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Richard Ruff "Dick" Stanfield, founder and president of Edrich Lumber Inc. who had been active in community affairs, died Feb. 15 of heart failure at Northwest Hospital Center. The longtime Windsor Mill resident was 77. (Baltimore Sun / February 21, 2012) |
Richard Ruff "Dick" Stanfield, founder and president of Edrich Lumber Inc. who had been active in community affairs, died Feb. 15 of heart failure at Northwest Hospital Center.
The longtime Windsor Mill resident was 77.
The son of farmers, Mr. Stanfield was born in Baltimore and raised on the family dairy farm at McDonogh Road and Church Lane in Randallstown.
After graduating from Milford Mill High School in 1952, Mr. Stanfield earned a bachelor's degree in 1956 from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Mr. Stanfield began working in 1956 as treasurer of Edrich Farms Inc. on Old Court Road in Windsor Mill and was also treasurer of Edrich Farms Nursery Inc.
In 1962, he established and served as president of Edrich Lumber Inc., located at the site of Edrich Farms Inc. and Edrich Farms Nursery Inc.
Mr. Stanfield began the operation with a small mill cutting logs into lumber, with the sawdust and shavings being turned into mulch. He became one of the largest producers of mulch in the area.
Later, as the need arose for the proper disposal of brush and wood debris, he expanded again when he developed another business that grew into one of the largest recyclers of wood products in the Baltimore area.
Mr. Stanfield served commercial customers as well as homeowners who came to Windsor Mill for plants, mulch, stone and lumber.
Clifford "Cliff" Harbeson began working for Mr. Stanfield in 1987, and after a four-year hiatus, returned in 2000.
"He was a father figure to me, and we were very close. Dick is a great man," said Mr. Harbeson, the company's business manager. "He would never give anyone a task that he wouldn't do himself, from sweeping floors to cleaning toilets. He was extremely down to earth."
He described Mr. Stanfield as being "a dry-witted, simple, yet complex man."
"Dick was hard-working. He'd be on the hill in his un-air-conditioned 965 Caterpillar loader in 90-degree weather, working right alongside the other guys," said Mr. Harbeson.
"He'd wait on the customers and would load topsoil or mulch whether they were commercial or homeowners. Nothing was out of his scope," he said. "He was a hands-on boss."
He credited Mr. Stanfield with expanding the lumber business into the international arena.
"We'd sell green or kiln-dried lumber to commercial lumberyards and mills. We sold it to homeowners who wanted to build a fence or had other projects where they needed lumber," said Mr. Harbeson. "We also exported kiln-dried lumber to China and South Africa. Dick was quite the entrepreneur."
A fan of animals, Mr. Stanfield had more than 30 cats roaming his farm.
"He'd feed them and make sure they had all of their shots," said Mr. Harbeson.
Family members said that while Mr. Stanfield didn't always express his praise to his employees, he demonstrated it in other ways.
The longtime Windsor Mill resident was 77.
The son of farmers, Mr. Stanfield was born in Baltimore and raised on the family dairy farm at McDonogh Road and Church Lane in Randallstown.
After graduating from Milford Mill High School in 1952, Mr. Stanfield earned a bachelor's degree in 1956 from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Mr. Stanfield began working in 1956 as treasurer of Edrich Farms Inc. on Old Court Road in Windsor Mill and was also treasurer of Edrich Farms Nursery Inc.
In 1962, he established and served as president of Edrich Lumber Inc., located at the site of Edrich Farms Inc. and Edrich Farms Nursery Inc.
Mr. Stanfield began the operation with a small mill cutting logs into lumber, with the sawdust and shavings being turned into mulch. He became one of the largest producers of mulch in the area.
Later, as the need arose for the proper disposal of brush and wood debris, he expanded again when he developed another business that grew into one of the largest recyclers of wood products in the Baltimore area.
Mr. Stanfield served commercial customers as well as homeowners who came to Windsor Mill for plants, mulch, stone and lumber.
Clifford "Cliff" Harbeson began working for Mr. Stanfield in 1987, and after a four-year hiatus, returned in 2000.
"He was a father figure to me, and we were very close. Dick is a great man," said Mr. Harbeson, the company's business manager. "He would never give anyone a task that he wouldn't do himself, from sweeping floors to cleaning toilets. He was extremely down to earth."
He described Mr. Stanfield as being "a dry-witted, simple, yet complex man."
"Dick was hard-working. He'd be on the hill in his un-air-conditioned 965 Caterpillar loader in 90-degree weather, working right alongside the other guys," said Mr. Harbeson.
"He'd wait on the customers and would load topsoil or mulch whether they were commercial or homeowners. Nothing was out of his scope," he said. "He was a hands-on boss."
He credited Mr. Stanfield with expanding the lumber business into the international arena.
"We'd sell green or kiln-dried lumber to commercial lumberyards and mills. We sold it to homeowners who wanted to build a fence or had other projects where they needed lumber," said Mr. Harbeson. "We also exported kiln-dried lumber to China and South Africa. Dick was quite the entrepreneur."
A fan of animals, Mr. Stanfield had more than 30 cats roaming his farm.
"He'd feed them and make sure they had all of their shots," said Mr. Harbeson.
Family members said that while Mr. Stanfield didn't always express his praise to his employees, he demonstrated it in other ways.
