Ventura County Star
February 28, 2016
Richard Ferdinand Newman, born August 24, 1928, died peacefully, at home, after a long illness on February 11, 2016. Born in New York, raised in Washington, DC, and graduated from the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, he moved to Los Angeles, where he worked for Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, and became a Publicist at Columbia Studios and Paramount. In 1959, he married Pat, had three sons, and, in 1966, moved to Thousand Oaks. He wrote for television: "Restless Gun", "The Rebel ", Bonanza", "Laramie", "Wells Fargo", etc. and continued as a Unit Publicist on motion pictures featuring Steve McQueen, Fess Parker, Yvette Mimieu, and Ricardo Montalban. He was twice Vice-President of the Publicists Guild. Meanwhile, he became a Reserve Deputy Sheriff in Los Angeles County, twice named Reserve Deputy of the year, serving in West Hollywood during the heyday of the Sunset Strip.
Now with a family in Thousand Oaks and seeking a more regular schedule, he joined the new Simi Valley Police Department, where he rose quickly through the ranks, and retired as a lieutenant, though he had once served as Acting Deputy Chief. While with SVPD, he earned Master’s Degrees in Administration of Justice, Public Administration, and Educational Counseling. Considered an expert in Juvenile Justice, he was invited to address the National Chiefs of Police on that subject. This subject also inspired him to welcome 44 foster sons from Juvenile Court and a mental health treatment home program into his home.
His youth involvement led him to manage and coach in Conejo Valley Little League for 24 years, including All-Stars and CVLL Board positions. Elected to the Conejo Valley Recreation & Parks Board, he served seven years, before being elected to the Conejo Valley Unified School Board for nine years, and was twice president of each. With his counseling degree, he worked in Oak Park School District as an At-Risk Counselor in middle schools until he was off the school board, when he shifted to At-Risk children in CVUSD middle schools. He volunteered at Sequoia Middle School until 2015.
In his later years, limited by kidney dialysis, he amassed an extensive CD collection and he and Pat continued their frequent cruise travels, collecting souvenir schlock, which he loved.
In addition to wife, Pat, Richard leaves three sons: H. Robert (Samantha), Richard W. (Jodi), and Christopher W. (Tammy); and granddaughters Jessica, Ryan, Grace, Alexandra, and Joy. As Richard had so many good stories to tell, through his varied experiences, an informal memorial gathering will be held in March to share "Tales of Newman."
NEWMAN, Richard (Richard Ferdinand Newman)
Born: 8/24/1928, New York, U.S.A.
Died: 2/11/2016, Thousand Oaks, California, U.S.A.
Richard Newman’s westerns – screenwriter:
The Restless Gun (TV) – 1958, 1959
Johnny Ringo (TV) – 1959
The Rebel (TV) – 1960
Bonanza (TV) – 1961
Tales of Wells Fargo (TV) – 1961
Laramie (TV) - 1962