Ricky and I were best friends from back in first grade, and we used to skip lunch at Seely Place to go to his house for some Lingonberry jelly sandwiches. We stayed close until mid high school (I remember collaborating on a program called "Man and his Environment", to which we invited Pete Seeger, with whom I later in life have had the pleasure to sing), and lost touch afterward, but after I was married and moved to Northern Westchester my wife and I ran into Ricky's parents and wound up re-connecting with Ricky and Irene. We also met Annie (who was just a bit older than our son), and, ultimately Zoe, their younger daughter, who was just 9 months old, as I recall, when Ricky passed away.
I became close with Ricky's parents, and saw Irene and the girls from time to time, until her passing. Finally, last year, Charlotte, Ricky's Mom, passed away, and I was able to see the girls, now lovely young women, at their grandmother's funeral. They both carry Ricky and Irene's creativity and curiousity, and their spirit and generousity will live on through them.
"Rick Dutka (1973) married sweetheart Irene Brody (1973) just after college and went on to work as a lawyer for the record industry, eventually becoming the senior Vice President of Island Records. He was fiercely dedicated to social justice, and used his position to bring attention to South African Apartheid. He helped produce the album Sun City that united many artists who stood against apartheid. He died after a 7 year battle with cancer at age 35, and was survived by his wife Irene and their two daughters Annie and Zoe Dutka.
"Irene & Ricky were two ephemeral souls of extraordinary compassion and creativity. They shared a special spark that inspired all those who came close, and though their lives were taken far too prematurely, their memory is a force in itself- One that is determinedly present in the lives of those who knew them. Their story reminds us that true romance exists and is endless, most especially when a deeply committed love for all living things at its source."
Paul Storfer
Ricky and I were best friends from back in first grade, and we used to skip lunch at Seely Place to go to his house for some Lingonberry jelly sandwiches. We stayed close until mid high school (I remember collaborating on a program called "Man and his Environment", to which we invited Pete Seeger, with whom I later in life have had the pleasure to sing), and lost touch afterward, but after I was married and moved to Northern Westchester my wife and I ran into Ricky's parents and wound up re-connecting with Ricky and Irene. We also met Annie (who was just a bit older than our son), and, ultimately Zoe, their younger daughter, who was just 9 months old, as I recall, when Ricky passed away.
I became close with Ricky's parents, and saw Irene and the girls from time to time, until her passing. Finally, last year, Charlotte, Ricky's Mom, passed away, and I was able to see the girls, now lovely young women, at their grandmother's funeral. They both carry Ricky and Irene's creativity and curiousity, and their spirit and generousity will live on through them.
Erica Babad
From Ricky and Irene's daughter, Zoe Clara Dutka:
"Rick Dutka (1973) married sweetheart Irene Brody (1973) just after college and went on to work as a lawyer for the record industry, eventually becoming the senior Vice President of Island Records. He was fiercely dedicated to social justice, and used his position to bring attention to South African Apartheid. He helped produce the album Sun City that united many artists who stood against apartheid. He died after a 7 year battle with cancer at age 35, and was survived by his wife Irene and their two daughters Annie and Zoe Dutka.
"Irene & Ricky were two ephemeral souls of extraordinary compassion and creativity. They shared a special spark that inspired all those who came close, and though their lives were taken far too prematurely, their memory is a force in itself- One that is determinedly present in the lives of those who knew them. Their story reminds us that true romance exists and is endless, most especially when a deeply committed love for all living things at its source."