While he’s honored to be named to the DBT’s Eight Over 80, Richard “Dick” Christopher is reluctant to talk about the specific causes he supports. Instead, the former president and CEO of Patterson-Schwartz Real Estate prefers to share his reasons for staying active and how it’s impacted his life.
“We should remember daily what we owe in return for what we have,” Christopher said. “I use my assets to add value in situations where I can be helpful and feel fulfilled in so doing. I challenge myself to plan these activities daily and to be observant enough to recognize opportunities that may present themselves and to be open to them, sometimes taking a chance.”
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Photo by Eric Crossan[/caption]
Dr. Lawrence Moss, the president and CEO of The Nemours Foundation, nominated Christopher and said that “what Dick Christopher has done for the Nemours Children’s Health System and the kids we serve is beyond remarkable. He is a big-hearted, kind, and giving soul, and I consider it a great privilege to work with him.”
Moss’s nomination outlined what Christopher didn’t want to talk about, highlighting his sharing of his “business acumen and personal philanthropy in service to the Nemours Children’s Health System and the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children for nearly two decades.”
Christopher co-chaired the capital campaign that funded the new $272 million patient tower at the Nemours duPont Hospital for Children that opened in 2014 – the largest expansion at the pediatric hospital in its three-decade history.
He has the unique distinction of having served on the Nemours Board, The Alfred I. duPont Charitable Trust and the Delaware Valley Board of Managers. He is serving on the Nemours Estate Committee, which oversees the historic property and ensures that the unique estate is managed and protected for the benefit of the public and visitors who contribute to the local economy, Moss said.
Christopher was also recognized by the Del-Mar-Va Council of Boy Scouts as the 2016 Citizen of the Year and is a Meals on Wheels volunteer. He has been on the board of the Catholic Diocese Foundation, the Diocese Finance Council and on the Development Committee of Urban Promise of Wilmington. He also co-chaired the 2006 capital campaign for Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County.
“No one needs to recognize you for doing what you love to do,” Christopher said. “Accomplishing it is its own reward and provides tremendous satisfaction. At this stage of your life, you’ve had many experiences. If you can share these learnings with others, that’s a simple way of adding value. If they can use what you share for some good or their benefit, that is the ideal. If not, it may not be the right time or the right fit, but you’ve created the potential value by sharing. The choice then is theirs.
“This isn’t work,” he said. “It’s the preferred way I live my life because it gives me tremendous daily satisfaction.”
Christopher said he didn’t start thinking about what he was going to do post-retirement. Rather, he’s been preparing for many decades, long before he led Patterson-Schwartz, where he began his career in 1961 as a salesman. He also chaired the New Castle County Board of Realtors and served on the board of many national real-estate organizations.
“Planning for this should start early, in your 20s or even before or any decade onward, to be qualified and able to build these opportunities in your later life,” he said, adding that he views each day as successful if he’s “accomplished what I set out to do. You can’t have a bad day when you’re able to do that, day in and day out.”
