Richard R.L. Ripley ’64

Dick passed away May 22, 2023, at Hospice of Wichita Falls, Texas, from complications of a rare form of cancer diagnosed the previous October.

Dick grew up in Wichita Falls and came to Princeton from Woodberry Forest School in Orange, Va., where he served on the school newspaper and chapel council. At Princeton, he majored in politics, rowed lightweight crew for two years, joined the Texas Club and served as president his junior year, and ate at Cottage. After graduation, he married Sue Ann Ross in 1965 and obtained a Stanford MBA in 1966.

Dick and Sue then moved to New York City, where he commenced a lifelong banking career with a job at Bankers Trust. After five years, he and Sue moved to Houston with First National City Bank. Over the years, Dick served in senior leadership positions at several major banks in Texas, Virginia, and Georgia, including Banc Texas Group, Texas American Bank, and First American Bank, developing a reputation for successfully reversing the fortunes of troubled or ailing banking institutions. He retired from banking in 2015.

Dick was a loyal and devoted family man, loved bird hunting and fishing, and demonstrated a quick wit and a quiet warmth in his personal relations.

The class extends our condolences to Sue and their children and grandchildren.