Richard Livingston

Journalist, peace corps volunteer, man of few words, lover of his “hounds from hell”, family weatherman, side hugger, dean, environmentalist, Stanford alum, self-appointed “fry cook man”, old soul, granddaughter’s sticker easel, national parks enthusiast, A’s fan, Bob Dylan disciple, introvert, husband, and father. These are just some descriptions of my dad, Richard Livingston, who passed peacefully on November 8, 2021. Being the journalist that he was, he composed his own obituary in his last days. Beautiful, right? The problem, though, is that the journalistic spirit is to report facts without bias, and that’s exactly what he did. His obituary was facts. Simply facts. No bragging, no emotion. Humble and straightforward, as he was in life. But this man was so much more than that. The following is my father’s obituary; I did my best to honor his request for simplicity, but I added necessary context and emotion. And yes, I had to brag a bit; sorry dad.

Richard Livingston was born November 6, 1945. He grew up in the Curtis Park neighborhood of Sacramento. He graduated from McClatchy High School in Sacramento, Sierra College, Stanford University, and The University of the Pacific. Some of his best years were at Stanford. He was a member of the El Tigre eating club and enjoyed tailgating at and attending Stanford football games, a tradition he carried on with yearly season tickets.

Richard served as a US Peace Corps volunteer in San Carlos, Costa Rica, in Rural Community Development. He was incredibly fond of his time in Costa Rica, and if you got a few drinks in him, you might have heard some wild stories of him almost being killed by the supposedly dormant Arenal volcano in 1968, and tales of the beauty and splendor of the Costa Rican jungle and people.

In 1974, Richard was hired as the founding journalism teacher at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, California. After teaching, he filled a variety of academic administration roles, including 18 months as interim college president. He was a champion for the community college system and was respected by his peers and colleagues. Some words they used to describe him were “dedicated,” “compassionate,” “kind,” “passionate,” and “thoughtful.” He always put students first, so much so, that The Richard Livingston Students Come First award was recently made in his honor. It is no coincidence that his wife and both of his children attended the same college; his passion was contagious.

Richard is survived by his wife, Sherri, of Atascadero; daughter, Morgan White, and son-in-law, Jonathan White, and their two children, Huxley and Lachlan, from San Luis Obispo; and son, Mason Livingston, of Oakland. His family remembers him as beyond a decent man. He never told a lie (actually, he recalled the last time he did — he was 5).

He had incredible ethics and modeled how to be a good person. He was intense, passionate, dedicated, funny, the smartest man they knew. And he is truly missed.

There will be a memorial for Richard on January 8, 2022 at 1pm at the Los Medanos College Student Union Conference Center. Donations in his memory can be made to the Richard Livingston Scholarship through the Los Medanos College Foundation. https://gofund.me/ee32bb28