Richard L. Arthur (1929-2013)

The Rev. Dr. Richard Laurence Arthur, a former USCF member from Merrimack, New Hampshire, died Feb. 28, 2013 in Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, after an illness. He was 83. He was born Sept. 2, 1929 in Arlington, Mass., the son of Worthen and Helen (Moore) Arthur, and was raised in various Massachusetts towns, including Medford, Leominster and Clinton. He graduated from Clinton High School and Gordon College in Wenham, Mass. He went on to earn a master of theology degree from Harvard University and a doctor of theology degree from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif. From 1988 until his retirement in 2011, Rev. Arthur was a professor of theology at Unification Theological Seminary in New York.

A talented pianist, Rev. Arthur enjoyed sharing music with others. He especially enjoyed playing chess and was one of the early members of the Wachusett Chess Club in Fitchburg, Mass. during the late 1950s and early 1960s. A rated Class A player, Rev. Arthur played at the Nashua Chess Club in New Hampshire in the early 1990s. He tied for second place in the Nashua CC Championship in 1992 and won the club's March 1993 Game/15 Championship. His last USCF-rated tournament was the Southern New Hampshire Game/60 Championship, held in Merrimack in June 1999 and sponsored by Twin State Chess.

He leaves his wife of 42 years, Rose (Hormon) Arthur; and a brother, Robert Arthur, in Wisconsin. A sister, Ann Gallagher, predeceased him.

A funeral service was held March 6 in Presbyterian Church USA in Clinton, Mass. Burial was in Woodlawn Cemetery, Clinton.

Obituary submitted by
George Mirijanian, Massachusetts Chess Association

Richard L. Arthur may you rest in peace.