Rickey Arthur Kolb possessed that rare combination of a brilliant intellect and a captivating personality, topped off with a wonderful sense of humor. These traits were instrumental in making him a great mentor, leader, family man, and friend. ‘Rick,’ as he was called by friends, lived the life of servant leadership. No matter the situation, he made those around him better.

Born in Los Angeles, CA on December 2, 1946, Rick moved with his family later to Illinois. He graduated from Palatine High School, where he participated in basketball, cross country, and track, and was a National Honor Society student. He entered the Academy via a principal appointment from Senator Everett M. Dirksen. His Beast Barracks roommate remembers being impressed with Rick’s calm demeanor and, at the same time, his resolve that nothing would hold him back from his goals. Rick was the consummate roommate, both patient and willing to help with whatever was needed, traits that would follow him throughout his life. As a cadet, he was involved in multiple extracurricular activities, notably the Math Forum. Not surprisingly, his love and aptitude for math later had a profound effect on his career path. He developed the ability to reduce the most difficult math problem into simple procedures, and he did so in a way that never made his students feel less mentally gifted.

Upon graduation, Rick was commissioned in the Air Defense Artillery. After his basic course and earning his Airborne wings and Ranger tab, he was assigned to Germany. As a first lieutenant, he was selected in December 1970 above senior officers to command a Nike Hercules battery. During his 21 months of command, his unit excelled on all major unit evaluations and received special recognition from the USAREUR commander for best performance on the annual Technical Proficiency Inspection of all nuclear capable units. Later assigned to the 38th ADA Brigade in Korea, he assumed his second command of a Hercules battery. Next, he was selected to the faculty at USMA and completed master’s degrees in both applied mathematics and operations research at Georgia Tech. He served as an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics until 1980, when he became a Permanent Associate Professor. After CGSC, he completed his doctorate at Georgia Tech, garnering the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering outstanding dissertation award, and returned to USMA in 1982. In 1995, Rick was selected to command the United States Military Academy Preparatory School (USMAPS) at Fort Monmouth, NJ, where he served for three years as both the Commandant and Dean. He retired in 1999 after 30 years of service.

During the 20-plus years he spent in the Army’s academic community, Rick served as a research consultant working with agencies such as the Army Research Laboratory, the Combined Arms Combat Development Activity, the Operational Test and Evaluation Agency, the TRADOC Systems Analysis Activity, and the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Army for Operations Research. He was a graduate of the National Defense University’s Industrial College of the Armed Forces (1987). His decorations include the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. After retiring from the Army, Rick became the Headmaster of Benedictine High School, a Catholic military school for boys, in Richmond, VA, from 2000 to 2003.

Friends often recall how his engaging personality was reflected in everything Rick did. Being passionate about statistics, he would analyze everything. Once, in a light conversation, a co-worker stated he believed multiple choice exams were not as effective as essay exams. Within two days, Rick prepared a mini-thesis to prove the value of multiple choice tests, using analysis techniques that only a few people on earth would appreciate. Another friend recalls how Rick possessed excellent racquetball skills, yet always had the knack to make you feel better than you were at the game whenever you challenged him. Once Rick was beating this friend pretty easily and still found a way to get him back into the game. Showing another side of Rick’s personality, after having completed a river rafting trip, one of his female “shipmates” was saying how proud she was that she didn’t fall in. At that, Rick felt it was his duty to correct the situation and pushed her in.

Rick died December 30, 2013 at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond, VA. He had acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and died from pneumonia that resulted as a complication of a cord blood transplant. During a hospital visit, one friend recalled Rick’s last conversation with him, and never once did he talk about himself or his declining health. It was all about his family, the boys, the grandchildren and his lovely bride. He was worried about them and the pain they felt during his fight. Rick was married to the former Mary Elizabeth Rice, whom he met during cow year, and they had four sons: Richard, Patrick, Robert (USMA ’02), and Edward.