ID: Richard York Hardie
Richard Hardie
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Richard Hardie is a furniture maker in Northampton. In August 2004, at the age of 73, he was arrested while demonstrating at the Republican National Convention in New York City. Recently, a federal judge ruled his arrest, and others at the time, were illegal.
Full name: Richard York Hardie
Date and place of birth: May 3, 1931, the Bronx
Address: Northampton
Job: Furniture making
Who lives under the same roof as you? Jody Riseman
Children: Peter, Barbara, Eric, Mark and Michael; and 10 grandchildren
Education: Bachelor’s degree in philosophy, Brooklyn College; master’s degree in theater, Smith College
Book you’d recommend to a friend: “Sisters: Catholic Nuns and the Making of America” by John Fialka
Favorite movie: Movies are lousy, aren’t they?
Items you can’t live without: Hand saw, hand plane, ¾-inch chisel, MS Word
Last thing you purchased just for fun: A turned bowl by Keith Cox
What’s at the top of your bucket list? After you pass 80 you don’t have that list
Life-changing experience: I saw an ad for a playwriting workshop in the Berkshires
Strangest job you ever held: Assistant tennis coach at Smith College
A little-known fact about you: I got one of the highest scores at nuclear bomb school, USAF
Dumbest thing you ever did: If it doesn’t pop up after five minutes, maybe you’re not so dumb?
If you could spend the day with a celebrity from any time in history, who would it be and why? St. Paul: He needs a good bio.
Best advice you ever got: A friend said, “Let’s join the Air Force and buy a Chrysler convertible” (He never made the weight)
Favorite place to get a bite: Esselon: nice garden
Your favorite athlete: Serena Williams; I love tennis
What does your ideal weekend look like? Shopping in New York
One thing you would change about yourself? Fifteen more pounds
What gives you the creeps? Mitt Romney; it’s a long story
People who knew you in high school thought you were: Fair. I was elected chief justice of the student court
Whom do you most admire? Katharine Drexel, a millionare who started schools for Native-American and African-American children across the United States when it was certainly unpopular and dangerous
Parting shot: Beyond the above, there are no surprises
Editor’s Note — To suggest someone for ID, email Keri-Ann Aubin at kaubin@gazettenet.com.

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