were done for the day. He loved jokes and always wanted to learn more. I hope he had time to share some of his new ones with you all.
Please keep this post updated with information as it becomes available. He was a great man. Mary and I will miss you!
Measure twice, cut once.
***
The above was from Richard (2)--this is from me...
I'm about the same age as Richard, and as it turned out lived some of the same life. We met when he came to Michigan to complete the fabrication and installation of an exhibit, and so we worked together for the first and, as it turns out, last time. It was good to know he was out there: creative, analytical, crazy, sane, risk-taking, careful, gregarious, private, smart. Richard--I wish you hadn't gone so soon. I can't replace you by ordering from the McMaster-Carr catalog. Good-bye, my friend!
~Richard (2) and Mary
P.S. If anyone has any pictures of Richard flying could you please post them? Thanks.
You will be missed.
We worked together for a month in Traverse City. I got to know you well in that time. I know that you had a huge impact on my life. You taught me more about how things work and how to get along in the world than I had learned in the rest of my life. You and Mike were a great group of guys to work with. I will miss that time.
I am not a hang-glider, but iIknew Richard through work. He and I worked on a museum exhibit in Michigan together along with my mother Mary. He was always the first there and one of the last to leave. Never let a job go undone, even if he hated it. And always bought a round at the pub after we were done for the day. He loved jokes and always wanted to learn more. I hope he had time to share some of his new ones with you all.
Please keep this post updated with information as it becomes available. He was a great man. Mary and I will miss you!
Measure twice, cut once.
***
The above was from Richard (2)--this is from me...
I'm about the same age as Richard, and as it turned out lived some of the same life. We met when he came to Michigan to complete the fabrication and installation of an exhibit, and so we worked together for the first and, as it turns out, last time. It was good to know he was out there: creative, analytical, crazy, sane, risk-taking, careful, gregarious, private, smart. Richard--I wish you hadn't gone so soon. I can't replace you by ordering from the McMaster-Carr catalog. Good-bye, my friend!
~Richard (2) and Mary
P.S. If anyone has any pictures of Richard flying could you please post them? Thanks.
Julie Seymour
Hi Everybody,
Tonight Anne and I visited Julie at home. As we walked up into the front yard, we were pleased to see Julie sitting with a number of her and Richard's closest friends. Roland and Joy, John and his brother Frank, neighbors Bob and Stefanie, all sitting in the lovely twilight having drinks and sharing stories about Richard. Julie is displaying amazing strength, and while a little angry at hang gliding (go figure!), she was glad to see us and would be happy to hear from Richard's fellow bird people. I invited Julie to the pending memorial service in the LZ next week and she said she would be there. Joy says the services will probably be on Friday. I'll keep the SHGA community informed as I learn the details. In the meantime, please send your love and well-wishes to Julie, and remember our beloved CabbageHead as he cores the big one skyward!
Will
Tonight Anne and I visited Julie at home. As we walked up into the front yard, we were pleased to see Julie sitting with a number of her and Richard's closest friends. Roland and Joy, John and his brother Frank, neighbors Bob and Stefanie, all sitting in the lovely twilight having drinks and sharing stories about Richard. Julie is displaying amazing strength, and while a little angry at hang gliding (go figure!), she was glad to see us and would be happy to hear from Richard's fellow bird people. I invited Julie to the pending memorial service in the LZ next week and she said she would be there. Joy says the services will probably be on Friday. I'll keep the SHGA community informed as I learn the details. In the meantime, please send your love and well-wishes to Julie, and remember our beloved CabbageHead as he cores the big one skyward!
Will
A sad situation to say the very least. It is nice to hear from the friends and fellow pilots that were close to Richard speak of him in remembrance. Within the past few weeks I recall sitting at the benches at the LZ next to a group of experienced pilots having a great time chatting about flying, terrible beer, cracking open some pork rinds and just enjoying the afternoon. I suspect Richard was a part of that group but sadly at this point as a newer member I have not been able to put a face to the name. If he wasn't part of that group I know he would have appreciated the setting as one he would have been part of at other times in the LZ.
It is a sad addition that on the same day an Elsinore Sky Diver also had a fatal accident. I am not sure of the details but we are working/playing in potentially hazardous conditions sharing what mother nature decides to deal us from day to day.
It is great to see the caring and friendship that was shared with Richard and also his family. You are a select group I am happy to be getting to know. Condolences to his family and close friends. BB
It is a sad addition that on the same day an Elsinore Sky Diver also had a fatal accident. I am not sure of the details but we are working/playing in potentially hazardous conditions sharing what mother nature decides to deal us from day to day.
It is great to see the caring and friendship that was shared with Richard and also his family. You are a select group I am happy to be getting to know. Condolences to his family and close friends. BB
Bill
Rembering Richard
At the 2007 abbreviated and repeatedly postponed Dahlsten Cup I had the opportunity to hear from Richard himself explain how he became “famous� for the Chili cook-off. He explained that several years earlier he “campaigned� for his chili by offering cans of cold beer in exchange for votes. He went on to acknowledge that some of the other competitors were not amused with his tactic but, there was no rule against it and the end result was he won.
It was all I could do to keep from falling to the ground laughing.
I don’t know if he took the competition too seriously or just wanted to needle those that did.
I believe he won the 2007 Chili cook-off even with the close supervision of Katherine Yardley.
It was all I could do to keep from falling to the ground laughing.
I don’t know if he took the competition too seriously or just wanted to needle those that did.
I believe he won the 2007 Chili cook-off even with the close supervision of Katherine Yardley.
I was just a visiting pilot from SLC, but happened to be in the LZ with my video camera. I caught all but the impact (thankfully), and was one of the first on the scene. I just want to stress that we only get one chance to land, so everything must be premeditated and carefully planned, especially on hot rowdy days such as Saturday. So to everyone returning to Earth, keep that bar in, speed is safety, and into the wind. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. My sincere condolences to the family and friends who lost one so close to the heart. He went doing what he loves. Fly high, fly far, and fly safe. The only part that angered me was the slow response and seemingly apathetic care from the EMT's. Since when does "emergency" translate as "walking pace"?
Roz - This is certainly no way to treat guests. I'm sure your response to the calamity was greatly appreciated and your video may shed some light on how bad the conditions were at the LZ. I have only flown at Kagel once (a tandem refresher flight) and was cautioned both on the ground and in the air by Greblo how the LZ doesn't leave much margin for error in turbulent conditions.Roz wrote:I was just a visiting pilot from SLC, but happened to be in the LZ........slow response and seemingly apathetic care from the EMT's......
Chip noted on his Sylmartian's blog
I'm not sure whether or not Richard was among the SHGA members I met on April 29th during my first visit to Sylmar since 1974, but he sure sounds like my kind of guy. I would enjoy reading any more stories about his escapades that anyone would care to share. The analysis of his final approach can wait for another day. I would appreciate getting to know a little bit more about how the man lived.The heat in the LZ was pretty bad, already over 100 when we arrived at 11. I felt that this would not be a great place to land mid day and made a mental note of the switchy conditions in the LZ, but the wind at the time was moving from a WNW direction to a SSE direction at the time.
Warmly,
Jonathan
To say Richard was the our newsletter's editor for the better part of the last few years doesn't do him justice. He authored much of it when contributions from the club were at times sparce. Every newsletter had at least one article written by him. If you want to get to know him, read the last few years of High Times. Anything that doesn't have a byline or has some initials at the end like RS or CH (short for Cabbage Head) was written by him.
You can access them from the SHGA homepage. When I heard the news yesterday morning, I started reading some of them myself.
-Dave Susko
You can access them from the SHGA homepage. When I heard the news yesterday morning, I started reading some of them myself.
-Dave Susko
-
Lynn McLaughlin
- Posts: 297
- Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2005 3:08 pm
He was not a simple man but he loved the simple pleasures of life. He lived from his heart and soul. His mind was amazing and his thirst for learning unquenchable.
We met over 11 years ago when we both worked for The Walt Disney Company. At the time, Richard was one of the few remaining Imagineers -- an exclusive group of engineers and effects designers working at the Burbank studios. He loved designing, building and installing the special effects that guests would enjoy in theme parks or museums. Nothing thrilled him more than to receive an assignment that required he crack volumes of books, travel to far reaches of the earth and/or interview most anyone, any where. Richard loved to learn. We can see some of his effects displays in California, Tennessee, Florida, France, Korea and most recently at a Children's Museum in Michigan.
Carpentry and Special Effects were only the beginning of his interests. Richard came from the world of the Theatre and he loved theatre people. Their inherent quirkiness, love for life and willingness to stretch the envelop intrigued him. Or, maybe it was just the drama... Regardless, that is how we met. In 1997, we were cast in a Disney production of Midsummer Night's Dream. It was a non-profit effort by volunteers and we loved every minute of it! Richard played opposite me and during rehearsals we would run our lines and discuss character development. I was struck by his immense creativity. With the help of Richard’s deep understanding of Shakespeare and the sensibilities behind the authors writing, we devised marvelous staging and characters repore. It was during that time that I realized I was in the company of an amazing, versatile, genius.
One night, during rehearsal I asked him what he did when he was not busy designing special effects, acting in Shakespearian plays, collecting authentic Persian rugs, bottling delicious home brew or writing a novel based on Middle Eastern history? And Richard, in his typical understated manner simply replied, "I fly hang gliders." I was ecstatic to hear this since my history included a bit of flying in the mid 1970's and I had longed to return to the sport. Shortly after that he brought me to SHGA Landing Zone on a blustery February afternoon that left us shivering with a couple other pilots next to the Gazebo. Richard instructed me to sit and watch the red tail hawks and hang gliders just in front of us. I was enchanted and totally hooked! He warned me that I would never be the same if I became involved in hang gliding. He told me I would sense my surroundings differently and learn to smell thermals and see things that most humans never, ever get to see. I begged to learn more so Richard placed me in the hands of Joe Greblo and made me promise to listen closely and follow Joe's instruction. I did as my friend insisted and soloed later that same year. In a short amount of time I met his lovely long-time, girlfriend, Julie, who he later married on July 4th, 2005. It was obvious to me from the moment he spoke of her that Richard adored Julie. They were a great couple -- funny, brilliant and inseparable.
In the year 2000, Richard and I worked together to research the history of Dockweiler Beach. As we developed plans for a regional pilot reunion, Richard decided to recreate a BATSO hang glider from original plans. That glider was a highlight of the hugely successful event. But it was not balanced for flight – even with a rock duct-taped to the nose! Today, we have photos of our SHGA pilots attempting to fly it on file in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. He went on to write an article for Hang Gliding Magazine that chronicled the 12 year struggle to reopen the site to hang gliding. That article is still referenced today for the historic detail that Richard was able to capture and convey. And, in 2003, Richard once again answered my request to write an article for hang gliding when I began working to create our SHGA 20th Anniversary event. He brought his love for writing, research and hang gliding to that article and it stands today as our formal, published SHGA history.
Some years have passed since we met on stage. Richard and Julie have been my loved ones for over 11 years. On more than one occasion they held my hand and my heart when life dealt me very hard blows. Richard always extended kindness, patience, loyalty, love, humor, brotherly advice, protection and acceptance to me... a fellow oddball actor, pilot and forever his dear friend.
Richard, today I sense my surroundings differently. I feel you in the air, the clouds and the sky. You live in my heart. I am so blessed to have had you as my brother.
We met over 11 years ago when we both worked for The Walt Disney Company. At the time, Richard was one of the few remaining Imagineers -- an exclusive group of engineers and effects designers working at the Burbank studios. He loved designing, building and installing the special effects that guests would enjoy in theme parks or museums. Nothing thrilled him more than to receive an assignment that required he crack volumes of books, travel to far reaches of the earth and/or interview most anyone, any where. Richard loved to learn. We can see some of his effects displays in California, Tennessee, Florida, France, Korea and most recently at a Children's Museum in Michigan.
Carpentry and Special Effects were only the beginning of his interests. Richard came from the world of the Theatre and he loved theatre people. Their inherent quirkiness, love for life and willingness to stretch the envelop intrigued him. Or, maybe it was just the drama... Regardless, that is how we met. In 1997, we were cast in a Disney production of Midsummer Night's Dream. It was a non-profit effort by volunteers and we loved every minute of it! Richard played opposite me and during rehearsals we would run our lines and discuss character development. I was struck by his immense creativity. With the help of Richard’s deep understanding of Shakespeare and the sensibilities behind the authors writing, we devised marvelous staging and characters repore. It was during that time that I realized I was in the company of an amazing, versatile, genius.
One night, during rehearsal I asked him what he did when he was not busy designing special effects, acting in Shakespearian plays, collecting authentic Persian rugs, bottling delicious home brew or writing a novel based on Middle Eastern history? And Richard, in his typical understated manner simply replied, "I fly hang gliders." I was ecstatic to hear this since my history included a bit of flying in the mid 1970's and I had longed to return to the sport. Shortly after that he brought me to SHGA Landing Zone on a blustery February afternoon that left us shivering with a couple other pilots next to the Gazebo. Richard instructed me to sit and watch the red tail hawks and hang gliders just in front of us. I was enchanted and totally hooked! He warned me that I would never be the same if I became involved in hang gliding. He told me I would sense my surroundings differently and learn to smell thermals and see things that most humans never, ever get to see. I begged to learn more so Richard placed me in the hands of Joe Greblo and made me promise to listen closely and follow Joe's instruction. I did as my friend insisted and soloed later that same year. In a short amount of time I met his lovely long-time, girlfriend, Julie, who he later married on July 4th, 2005. It was obvious to me from the moment he spoke of her that Richard adored Julie. They were a great couple -- funny, brilliant and inseparable.
In the year 2000, Richard and I worked together to research the history of Dockweiler Beach. As we developed plans for a regional pilot reunion, Richard decided to recreate a BATSO hang glider from original plans. That glider was a highlight of the hugely successful event. But it was not balanced for flight – even with a rock duct-taped to the nose! Today, we have photos of our SHGA pilots attempting to fly it on file in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. He went on to write an article for Hang Gliding Magazine that chronicled the 12 year struggle to reopen the site to hang gliding. That article is still referenced today for the historic detail that Richard was able to capture and convey. And, in 2003, Richard once again answered my request to write an article for hang gliding when I began working to create our SHGA 20th Anniversary event. He brought his love for writing, research and hang gliding to that article and it stands today as our formal, published SHGA history.
Some years have passed since we met on stage. Richard and Julie have been my loved ones for over 11 years. On more than one occasion they held my hand and my heart when life dealt me very hard blows. Richard always extended kindness, patience, loyalty, love, humor, brotherly advice, protection and acceptance to me... a fellow oddball actor, pilot and forever his dear friend.
Richard, today I sense my surroundings differently. I feel you in the air, the clouds and the sky. You live in my heart. I am so blessed to have had you as my brother.