by Karen Nunez
David Richardson worked at Berkeley Lab for 22 years and served the ALS community the majority of that time as a dedicated owl shift accelerator operator. David passed from the earth on April 23, 2026, and is greatly missed by loved ones, friends, and family.
As a prolific correspondent, Dave shared interesting news and musings to an email list during his time at the ALS and continued in his retirement. We are therefore able to “hear” from Dave in his own words. Before his recent passing, Dave asked for a message to be shared with all his colleagues at Berkeley Lab and in the ALS community: I was honored and fortunate to work for such a remarkable place and to interact with such a range of people! It always reminded me a bit of Sesame Street, with a charming, somewhat eccentric cast of characters, each of whom brought many distinctive things to the mix!
Early life
Dave was born in Garden City, Michigan, on November 12, 1961, the fourth of five sons born to Barbara and Wayne Richardson. According to his mom, he was born at 7:17 PM, a harbinger of his night owl tendencies.
“Being born at 7:17 PM didn’t quite explain my inclination to stay up until four in the morning!” Dave said, but felt no need to point this out to his mother.
An easygoing child who loved to read and learn, Dave completed high school early at the prompting of teachers who found they could not teach him more than he had already taught himself. He continued his learning at the University of Michigan, where life-long friend James Bork recalled meeting Dave as philosophy students in 1980: “He had been involved in the formation of, and leadership in, a student/faculty philosophy forum. Our friendship grew from there, and deepened as we discussed the ideas of philosophers we were reading in several of the same classes and the ideas of others that we read and discussed on our own. More than anything else, our friendship remained throughout more than 45 years what it had been at the start—a shared intellectual adventure.”
After relocating to the Los Angeles area, Dave enrolled at UCLA. Around this time, he gained a family member when he became a stepson to Connie Richardson; their bond was such that she would proudly introduce him as her son, and he kindly presented her as his mom. “Our Dave often told his dad and me what a privilege it was to be hired at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and to work among such brilliant, dedicated people,” Connie said. “He thoroughly loved the amazing, exciting, and satisfying experience!”
Building Community at Berkeley Lab
Dave’s first position was as an Electronics Engineer Tech with the Center for X-Ray Optics (CXRO). Ken Goldberg worked with Dave on the highest quality optics, which required complicated systems to measure. “Dave wrote hardware interfaces that made so much of that work possible, and he was the best–enthusiastic, patient, insightful, clever, and one of a kind. He was ahead of his time, and there was no one I would rather have worked with,” said Ken.
Dave later joined the ALS and spent his time as one of the dedicated owl shift operators. “I worked with David Brothers for the better part of 20 years, and we never once had an argument!” Dave himself said. “All the issues that came up, we were able to resolve by consensus. And it wasn’t just one of us always deferring to the other—it really was genuine collaboration with David and the wonderful owl shift EMs: Ronny, Sergio, Eric, and Nigel. We were always able to figure out what to do without egos getting in the way.”
Those who worked closely with Dave over the years shared a mutual appreciation.
Nigel Mesta said, “We would spend hours on owl shift discussing any and everything about the universe.”
When it was time to hand off the work to the next shift, his daytime coworkers found Dave to be a steady presence.
“My workday started in the Control Room at 5am and David was always on duty, and could articulate well any issues that happened overnight with the beam,” said Susan James.
“In the morning when we changed shifts I always found Dave to be cheerful, fresh and professional even though he was up all night,” Chit Hlaing added.
Other colleagues recalled Dave’s cheerful demeanor as well, with Rick Donahue calling Dave a “glass half full with a factor of two safety margin kind of guy,” and Matt Abreu describing Dave as “irrepressibly optimistic.”
There are multiple facets to Dave, but his personalized license plate summed up his approach and outlook: ♥️ HUMANS. Dave had a wonderful sense of humor and a charmingly childlike view of the world. He approached every interaction with a sense of wonder and deep-seated kindness. This kindness was an integral part of the community at the ALS and beyond.
Hanjing Huang credited Dave for inspiring her to apply for a summer internship at the Lab. “That simple act of kindness changed the course of my life. What started as a summer internship became a 26-year career at the Lab.”
Staying connected and finding meaning
In July 2021, Dave retired and reflected, “With few interruptions, I had worked a job of some type or other since age 15 (even during my university years!), so being free to set my own schedule is very welcome.” When clearing his office, he remarked, “Ah, so many memories, so many wonderful faces of so many delightful people! It’s hard to leave, but I have so many goals to accomplish that I’d have to live to be 150 to get them all done.”
“I consider myself blessed to have kept in communication with him regularly,” said Angelic Lucero, noting in-person visits even after Dave’s retirement.
Dave also kept in touch with the ALS community through emails about various topics. Mike Martin was proud to be on the mailing list, noting, “I think these emails was just one way that Dave demonstrated that he was always learning, always curious, and always optimistic.”
Soon after retirement, Dave began to pursue a goal he had set over a decade earlier to become a volunteer suicide-prevention telephone counselor. He explained, “It’s incredibly fulfilling work—one is working with people in their time of greatest need, and sometimes just having someone to talk to can be enormously helpful… and guess who’s working the always-hard-to-cover owl shift again :)“
Dave worked the 3AM to 7AM shift at San Francisco Suicide Prevention, the oldest community-based crisis 24/7 hotline center in the United States. Fellow volunteer counselor, Arturo Ortega describes Dave as “one of the most considerate, kind, and caring souls I’ve ever met. He made a difference to so many lives with his compassionate and optimistic words and by calling everyone his friend. He was always in a positive mood. He was always down for an interesting conversation, he was always ready for the next call. He was always there.”
We will all miss Dave, but can take some comfort in his friend James Bork’s reminder. “Dave’s most important projects, like all truly important projects, reached beyond the bounds of this life, and his departure, therefore, does not represent a defeat. Instead, it stands as an invitation to us to begin or continue projects of our own that enable us to be better and to do better in this life, and to carry that forward hereafter.”
You’re invited to support the following organizations that Dave was involved with.
OXFAM is a global organization that fights inequality to end poverty and injustice. We offer lifesaving support in times of crisis and advocate for economic justice, gender equality, and climate action. We demand equal rights and equal treatment so that everyone can thrive, not just survive. The future is equal.
Doctors without Borders is on the ground in over 75 countries—providing urgently needed humanitarian aid in moments of crisis and conflict.
https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/
San Francisco Suicide Prevention (SFSP) provides counseling to callers on local crisis, 988 Lifeline, HIV, and Drug & Relapse lines. To learn more about SFSP and donate, please visit sfsuicide.org
- Read: Memories of David Richardson By His Mom Connie
- Read: Memories of David Richardson By His Friend James Bork
- Read: Memories of David Richardson From the Community
We have collected memories from the community to share with each other and with David’s family. To share a message and/or photos on this page, please contact alscommunications@lbl.gov