Richard ‘Dick’ Fisk Kibben

Born on May 10, 1936, in Saranac Lake, he was the son of the late George E. Kibben and Elda (Fisk) Kibben.

He is survived by his devoted wife, Janet (Sawyer) Kibben of 35 years, and his loving children: daughter Laura Hayward Kibben, grandson Calder Emilio Kibben, son Matthew Fisk Kibben (Betsy Hepp) and grandson Charles Fisk Kibben, who reside in the greater Portland Oregon area. He always spoke of his children and grandchildren with great pride. He is also survived by several cousins, his brother-in-law Thomas Sawyer (Jan Marie), three nephews and a niece.

He graduated from Saranac Lake High School in 1953; New England College Prep School 1954 and then attended Boston University (BU), where he received a Bachelors’ degree. While at BU he played on the men’s varsity soccer team and enjoyed his brothers at Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. He served in the Army Reserve while in Boston and received an honorable discharge in 1960. He and his late wife, Nancy Hipman Kibben, began their family in Boston, ultimately moving to Mountain Lakes, New Jersey where he raised his family. During college he built a state camp on Second Pond in Saranac Lake and years later purchased a camp on Lake Kiwassa which he owned for more than 50 years. After his marriage to Janet, they lived in Boonton, New Jersey (five years), Toledo, Ohio (five years), Saranac Lake, New York (21 years) and currently in San Antonio, Florida (four years).

Dick loved the outdoors and, as long as he was physically able, he participated in many sports. He skied at Whiteface Mountain, Lake Placid, as a season-pass holder well into his 70s, downhill raced in high school and college, climbed more than 20 of the over 4,000-foot High Peaks Adirondack mountains (some multiple times) and untold smaller peaks. He was an avid boater having spent time canoeing, power boating and sailing both large and small craft. He enjoyed camping as a young person and as a parent. He also was an avid golfer, well known for his excellent putting.

He began his career in labor relations and was later recruited to be an executive director-construction at the Business Roundtable (BRT) New York. The BRT is an association with membership of CEOs of 200 of the largest U.S. companies. He was responsible for directing the Roundtable’s program to improve the performance of the U.S. construction industry. In 1994 he received the Free Enterprise Man of the Year Award by the Associated Builders and Contractors. In 2000 he was elected as a member of the National Academy of Construction, Austin, Texas, for his contributions to the U.S. construction industry. As a final career he worked four years with Rudolph Libbe, Inc., Toledo, Ohio, as their safety director.

When possible, he strived to give back to the community including such roles as trustee for the Riverside Hospital in Boonton Township, New Jersey; director of Industrial Devices Corporation Novato, California; trustee of Paul Smith’s College, Paul Smiths; and founding member of the Construction Innovation Forum, Ann Arbor, Michigan. In Saranac Lake he was an enthusiastic Ice Palace builder, volunteer at the First Presbyterian Church, member of Rotary International, trustee of Saranac Lake Voluntary Health Association, trustee of Pine Ridge Cemetery, director of the Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System, volunteer for the Interfaith Food Pantry and director of ADKAction. In 2007 he was proud to serve as King of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival.

His friends and family will dearly miss him and his native Adirondack charm.