Tom Richardson, skiing pioneer

Outdoorsman also served on boards, advised high court

By Bill Gallo, Special to the Rocky

Originally published 09:05 p.m., June 30, 2008
Updated 01:00 p.m., July 3, 2008

Mr. Tom Richardson, ex-Bostonian, moved to Colorado at 16.

Tom Richardson, a Bostonian captivated by the West, parlayed his love for the Rocky Mountains into transformative leadership roles with the Aspen Skiing Corp. and North America's most prominent manufacturer of ski lifts.

Mr. Richardson died June 5 at his Grand Junction home after a long illness. He was 71.

Thomas Warren Richardson was born April 14, 1937, in Boston. He came to Colorado at 16 to attend Fountain Valley School, earned two degrees at the University of Denver and in 1964 won a hard-earned place in Aspen Skiing Corp's management training program.

"I was pregnant, and we were living in a $65-a-month apartment in Glenwood Springs," recalled Mr. Richardson's wife of 45 years, Lynette Gotchy Richardson.

"Twice a week Tom went to Aspen trying to get the job. Finally, Darcy Brown (the company president) came to our place. He looked around and said: 'I won't be staying long.' But he hired Tom, at $750 a month. To us it was a fortune."

The couple met at Loveland Basin in 1960, where Mr. Richardson, a young ski racer, was practicing slalom runs. They were married Jan. 19, 1963, in Reno, Nev., hometown of the bride, then a United Airlines flight attendant.

In 1979, Mr. Richardson became ASC's president and CEO. He resigned three years later when new owners discontinued the employee profit-sharing program Mr. Richardson had instituted.

In 1984 he became president of Grand Junction- based Poma of America and is widely credited with revitalizing that French-owned subsidiary. During his 16 years at the helm, Poma became the nation's leading ski lift manufacturer. He retired in 2000.

Mr. Richardson, a lifelong skier, outdoorsman and distance runner, served as chairman of Colorado Ski Country USA and on the boards of Aspen Airways, the Bank of Aspen and Squaw Valley Ski Corp., among others. He was an adviser to the Supreme Court of Colorado.

He was also a dedicated free- thinker.

Kate Holmes, the office manager and administrative assistant at Poma, remembered Mr. Richardson's first day on the job.

"Before him, the employees all wore suits and ties," she said. "But when the new boss showed up in Bermuda shorts and an (open-collar) shirt they knew right away that the atmosphere had changed - that this guy was OK."

In addition to his wife, Mr. Richardson is survived by two daughters, Annie, of Grand Junction, and Caroline, of Toronto; a son, Tyler, of Gunnison; a brother, Daniel, of New London, N.H.; and three grandchildren.

A memorial service was June 26 at the Canyon View Vineyard Chapel in Grand Junction.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Powderhorn Buddy Werner Program, P.O. Box 532, Grand Junction, CO 81502, or the Mesa Land Trust, 1006 Main St., Grand Junction, CO 81501.