Prominent development practitioner and scholar Marty Chen, a Southasia Peace Action Network Advisory Council member shared this tribute at a memorial at Harvard University last year, for the legendary pediatrician Dr Richard Cash, a pioneer of oral rehydration therapy and a global health researcher.
My first and favorite memory of Richard Cash goes back to December 1971, in Bethesda, Maryland. My husband Lincoln Chen and I had been evacuated earlier that year from East Pakistan with our young son Greg, and we had met Richard through the Friends of Bangladesh network. Our daughter Alexis was just a few weeks old. Greg was two and a half.
Richard spent the night on our pull-out sofa in the living room. That morning, I woke up later than I had in many weeks and wondered why neither child had woken me. When I walked into the living room, I found Greg curled up beside Richard, who was reading him a children’s book.
In that moment, I knew Richard was a keeper.
Years later, in June 2020, on the occasion of Richard’s 79th birthday, I wrote this limerick for him:
There is a special guy named Cash
Not Johnny, but Richard
With whom, each of our lives is richer
With his beloved Stella
His life is now Bella
Three cheers for our special Richard!!
As we gather in memory today, those words still hold true.
A special life
Richard was a special guy, unique in more ways than one. He was a pioneering public health doctor and a gifted, deeply beloved teacher. He was also an adventurous world traveler and cultural explorer, an avid reader, museum-goer, and film lover, a jazz aficionado and an Asian art collector. He delighted in debate, curiosity, and conversation, and he carried those passions lightly, always inviting others in.
A special friend
Richard was also a special friend. In fact, he was a “best friend” to many of us gathered here. He was Lincoln’s and my closest friend for 53 years and “Uncle Richard” to our children and grandchildren.
He was present at so many milestones of our family life: Thanksgivings, Christmases, birthdays, weddings, a grandson’s christening, and my mother’s memorial. He knew my grandparents and parents, and Lincoln’s father, and was woven into our extended family across generations.
Both my mother and her mother adored Richard, though neither enjoyed losing to him at cards or Scrabble. My mother and Richard once canoed together and sang summer camp songs. Richard had a rare gift for conversation, for making people of every age feel seen, listened to, and valued.
A life that enriched others
Richard enriched all of our lives, including those of our children and grandchildren. We traveled together in China, India, Thailand, and Tibet. He stayed with us in Dhaka, Delhi, Brookline, and at our summer home. When we lived in Bangladesh and India, we returned each summer to stay with him in Cambridge.
Over more than half a century, Richard became an honorary and indispensable member of our family. That friendship is a treasure beyond measure for Lincoln, for me, and for all of us.
Stella, and the gift of love
Last, but hardly least, Richard’s beloved Stella truly is bella and made his life bella. During Richard’s final year, she provided him with devoted, loving, and unwavering care.
Thank you, Stella, for your profound devotion to Richard. And thank you, Richard, for the gift of Stella in all of our lives.
Three cheers for our special Richard.
We love you more than tongue can tell.
Marty Chen is an Associate at the Mittal South Asia Institute at Harvard University, where she taught for 35 years, and Co-Founder, Emeritus International Coordinator and board member of the global network Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO). She gave this tribute to Richard Cash at the Chan Harvard School of Public Health on 21 November, 2025.
Lead Image: Marty Chen at the memorial ceremony ‘Celebrating the life of Richard Cash’, organized by Harvard University. Photo by Beena Sarwar.
About Sapan Blog
The Sapan Blog is a space for reflection, commentary, and conversation by members of the Southasia Peace Action Network community. Here, Sapaners, journalists, peacebuilders, artists, and thinkers share personal essays and perspectives that connect Southasia’s stories, challenges, and triumphs. From culture to climate, sport to solidarity, these blogs go beyond the headlines to bring you the region’s heart and humour.