We received word last night from Alex Wilson that Lifetime NESEA member and solar pioneer, Richard Gottlieb, passed away. He was 76 years old.
As a relative newbie to the NESEA community, I had the opportunity to meet Richard only once, just over two years ago at NESEA’s 35th anniversary celebration at the Steak Out in Brattleboro, Vermont, where he and his wife, Carol Levin, gave me a warm greeting. I have, however, had the opportunity to speak with several longtime NESEA members about Richard’s many contributions to our community over the years.
Richard and Carol have been very involved with NESEA throughout most of our existence. In the mid- 1990s, he installed NESEA’s entire grid-tied PV system on the roof at 50 Miles Street – one of the first such projects in the state, if not the nation. He was also heavily involved as a volunteer for NESEA’s Tour de Sol, and was a longtime sponsor of and attendee at the BuildingEnergy Conference. He and Carol were recognized with NESEA’s Distinguished Service Award in 2002, based on their tireless contributions to NESEA.
I am hoping that those of you who knew Richard better than I will respond to this blog post to fill us in with the colorful stories and accolades that I’m sure he is due. Alternatively, or in addition, here’s a link to the CaringBridge website, on which you can share your condolences with Carol. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/richardgottlieb/journal.
Our condolences go out to Carol and to the rest of Richard’s family.
p.s. – There will be a service tomorrow (Friday) at 11 am at the Brattleboro Area Jewish Center, 151 Greenleaf St. in West Brattleboro, with burial following in Morningside Cemetery.
About Jennifer M.
I am saddened at the prospect of never again meeting Richard at the annual NESEA conferences. Altough I will miss him, most of all my heart goes out to his family.
Hi All,
I wanted to share these additional comments I received about Richard:
Hi all,
In 1976, I had a contract to build a trickle collector on a machine shop, and I heard of someone at Goddard College who had actually built one and it worked. This was the first of many meeting between Richard and me, as our solar travels took down many roads. Richard always had a smile and was ready to do something new. He loved Carol and Vermont. A life lived well. — Jim Kirby
I first met Richard when I was working on a solar-powered ice cream cart for Ben & Jerry’s. Richard was my predecessor because he had designed & built a B&J solar van -or bus? perhaps some of you remember? -for the same eccentric client. Around that time, I did a course at Yestermorrow, sponsored by Real Goods, on solar technology. Who else but Richard & Carol were the VT resident solar experts in the early 90s? For the many years since then, I would run into Richard, or seek out his expertise on my atypical, “arty” solar installations. No matter how busy he was, he would always respond as if I was just the person he wanted to hear from, with just the topic he’d given some thought to, so here’s what he’d done several years before, & perhaps I could try this? He was so comfortable with his craft that even my most absurd questions were an amusing opportunity for him to improv. He never said, “No, you can’t do that” or “Why would you want to??” My heart goes out to Carol & to all of us who will miss Richard’s good-natured sense of humor. He was always laughing with us, in a way that was patient, knowledgeable & optimistic. He was a solar pioneer, forging a new way of conceiving energy technology & policy, on a very personal level. I bid him farewell with affection & gratitude. — Amelia Amon
Beautifully put, Amelia, I echo the sentiments that you have expressed. Richard was a consistently caring, loving man with enthusiasm for his craft and compassion for others as a defining characteristic of his interactions. — Bart Bales, PE, MSME
Thanks for posting your notice and remembrance of Richard Gottlieb on the website. He will always be one of the first true pioneers in PV and worked hard to promote the technology . I’m one of those from the second wave and often purchased PV components from him in the early 1980′s. He was the first person to offer compact fluorescent light bulbs in the region and actually crafted 12 VDC fluorescent lighting kits by hand. His installations of PV systems during the MASS PUP ( Photovoltaic Utilization Project) Program during the Dukakis administration were innovative gems.
Always kind and generous with his technical advice he will be missed in our community. — Chris Kilfoyle, Berkshire PV Services