In memoriam: Rich von Lopez
by Mark Rudner
rudner@mit.edu
As a scientist, writing is a big part of my daily routine. This month’s column is probably the most difficult thing that I have ever had to write. It is with deep sadness that I report to you the passing of my dear friend, beloved columnist, and fellow modeler, Richard Lopez.
For casual readers of the magazine, you might primarily know Rich as our longtime correspondent and the voice of Control Line (CL) Combat in Model Aviation. For anyone who has flown in the world of CL competition throughout the past 40 years, however, Rich is a familiar face, a glowing character, and an integral part of our community. His influence has been particularly strong for me, and therefore I dedicate this column to the story and the memory of Rich Lopez.
Born one week apart from my own dad, Chuck Rudner, Rich has been like family, going all the way back to before my own clear memories even began. For 35 years, Rich and my dad flew together nearly every weekend—spring, summer, fall, and winter. It was a time for relaxation, a time to brush off the stresses of the workweek, and a time to push ahead together in the constant pursuit of improvement and further successes in the pilot’s circle.
For approximately 12 years, until I moved away from California, I had the pleasure of joining in this weekly ritual. Since then, going to Whittier Narrows (a recreational area in California) to fly with Rich, my dad, and all of the other wonderful people there—young and old, experienced and new—has been one of the highlights of every trip home.
We traveled together to many contests. In 1994, Rich was my roommate in Shanghai, China, when I competed as a Junior in my first-ever World Championships. It was a memorable trip on many levels, and Rich was right there in each of those memories.
Later, when I was in high school, I remember Rich and my dad quizzing me on American history as we returned to California after a contest, on the night before a big exam in class. That was nearly 18 years ago, but because of that study session, it is still burned into my brain that George Meany and Walter Reuther were responsible for the merger of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).
Throughout the years, Rich has served as an important spokesman and key ambassador of our sport to the world. In a competitive hobby where most of us struggle to keep our own equipment and flying skills in order, Rich was extremely generous both with his time and in providing airplanes and engines to help new pilots get started.
We never talked about it directly, but I felt that Rich got as much joy from promoting the sport and supporting new pilots as he did from his own successes. And that is not to take anything
away from his own drive to win—Rich was an intense pilot who always aimed for the “W.”
He and his wife, Joanne, generously hosted an awesome New Year’s Eve brunch at their home every December 31, followed by the Last Kill of the Year ½A Combat challenge.
The deep-rooted selflessness I’ve described is one of the qualities that I admired most about Rich. Not only was he a central figure in the Southern California Combat Team that collectively taught me how to fly and brought me up as a Combat pilot, but on a personal level he was also always around and supportive through all of my other major life events outside of aeromodeling.
Going beyond that, something that fewer of you may know or appreciate, is that in his professional life, Rich was an educator. Teaching and molding the next generation is one of
the most important, challenging, and underappreciated roles in our society.
Later in his career, Rich was an elementary school principal in some of the most underprivileged communities within the Los Angeles Unified School District. When assigned to the worst-performing school in the district, Rich poured himself into improving the conditions there, elevating the standards and educational opportunities for the students, and eventually bringing the school out of its initially dire state. After that school was on a better trajectory, Rich moved on to the next most troubled school to improve it as
well. As you might imagine, the job was tough and the conditions were trying, but Rich gave his all to make it work.
With Rich, there was no halfway. When he would commit or put his mind to something, he was always full-on—you always got 100%. Between his creativity, organization, friendly and open character, and understanding of people, Rich knew how to get things done.
As a community, we are extremely fortunate that Rich applied those skills to helping us—writing this column month in and month out over decades, helping newcomers get into the air, and even serving as manager for the US CL Team, another important yet often thankless job, which nonetheless is of crucial importance for facilitating the opportunities for others to achieve their dreams.
Although this is a tribute to a great man and dear friend, this is also a column about CL Combat, and I would be remiss to underemphasize Rich’s spirit as a fierce competitor. The statement that Rich would always give 100% applies everywhere, in particular to his flying.
Throughout the years, I had the opportunity to come up against Rich a few times in big competitions. Each time it was a hard-fought battle to the end.
Even during and after his treatment, weakened by the disease that would eventually take him down, Rich maintained an amazingly positive attitude. Whenever the energy was there, Rich was ready to fly. In the last few years, I saw Rich put up some of the best flying of his long career. At practice he might walk slowly out to the handle, but once in the air he was always back to full-tilt.
As my dad wrote in his tribute to Rich, at times like this it is common for people to wish the departed to rest in peace. However, Rich was not a man of rest; he was a man of action. The best way to keep his spirit alive is to keep on flying and to do everything we can to keep promoting the sport so that it may continue to thrive for many years.
A Final Note
I have a final note before signing off. I believe Rich would appreciate this because he was an avid competitor and perennial supporter of the US teams. The CL World Championships will be held May 7-13, 2016, in Perth, Australia. There will be a World Cup event preceding the CL World Championships, running May 4-6. I’m sure Rich would have gone if he’d had the chance, and I encourage as many of you as possible to make the trip if you are able. It’s a great opportunity to compete in a World Cup event and then support the US team in the CL World Championships, while witnessing CL Combat at its highest level.
I have even been told by Trevor Letchford (an organizer) that many local Combat fliers have already volunteered to help as mechanics, so one need not even worry about possibly going alone. For more information, see the CL World Championships website or contact Trevor by email. Both are listed in “Sources.”
SOURCES:
Control Line Model Aircraft World Championships 2016
www.cl-wch2016per.org
Trevor Letchford
office@cl-wch2016per.org
Miniature Aircraft Combat Association (MACA)
www.macasite.org
