WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. —  Richard Yanow was born in Brooklyn, NY on February 17, 1938. As a kid Dick loved the Brooklyn Dodgers. He loved sharing memories like the time he caught Jackie Robinson’s foul ball, and the time he played hooky from school to see a game at Ebbets Field, only to get caught when he was pictured the next day in the NY Post trying to catch a ball. Dick moved with his family to Bel Harbor Queens in 1951 where he attended Far Rockaway High School from 1951-1955.

Dick attended the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania from 1955-1959 where he majored in finance. He then attended Harvard Business School as one of the youngest students accepted into the class of 1961. He deeply valued the support he received there from his classmates, recalling a time where he was nervous about leading a case analysis but afterward one classmate after another raised their hands to say “Dick made a good point on this…” or “I agree with Dick on that….” He graduated in the top third of his class.

Upon graduation he joined the active Army Reserves where he was stationed at Fort Dix. He quickly learned to walk around with a clipboard, having figured out that the sergeants would leave him alone if they thought he was already busy. His bunkmates were a mix of college graduates and people who worked in the trades and he enjoyed this diversity. His bunkbed mate was from West Virginia and had little formal education but all kinds of savvy and practical skills - such as breaking down and reassembling a rifle very quickly - that Dick knew nothing about and had great respect for. Upon completion of active duty he enrolled in the active reserves and was honorably discharged in 1967.

While in the reserves Dick went to work for Shulton, then the makers of Old Spice, as their first executive trainee. At one point Dick suggested a marketing initiative to give out samples of Old Spice to members of the army, and the initiative was a big hit with his boss and the service members. He enjoyed travelling around the country selling products to stores, as well as working closely with an entrepreneur whose company had been acquired by Shulton.

He soon tried his hand at entrepreneurship himself, buying a small industrial brush manufacturing plant in Saugerties, NY and developing the Skunky Brush, a children’s hairbrush with cute little beady eyes and black and white bristles. Alas - it turned out that the adorable brushes weren’t meant for scaled distribution and after only modest sales Dick accepted a job as a brand manager at Colgate Palmolive instead. A lifelong passionate stock market investor, he then joined Merrill Lynch in 1969 where he worked until the devastating oil embargo and stock market crash of 1973. He and his beloved wife, Elaine, who were living on East End Avenue in NYC at the time, decided to “get out of dodge.” They circled the map for places within a 4 hour drive of NYC and wound up buying a house in Williamstown, MA.

After initially planning to buy a business in the Berkshires, something else caught his eye instead - an ad in the newspaper for someone to teach business classes at North Adams State College. He was hired full-time in 1977 and became a full professor in the late 1980s. Right from the get-go, Dick found great joy in teaching and working with students and was known as a demanding and rigorous, but fair, professor. He used the Wall Street Journal and Barron’s, as well his own knowledge and skills, to teach in a relevant way that prepared students to compete in the job market after graduation. Dick was also very fond of his colleagues in the department, enjoying their company and camaraderie.

Dick retired from MCLA in May 2020 but continued to manage his own stock portfolio, which was one of his true passions in life. Dick was a member of the United Way Northern Berkshires investment committee, and for two years a member of the MCLA Foundation Board of Directors. Dick was also an avid reader, religiously reading the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, and the Berkshire Eagle each day.

Dick always had a quick sense of humor and it was on full display when he was a contestant on To Tell the Truth in the 1970s. Selected to play the imposter role of an entomologist, Dick became panicked as the show taping approached. When the cameras started to roll that panic remained until the first panelist started by asking him, “How old is a cockroach-” to which Dick immediately retorted “depends on the roach.” The panel broke out laughing and Dick’s nervousness completely subsided. He ended up winning the episode, receiving two of the four panelist votes.

Dick enjoyed excellent health for many years until taking ill in January 2025. Dick is survived by his wife, soulmate and best friend, Elaine, who he met while he was at Merrill Lynch and Elaine was a sales assistant at Oppenheimer and Company. Dick and Elaine were married for 53 years and have lived in Williamstown for 50 of those years. He is also survived by his two children - Sacha and Maris. Sacha is an actor and performance artist in NYC and Maris works in youth mental health and lives in Oakland, CA. Dick was very proud of his children and they were a great joy to him.

A graveside service will be held at 1:30 pm on Monday, May 19 at the Eastlawn Cemetery in Williamstown, a reception will follow at the Lodge at Tourists, 915 State Rd, North Adams. All are welcome. To add to the book of memories please visit www.flynndagnolifuneralhomes.com.