Rick Disch (1951–2025)
To the Bowdoin community,
I am writing to share the sad news that Dining Service Steward Emeritus Rick Disch passed away on Wednesday, March 12, after a fall. Rick, who retired from Bowdoin in 2014, was seventy-three years old.
Rick’s friends and former colleagues recall a person dedicated to his profession and to our community. Rick first joined the Bowdoin staff in January of 1981 in dining. He was promoted eight months later to a dining service aide and was promoted again in 1984, to night supervisor, overseeing dinner meals and evening operations at Moulton Union. In 1991, he became Moulton Union’s dining steward. He excelled at the work, solving problems and doing all that he could to make sure diners were enjoying themselves. Rick made a point of getting to know people, their likes and dislikes—and he tried to remember their personal preferences. If that meant serving a special drink or leaving out an ingredient, he made sure it happened. In 2006, he received a Bowdoin Polar Star Award for employee excellence, and in May 2014, the board of trustees approved emeritus status for Rick in recognition of his thirty-three outstanding years of service to the College.
I am writing to share the sad news that Dining Service Steward Emeritus Rick Disch passed away on Wednesday, March 12, after a fall. Rick, who retired from Bowdoin in 2014, was seventy-three years old.
Rick’s friends and former colleagues recall a person dedicated to his profession and to our community. Rick first joined the Bowdoin staff in January of 1981 in dining. He was promoted eight months later to a dining service aide and was promoted again in 1984, to night supervisor, overseeing dinner meals and evening operations at Moulton Union. In 1991, he became Moulton Union’s dining steward. He excelled at the work, solving problems and doing all that he could to make sure diners were enjoying themselves. Rick made a point of getting to know people, their likes and dislikes—and he tried to remember their personal preferences. If that meant serving a special drink or leaving out an ingredient, he made sure it happened. In 2006, he received a Bowdoin Polar Star Award for employee excellence, and in May 2014, the board of trustees approved emeritus status for Rick in recognition of his thirty-three outstanding years of service to the College.
Born on December 27, 1951, Rick grew up in Wethersfield, Connecticut. He was a wrestler at Wethersfield High School, where he graduated in 1969. After two years of service in the US Marine Corps, Rick found his new home in Maine.
Rick lived just minutes by foot from campus. Over the years, he cultivated a beautiful garden, one that he looked forward to tending each spring as the snow melted and the days began warming up, and he would occasionally provide bouquets of freshly cut flowers for Bowdoin table settings, says Ken Cardone, our former dining director. His family remembers Rick’s love of music that was reflected in a vast library of records and recordings.
Rick did not own a car, preferring to walk everywhere—to his job and into town. He and his backpack were a familiar sight on the Quad, which he cut through on his weekly shopping excursions. One former colleague observed that he rarely seemed to be in a hurry, often stopping to chat with people he knew.
Rick’s siblings and other family members will host a celebration of Rick’s life on Sunday, April 27, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick.
We extend our sympathy to Rick’s family and to all who knew and loved him.
Sincerely,
Safa