Richard Vernon Edwards, Jr.
Richard Vernon Edwards, Jr., 92, of The Woodlands, Texas passed away on April 20, 2023 in the company of his wife, Seola, two of his children and his son-in-law.
He was born in New Orleans and grew up in Baton Rouge, LA He graduated from high school at Allen Military Academy, Bryan, TX. He got his Electrical Engineering degree from LSU in 1952 and worked for EXXON his whole career as an Exploration Geophysicist, closing out his career as Manager of the EXPEC COMPUTER CENTER in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
He married Seola May Arnaud on June 21, 1952. They had 5 children, 17 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. His great joy in life was his family and he was well-loved by them all. He was extremely proud of having been married to the same woman for over 70 years!
He served in the United States Air Force from 1952 to 1954 during the Korean War and was stationed at Sandia Air Base in Albuquerque and Biggs Air Force Base in El PASO. His career with Exxon was marked with many interesting assignments including 7 years in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. He was an avid athlete who ran 21 marathons in his lifetime, the last being in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Golf was one of his passions and he played famous courses in Scotland, Ireland, England, Cyprus and, of course, the U.S.A. He won his flight in the 1983 Kuwaiti Open Tournament. He was the world champion of the Indoor Golf tournament in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1985. Most of the Middle East golf courses are sand. He played in the Cyprus annual Joint Service Golf Club (Dhekelia) Open Golf Championship 27 years in a row beginning in 1983. Eventually, they made him an honorary member of the Club. Everywhere he went he made lifelong friends.
He loved life and lived it to the fullest. He was a very giving person, and among his favorite charities was the LSU French program. In 2000 he helped establish a French Immersion program for LSU French students in the Ubaye Valley of France, origin of his wife's family. The students upon return back to LSU would say almost without exception, "This experience changed my life!". One of the students from the original group, Todd Jacob, has returned every year since 2001, and now represents LSU there in an official capacity.
But Dick's generosity was not limited to LSU. He took great pleasure each Christmas in sending out checks to 14 charities which were matched Exxon. His largesse was legendary.
Dick Edwards was a rare breed of human being and he will be greatly missed. As a devout Catholic he believed that life here on earth is just a beginning of our eternal life in Heaven. May he rest in peace!