Today I learned with great sadness of the death of Rich Ring, who was a former broadcaster here on Mushroom FM.
Even before Rich became a fun guy, I viewed him as a legend in our community. He set up and hosted an audio magazine called Computer Folks, which kept many blind people up to date with the latest technology news. This was long before audio could be beamed into people’s homes via the Internet as it can now. Rich had to do it the labour-intensive way, by distributing cassettes. Many people who’ve been around a while in the tech industry still speak with much fondness of that magazine, the content it offered and Rich’s presentation.
I came across Rich’s name again when he worked at the NFB’s International Braille and Technology Centre. To me it was a far-away wonderland of amazing technology, and Rich helped explain it all through articles he would write.
So when Rich and his partner Sarah were interested in doing a show on Mushroom FM, I knew it would be great and that people would love it. So it was, and so they did. Rich and Sarah hosted The Fringe together, an entertaining show where if you weren’t careful, you would get flushed. Rich did some shows on his own. One of those shows was called Ring World. We’d affectionately call it Ringworm and he took it in good spirits. He had a great sense of humour.
Rich was tenacious in the face of setbacks. He experienced a stroke, and wasn’t sure if he would broadcast again. One of the most moving, amazing moments on Mushroom FM was when Rich got back on the air. The world was cheering him on.
Rich loved his baseball, and that was clear on some of his shows. Just today, as Anthony Horvath and I were sharing fond memories of Rich, Anthony recalled how much Rich loved his New York Yankees.
I can look back with fondness on the fact that Rich made a positive difference to many people’s lives. While I’m sure that Sarah, and Sarah’s mother Rachael can do that too, there will of course be a huge sense of pain and loss. All of us at Mushroom FM send our love to Sarah, Rachael, and others who knew Rich best. He will always have his own well-deserved place in the history of our community. Thank you, Rich, for all you gave us.