Paul Reichardt

I was truly saddened to hear of Roy's death.  I knew him through all the years he was at UAF, but it was really during the last decade that I got to know him quite well.  Roy brought quite a few issues to me during my time as Provost—academic issues, faculty issues, student issues.  What always struck me about Roy's approach was his commitment and loyalty to the people he represented and worked for. Sometimes it was about an academic policy that seemed unfair or inappropriate to him because of its negative effects on students or faculty or both.  Sometimes it was about a student who was not getting a fair shake.  Sometimes it was about enhancing the Honors Program.  Sometimes it was in his role as a faculty union representative for a faculty member who was facing a difficult situation.  Whenever I was preparing to meet with Roy I knew that, no matter how difficult the issue and how strongly we might disagree, the meeting would be civil--even cordial—and productive.  He always wanted to focus on how we could do things better rather than obsess about how badly we had screwed things up.  We will all miss Roy's can-do attitude and the care he exhibited for his family, friends, and colleagues.