Sam and I met at Cooper Union in 1979, and I have no memory of art school without him. We shared a sculpture studio and a deep attachment to our beloved professor, Ruben Kadish. Ruben introduced us to the art of ancient cultures- and many other of life’s treasures- and Sam’s mom, Rosalie, introduced us to Joseph Campbell. Our relationship at Cooper was so steeped in visuals and visual communication. Mythology, particularly Ovid’s Metamporphoses, was ever-present. We didn’t talk about it, it just permeated everything. We didn’t see each other for 25 yrs or so, but we spoke once or twice a year and exchanged news. I finally got to New Orleans for Jazz Fest in 2016 and visited with Sam and Norine. It was so great to see his beautifully hand made world and finally meet Norine. He showed me every inch of his shop, and then a stack of ink drawings he’d been working on, illustrations of Ovid’s Metamoprhoses. It was such a curious fold of time, and suddenly we were circled right back into the river of stories that we swam in as kids…. Sam called a few weeks before he died, and we had a long conversation and exchanged photos of projects. He was very proud of that fact that he could still make me laugh. Can’t you just hear the little chirps of delight that always preceded his sly musings?! One summer we collected an uncanny number of lost shoes, found on the beach. We had a BIG sandy cardboard box full of them- and, as we went our separate ways, without any discussion, we started mailing them back and forth to each other. An absurd, interstate volley. Out of the blue. In different states. Gaps of months and years in between. When they were almost forgotten, poof! they’d arrive. It went on for years and years and years. The last great laugh he shared with me was a Victorian illustration of women in hoop skirts, his face photoshopped in: Sam's solution for social distancing at Tulane. I am so so sad that our clever, creative, devoted friend is gone. Godspeed, dear Sam! Godspeed, Samuel Emory Richards! I treasure the time we had, and hope to meet again, next time around.

Photos of me and Sam in 1980 and 2016; and Sam leafing through his Metamorphoses ink drawings.