Coral Ridge Isles Civic Association
meetings occur QUARTERLY
on the 2nd Thursday
during the months of January, April, July and October
Location: TBA
REMEMBER TO PAY YOUR DUES, IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY DONE SO. Thanks so much for your support.
Together, we can strive to make Coral Ridge Isles an even better neighborhood for all of us.
** Meeting location will be announced when we re-start our in person meetings.
ORBITUARY
Richard ‘Rick’ Asper, chairman and co-founder of Honor Flights South Florida, died Monday, according to a representative from his organization. He was 75
A military veteran himself, Richard “Rick” Asper was passionate about honoring those who served in uniform through Honor Flights South Florida.
Asper, chairman and co-founder of the organization and longtime resident of Fort Lauderdale, died Monday at 75. A cause of death was not released.
Asper founded Honor Flights South Florida in 2011 to honor military veterans based in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. The organization flies veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit memorials built in their honor, with priority for the oldest among them and those who are terminally ill.
The nonprofit organization, run entirely by volunteers, organizes air travel and buses, medical assistance and fundraising, among other essentials.
“We are here to make this the best day of their lives,” Asper told the South Florida Sun Sentinel in 2016. “These heroes saved the world, not figuratively saved the world, but literally saved the world. The least we can do 75 years after their extraordinary service is to pay them back by allowing them to have this amazing day.”
Asper worked with Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and airlines to sponsor the flights. Greg Meyer, former spokesman for Broward County’s Aviation Department and currently assistant director
of communications for the county, knew Asper well.
“He was a super nice guy,” Meyer said. “He came here with passion and compassion to make sure these veterans got the respect they deserve.
“He was very passionate and very persistent and made sure that everything worked. … He would always find a way to accommodate the veterans.”
Asper did a lot of the grunt work, even as the head of his organization.
He wouldn’t take “no” for an answer and would work tirelessly to make sure the community he served had what it needed, even if that required extra effort on his part, according to Meyer.
“He did all the legwork,” Meyer said. “He was so passionate, you had to say ‘yes’ when working with Rick.”
Originally from Ponoma, California, Asper moved to Fort Lauderdale in the 1980s to start what would be a 40-year career in aviation regulation.
Asper was an aviation lawyer, avid skydiver who made more than 200 jumps and played basketball in college at UCLA, according to Ryan Paton, co-founder and director of operations at Honor Flights South Florida.
“I’ve been with him since day one, in and out of meetings, setting everything up, so I saw what this guy did,” Paton said. “Nobody has done what this guy did.”
Paton recalled a rare time he accompanied Asper on one of their flights to Washington, D.C., and witnessed a touching moment when Asper visited one of the memorials.
“When we were at the Vietnam Memorial ... he walked up to a couple names he saw that he served with that were on the wall, and he put his arm up to it,” Paton said. “One of our cameramen took that picture and then we did a recognition, framed it and gave it to Rick ... These were fellow veterans that didn’t come home and it was just so important to him.”
Asper served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and retired with the rank of colonel.
Honor Flights had a profound impact on the veterans he served.
During and after these trips, they would talk about how moved they were by the opportunity to see the memorials erected to honor them.
“It’s hard to put into words your feelings when you see a memorial in honor of what you did,” said Buddy Galvin, a World War II veteran who was on the first South Florida Honor Flight. “It’s overwhelming.”
Asper’s work also involved connecting local veterans with their representatives and senators in the nation’s capital.
“Rick’s dedication to our veterans, and the selfless mission of ensuring they could visit their respective war memorials, was truly admirable,” Rep. Ted Deutch, D-West Boca, said in a statement. “He’s left a wonderful and lasting legacy, and I’m honored to have met so many veterans due to his devotion. May his memory be a blessing.”
Information about a memorial service was not available Wednesday.
The last Honor Flights organized by Asper are set to take place this fall after a one-year pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those flights will be dedicated to Asper, according to Paton, and the organization will continue with its mission.
“The founders of Honor Flight South Florida have volunteered side by side with Rick for the past 11 years,” Paton said. “I don’t think that South Florida has ever seen one individual that has done more for our nation’s veterans, than Rick Asper. He, like his father to him, was a guiding light of integrity and devotion, not only to our veterans but also to everyone that was lucky enough to know him.”
A military veteran himself, Richard “Rick” Asper was passionate about honoring those who served in uniform through Honor Flights South Florida.
Asper, chairman and co-founder of the organization and longtime resident of Fort Lauderdale, died Monday at 75. A cause of death was not released.
Asper founded Honor Flights South Florida in 2011 to honor military veterans based in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. The organization flies veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit memorials built in their honor, with priority for the oldest among them and those who are terminally ill.
The nonprofit organization, run entirely by volunteers, organizes air travel and buses, medical assistance and fundraising, among other essentials.
“We are here to make this the best day of their lives,” Asper told the South Florida Sun Sentinel in 2016. “These heroes saved the world, not figuratively saved the world, but literally saved the world. The least we can do 75 years after their extraordinary service is to pay them back by allowing them to have this amazing day.”
Asper worked with Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and airlines to sponsor the flights. Greg Meyer, former spokesman for Broward County’s Aviation Department and currently assistant director
of communications for the county, knew Asper well.
“He was a super nice guy,” Meyer said. “He came here with passion and compassion to make sure these veterans got the respect they deserve.
“He was very passionate and very persistent and made sure that everything worked. … He would always find a way to accommodate the veterans.”
Asper did a lot of the grunt work, even as the head of his organization.
He wouldn’t take “no” for an answer and would work tirelessly to make sure the community he served had what it needed, even if that required extra effort on his part, according to Meyer.
“He did all the legwork,” Meyer said. “He was so passionate, you had to say ‘yes’ when working with Rick.”
Originally from Ponoma, California, Asper moved to Fort Lauderdale in the 1980s to start what would be a 40-year career in aviation regulation.
Asper was an aviation lawyer, avid skydiver who made more than 200 jumps and played basketball in college at UCLA, according to Ryan Paton, co-founder and director of operations at Honor Flights South Florida.
“I’ve been with him since day one, in and out of meetings, setting everything up, so I saw what this guy did,” Paton said. “Nobody has done what this guy did.”
Paton recalled a rare time he accompanied Asper on one of their flights to Washington, D.C., and witnessed a touching moment when Asper visited one of the memorials.
“When we were at the Vietnam Memorial ... he walked up to a couple names he saw that he served with that were on the wall, and he put his arm up to it,” Paton said. “One of our cameramen took that picture and then we did a recognition, framed it and gave it to Rick ... These were fellow veterans that didn’t come home and it was just so important to him.”
Asper served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and retired with the rank of colonel.
Honor Flights had a profound impact on the veterans he served.
During and after these trips, they would talk about how moved they were by the opportunity to see the memorials erected to honor them.
“It’s hard to put into words your feelings when you see a memorial in honor of what you did,” said Buddy Galvin, a World War II veteran who was on the first South Florida Honor Flight. “It’s overwhelming.”
Asper’s work also involved connecting local veterans with their representatives and senators in the nation’s capital.
“Rick’s dedication to our veterans, and the selfless mission of ensuring they could visit their respective war memorials, was truly admirable,” Rep. Ted Deutch, D-West Boca, said in a statement. “He’s left a wonderful and lasting legacy, and I’m honored to have met so many veterans due to his devotion. May his memory be a blessing.”
Information about a memorial service was not available Wednesday.
The last Honor Flights organized by Asper are set to take place this fall after a one-year pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those flights will be dedicated to Asper, according to Paton, and the organization will continue with its mission.
“The founders of Honor Flight South Florida have volunteered side by side with Rick for the past 11 years,” Paton said. “I don’t think that South Florida has ever seen one individual that has done more for our nation’s veterans, than Rick Asper. He, like his father to him, was a guiding light of integrity and devotion, not only to our veterans but also to everyone that was lucky enough to know him.”
Don't Forget to Pay Your 2021 Dues
Your annual dues help keep our neighborhood beautiful and promote ongoing social events.
Annual dues are only $25 and you can always give more if you like.
We appreciate your membership!
Annual dues are only $25 and you can always give more if you like.
We appreciate your membership!