Richard Tilghman (Dick) Schlough passed away November 13, 2024 after a long illness due to complications from leukemia and multiple myeloma. He was born September 23, 1936 in Easton, Pennsylvania to Tilghman R. and Ruth E. (Reiss) Schlough, the 2nd of three sons.
A 1959 graduate of Lafayette College with a degree in Civil Engineering, he was drafted after college. Stationed at the Army’s test range in Yuma, Arizona, his service time was extended due to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Discharged in 1962, he accepted a position as an engineer for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and in his spare time first tried out skiing. Undeterred by breaking his leg his second day on the slopes, skiing became a life-long passion.
He joined Vorlage Ski Club in Sacramento. The club had a difficult time renting an adequate cabin in the Sierras and decided on an ambitious plan, building their own! With numerous engineers, an architect and CPAs in the club, they did just that, doing most of the labor themselves. Vorlage Ski Lodge, near Truckee California, was completed in 1964, with dorm and bedroom accommodations for more than 40 as well as a large kitchen and common area centering around a massive stone fireplace.
Vorlage partially funded their lodge in a unique manner. Vorlage Ski Swap, held in the two largest buildings at the California State Fairgrounds in Sacramento was the largest privately held ski swap in the country. At its peak in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, 9,000 or more attended the one-day event, requiring 30 plus cashiers. While customers shopped in one building, the 2nd building was filled with booths from ski shops, ski areas, Sierra real estate companies and the like. Dick was instrumental in creating this addition to the Swap and served as its coordinator for a number of years.
Though the Ski Swap is no more, Vorlage Ski Club is still active and the lodge a beloved destination in both winter and summer. Many members became life-long friends. Dick and three others continued to take an annual guy’s ski vacation together into their late 70s. He remains on the roster as a founding member of the club.
In the late ‘60s, Dick left his current job as an engineer for California Department of Water Resources and returned to school, earning a Masters in Structural Engineering at Cal-Berkeley while working part time at Caltrans. The degree led to a job in San Francisco with Bechtel working on nuclear power plant containment vessels. In 1969 he married Ina (Kay) Hibler and in 1970 changed careers again, moving from San Francisco to Sacramento and joining IBM as a Systems Engineer.
In the following years Kay often referred to their little family, now including children, Bill and Heather, as Corporate Okies or IBM (I’ve Been Moved!) as they moved back to San Francisco, then Seattle, and finally Westchester County, New York as Dick progressed up the corporate ladder in IBM. One day in 1986 Dick called her and asked, “How would you like to move to Detroit?” Despite her negative response, the family spent the next 9 years in the suburbs of Detroit where Dick joined EDS as a regional manager.
He always loved the challenge of a new job and location and in 1994 came a final move as Dick joined an EDS-affiliate, Antares, and the family settled in Frisco, Texas. In 1996, Dick returned once again to EDS as Chief Technology Officer, retiring in 2003.
The move to Frisco and subsequent retirement brought new friends and new hobbies, both golf and duplicate bridge. Though considering himself a ‘duffer’, Dick enjoyed the comradery of golf buddies and being on some renowned and unusual golf courses including a golf trip to Ireland, a visit to St. Thomas, and even a course in the heart of Caracas, Venezuela. He was amazed to hit a hole-in-one two days after his 68th birthday.
Retirement also brought time to travel and renew old friendships - and adventures that somehow all turned out well: driving a 6-cylinder standard-shift pickup from Texas to Alaska; lost at sunset in Venice with four suitcases; abandoned in Athens during a transportation strike.
Dick is survived by his beloved wife, Kay, and his two children: son, William T. (Bill) Schlough and wife, Erin of Los Altos, California; daughter, Heather Helton and husband, Ron of Livonia, Missouri; two grandsons, Xavier and Quinlan Schlough and two nieces and families, Karen Burgett and Teresa Syvarth of Atlanta, Georgia.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Theodore (Sunny) Schlough; and brother, Robert (Bob) Schlough.
A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at First United Methodist Church of McKinney, 315 North Church Street, McKinney, Texas 75069. Interment will be at Elliot Grove Cemetery in Brunswick, Missouri.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First United Methodist Church of McKinney or The Salvation Army of McKinney, 600 Wilson Creek Pkwy, Mckinney TX 75069.