Cathy Culp (Hartwell)

For those of you who knew Ricky, you may remember how much he loved that '60s music, songs, and dance.  He loved going to school dances and the Center dances.   And was awarded Best Dancer our senior year.  

We were married for 22 years and although we divorced in 1999, we remained friends and occasionally hung out or went to the movies.

Our last outing was in May 2012.  His health was deteriorating but he got tickets to a '60s concert in Liberty, TX --- about an hour outside of Houston.  The music and singing was fantastic and brought back so many fond memories of our years at SWHS.

It was the perfect "last concert" for Ricky.  Three months later he was gone.   

Dennis Bowman

Cathy, thank you for posting what you did. How wonderful that you two could be such good friends, following the divorce. That's an inspiration to all of us with regard to relationship healing. I have great memories of Ricky, too. We were teammates on the football team and I just remember his infectious laugh. He was always stirring things up and keeping us light on our feet. A great, great guy. I know this is a loss for you and I am so sorry.

Randall Savage

Hard to condence but Ricky and I go way back. When I started becoming a hippie in HS Rick and I got drunk one night and back then we liked to beat up hippies. We drove by a brother with long hair and Rick said "let's go pound on him?" I told Rick if he wanted to do him he wanted to do me. So we stopped the car and I let Ricky hit me in the eye as hard as he could and I took the punch. It changed everything for Rick. Much later my folks told me Rick had come by and could not stop saying how he was so sorry he struck me that it had changed all the rage inside of him. (His dad was a number). Decades later our youngest son Gabriel had an acting coach who had worked on the Roseanne Show and took Gabe under her wing and he flourished in acting. Gabe was born with Downs Syndrome. Thru happenstance we all discovered that she was Ricky's sister from an affair who grew up a block from Rick and never knew the connection. Rick, Steve Fuller, Steve Goodman, Ricky Loudon (Blind Boy) and I  had some wild times. Peace and Love. Love you Rick and Steve

Harvey Cohen

One day around 2006, we where having a busy day when my daughter Lindsay came into my office and told me   "Ricky Hartwell" was on the phone. Immedifately, I recognized the name and wondered if it was the Ricky Hartwell I remembered. I took the call and we discussed old times... Now I never was his best friend because we ran in different circles. However, in the various classes we shared, we grew a nice relationship with each other. Ricky relayed a story to my daughter that day that I had forgotten... I was in speech class and trying to give a speech that required a record to be played while I spoke. Ricky would mischievously slow down the record, throwing me off my lines. When we were done I walked over to him and slugged his arm. Ricky only laughed, but he relayed to me that he was in pain for a week after I hit him. Ricky became my customer after that and I took care of his insurance needs. The last time I saw Ricky was at the 40th reunion. I miss Ricky. He was a good guy. My remebrances of him was that he was a good athlete and was well liked.

Stephen Goodman

I think Wildest thing that Rick and I ever did was for me to sneak out when I was 15. He was Older and had this small Scooter.I would meet him down at Ward Parkway/72nd with my 7th Grade Football Helmet to Fake a Real helmet  Take off up the side streets up towards Culps House and he dropped me off at One of the St Teresa's girls house go onto Culps and then come back to get me at 1 or so. Im have no idea how we evaded the cops? Rick and I had fun doing that--I guess the girls did to??

Ohh those Center Dances with Rick,Sandy Hipsh, and Big Louie were a monthly event. I think Sandy and a real nice pool table that Rick and I learned to play on. maybe Rick had one also and we played pool at his house with Savage just down the street.

Then there was Rick the Water Skier. Very good always got up first pull on one ski, I was always a dropper. I had the Uncle's place at LOTTA something and I think Culp had a boat also. Last time I was with Rick it was St Paddy's in Dallas, must have been, 2011? I asked him to come to my Lake House on Texoma for the 4th and it never happened. Im sure he would have got up on first pull!

After the Summer football practice's Rick and I would go get the biggest Cokes we could buy and go to Rockhurst to stand at the Fence and drink those big Cokes in front of our Rockhurst friends. Enemies later that year for one game!

Ohh those fights! From getting hit with a beer Pitcher at Shakeys to a pool cue over the head in Dallas, we always came out on top. Not sure why I always got the stitches! Ha!!

Rick was my Best Friend!

Miss Him,

Steve Goodman

Randall Savage

I remember when Ricky's Morris Minor would tip on it's side around a too fast corner and Rick would crawl out the top window and right it on all fours and take off. And that Cushman motor cycle we would race around on. Sometimes police would give chase and he'd go up a driveway and throw it over the fence and drive away. Fast Times at Southwest High