OLD LYME—Among the governance and programmatic updates, brunch and boat rides, and community mingling, Connecticut River Conservancy’s (CRC) recent Annual Meeting & Riverside Celebration also honored the contributions of Dick Shriver of Old Lyme with the Bud Foster award.

Every year, CRC has the distinct honor of recognizing individuals from our communities with the Bud Foster Award. This award is given to those showing outstanding devotion, service, and accomplishment in the Connecticut River watershed.

Bud Foster was the first Executive Director of the Connecticut River Watershed Council, now the Connecticut River Conservancy. In those pre-Clean Water Act days when CRC was first established, the challenge facing our rivers was significant. That meant the dedication of those looking to make a difference was also extraordinary.

This award shines a light on those who work hard for the benefit of our rivers.

Richard (Dick) H. Shriver has an esteemed professional history that has taken him all around the world and led him to settle by the Connecticut River we all know and love.

He has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering. He has held executive positions in government and industry having been assistant secretary of the US Treasury Department and Senior Vice President of Chase Manhattan Bank.

He has been professor of Business Finance & Marketing at the International Management Institute in Kiev, Ukraine and Executive-in-Residence at the US Coast Guard Academy. 

Shriver has also worked in an advisory role on behalf of Native American communities conducting research for the Department of the Interior, and served as a member of the board of the National Museum of the American Indian, participating in the transition of this museum to the Smithsonian Institute.

He is also Provost Emeritus of the European College of Liberal Arts (now Bard College Berlin).

These years of experience have led to incredible contributions in international business and education, and national heritage, and ultimately led Shriver to focus his attention closer to home. When he retired near the mouth of the Connecticut River in Old Lyme in 2007, Shriver began to get friendly with his neighbors and form a deeper connection with the river through recreation, hiking, fishing, sailing, and photography.

This resulted in the launch of Estuary Magazine in 2019, an aspiring endeavor of traditional media which was quickly challenged by the economic impacts of the Covid-19 health crisis in 2020. But the magazine survived under Shriver’s leadership as Publisher and Editor, highlighting unique bioregional perspectives, history, scientific insights, and storytelling from up and down the watershed.

Shriver has been supportive of Connecticut River Conservancy at every turn since starting the magazine and developing a connection to our organization and many others. He has been an early morning boat captain for the Unified Water Study, has published articles about restoration stories (such as the Fenwick project) with great depth and detail, has hosted murmuration bird paddles for local community members, and offered his home as a celebratory reception for CRC Board of Trustee Kari Kastango’s monumental Connecticut River swim.

He has been a convener, connector, and friend who brings others together with open arms to unite our efforts for greater collective impact. Thanks to Shriver’s leadership, 1 million dollars was recently granted by the Endeavor Foundation to support conservation priorities throughout the watershed. All this in a relatively short time after a successful career.

Dick Shriver is an impressive example of how much one person can accomplish when inspired and committed. And now his efforts inspire more of us to appreciate and steward this amazing resource.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published July 1, 2024 by the Connecticut River Conservancy. It was written by Diana Chaplin and is published here with kind permission of the Connecticut River Conservancy.