Professional Career

Education

Dick enlisted in the Navy at age 17 and spent the next four years at sea and in foreign lands fighting a war for America. After his military service Dick went back to school attending Valley College here in the Inland Empire. Going back to school helped him transition from the harsh realities of active military duty to a life as a civilian. Once completed with his education, he was holding a Master of Arts in Management (MA) which prepared him for his professional career and later also for his many years of public service.

Dick worked for the Southern California Gas Company from 1948 to 1988. He was promoted several times and held a variety of management positions, including Distribution Planning Supervisor, Division Engineer, and Division Superintendent of the Company’s Eastern Division. From 1988 to 1998 Dick was employed as a Public Relations and Marketing Consultant by the C.H.J Engineering Corporation.

Dick’s business and professional career included positions in which he managed departments consisting of hundreds of employees. His responsibilities included the preparation and administration of capital and operating budgets in the amount of millions of dollars, an experience that would serve him well later in life when managing the City of Yucaipa’s fiscal expenditures.