Month: November 2020

Richard Linley has been a staff member with the Queen’s School of Computing  for 21 years. His involvement with the School goes beyond troubleshooting every imaginable computer problem and programming custom solutions. From judging ECOO competitions to dressing up as Santa Claus at department Christmas parties, Richard’s presence and dedication to the School has brought joy to all.

Although Richard will remain active in his faculty role, Richard has retired his role as Continuing/System Application Specialist and he will be greatly missed among staff. The School of Computing staff celebrated Richard’s retirement after hours on Teams. The event was called ” Toast to Richard.” This event was unlike any retirement party as there were musical performances, bedtime stories, and an exchange of memories and laughs.

Here is what some of the staff had to say.

” Long before I became tech savvy, I had a small problem with my computer mouse!
One morning for some unknown reason, I wasn’t able to get the little arrow into the corner of my computer screen no matter how hard I tried. Then, I thought I had a solution and picked up my mousepad and mouse and held them in various positions near my computer screen trying to get the little arrow in the corner! During this time, who should walk into my office but Richard! He had this incredulous look on his face and he asked me what on earth was I doing! As I started to explain he began to laugh hysterically. After a while he was able to collect himself enough to try and explain to me why what I was doing would never work! I didn’t understand it but I knew it was a big mistake! I made Richie swear he wouldn’t tell anyone but as the day went on, other staff members proved that he had! ”
– Irene LaFleche, previous Undergraduate Program Assistant

“Honestly, for me, Richard just seemed like the Gentle Giant. He always made me feel so welcome. Always made me laugh in the mornings. If I was having a bad day, Richard could make me laugh! He also had a big conversation with me that I can remember when I came in after my brother passed away .I can remember him really taking it in and asking about my dad, and how he felt. He mentioned his kids and how it made him feel hearing that news kind of saying “I cant ever imagine” and my goodness, did that hit home. He gave me a big hug, and made me feel just a bit better knowing that it was all so genuine.”
– Carly Napier, Administrative Secretary

“Working with Richard for 18 years has been a pleasure. His generosity of time and compassion when working with students, small acts of kindness like taking them out to lunch when he could see they were struggling, were an inspiration to me. As has been his example of giving back to the community by following your passion. This belief in service with the need to inspire the next generation of computer scientists is what lead him to champion the School’s involvement in local and regional high school programming competitions. He leaves big shoes to fill.” – Ben Hall, Senior Business Analyst“One of my favourite memories of working with Richard was that time when we pulled up all the decades of networking and power cables in the server room on May 29th 2018!” – Aaron Visser, Systems Analyst

“Richard loved to visit and eat my student chocolates! I loved his visits to my office!  They made my day.”
– Karen Knight, Undergraduate Program Assistant

“I really enjoyed the early morning conversations with Richard while waiting for the coffee to perk. He was so welcoming when I started and made me feel I was really part of the School of Computing family. We talked about all kinds of things like cottaging on the lake, family and pets, plays, my love of US college football and so much more.”
– Noreeen Haun, Research Administrative Assistant

“Richard has this wonderful way of making everyone feel welcome in the School. When I first came on as staff in December 2018, Richard never held back on his witty one-liners about my pregnancy. My favourite one by far was at a staff potluck when he was trying to convince me to have seconds on his dessert. He said ‘that piggy of a baby of yours will thank you for it!’ I’d like to think I burned some calories with the laughter so I went ahead and had seconds.”
– Aysha Tayab-Ratsep, Marketing and Communications Coordinator

We thank Richard for everything he has done for the Queen’s School of Computing community and we wish him all the very best!