Greg Richmond, long-time Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) employee and director of TTI Human Resources, lost his courageous, three-year battle with cancer on June 25. Richmond was undergoing cancer-related surgery at the time of his death.
In an e-mail he wrote to employees the week before he left for the surgery, Richmond, 54, described the rare procedure and why it was taking place at the University of Florida in Gainesville. At the end, Richmond quipped, “Because the Aggie softball team eliminated the Florida softball team at the Women’s College World Series this year, we have decided that we will not wear any Aggie clothing or caps until after the surgery has been completed. I don’t think anyone there would let that fact cloud their judgment or refuse their services, but we figure there is no reason to take the chance.”
To the many friends he made while working at TTI over the past 30 years, that kind of humor was classic Greg Richmond. “He faced his battle head-on,” says his friend and colleague, Wally Simpson, human resources manager. “He never felt sorry for himself, and he always looked on the bright side of things. Over the last three years, because of his unbelievably positive attitude, we often forgot that he was ill and struggling. This is a sad time for all of us.”
Nominated for his tireless service to fellow employees and his dedication to their well-being, Richmond received the TTI/Trinity Charles J. “Jack” Keese Career Achievement for Agency Support Award last year.
Richmond served on the Texas A&M University System Employee Benefits Advisory Committee as its chairman, the Personnel Administrators of Texas Senior Colleges and Universities as treasurer and president, the Human Resources Council and the A&M System’s Diversity Council. He was also a volunteer for his daughters’ school activities, including serving as president of the school’s parent-teacher organization (PTO).
“Greg was a major reason why TTI functions so smoothly,” says Director Dennis Christiansen. “But he was much more than our director of Human Resources. He was a friend and a solid force that we all admired and appreciated. Our hearts go out to his family and his numerous friends.”
