Richard Hairston

Funeral information

Home: Napa, CA	Place of Birth: Nashville, TN
Date of Death: February 25, 2010	Birthdate: April 1, 1947
	Age: 62

Biography

Rich Hairston 1947-2010 Richard McRay Hairston passed away peacefully at home on Feb. 25, 2010. He was born in Nashville on April 1, 1947, while his father was in medical school. Rich attended elementary school in Oakland and high school in Peoria, Ill. He earned a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1968, being the first African American graduate of the UC Davis School of Engineering. In 1970 he earned an MBA from the University of Wisconsin School of Business, graduating summa cum laude. While at UC Davis, Rich met his future wife, Sandy Houck. They were together for 42 years and lived in Sacramento, then moved to Napa 13 years ago. In his early career Rich started an entrepreneurial company, and worked for Arthur Young Co., the California Energy Commission, and David M Griffin Assoc. He later established RM Hairston Co. and did utility rate consulting. His clients included the Western Mobilehome Association, BART, and City and County of San Francisco. Rich was an avid bicyclist and enjoyed racing with the Sacramento Golden Wheelmen. He particularly liked riding Waterford bicycles. He was an amateur radio operator (N6QB) and restored and operated Collins radio equipment. Rich was passionate about performance cars, especially his Corvettes and Shelby Mustang. He owned a Lotus Elise and Caterham 7 for use at the racetrack and restored an Alfa Romeo GTA which he drove in vintage car races. He often drove at Infineon Raceway with the National Auto Sport Association. Rich enjoyed listening to jazz and playing his Hammond B3 organ. He loved living in Napa and drinking Napa Valley wine. He delighted in choosing wine for friends, including a gourmet dinner group and a wine tasting group. Rich was predeceased by his parents, Jessie and Richard Hairston. He is survived by his wife, Sandy; his brother, Eugene; his sister, Marie; and niece Jessica. He will be remembered by numerous close friends. Memorial contributions may be made to the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management (cgsm.org), the Lung Cancer Foundation (lungcancerfoundation.org), or the Lung Cancer Alliance (lungcanceralliance.org). The family express thanks to the Kaiser Permanente doctors, nurses, aides and hospice staff. Internment will be private. Words of sympathy may be sent online to www.tulocaycemetery.org.