The town of Old Saybrook lost a keystone community member, Richard Bourn, when he passed away from cancer on August 31, 2025. Mr. Bourn was a beloved man who spent much of his time taking pictures on the sidelines of Old Saybrook events, being there to support the students at every game. He captured smiles at graduation, passion at sports games, and other school wide events, including band concerts. Junior athlete Felicia Lombard said, “Mr. Bourn always greeted me with a smile and made sure I was doing okay.” Outside of the school, he also cleaned and took photos of graves all around Connecticut and posted them on findagrave.com, hoping to connect families to their ancestors. Thanks to him, findagrave.com was able to have clean, updated pictures of the graves of loved ones throughout Old Saybrook.
When attending Old Saybrook High School from 1960-1964, Mr. Bourn was a team manager for both the soccer and basketball teams. After graduation, he attended trade school where he studied jet and propeller aircraft engines and body frames. He went on to work as a Method Engineer at Pratt & Whitney for 40 years as stated in his obituary.
Mr. Bourn could often be seen alongside the boys soccer team, constantly giving a helping hand with collecting balls and bringing gatorades and water for the team. Senior Captain Josh Roslonek described him as, “the epitome of pure selflessness and kindness, almost like the traits had lived their life embedded within him”. To honor the legacy of Mr. Bourn, the Boys Soccer team designed armbands that read, “Forever in our hearts”, that they will wear during every game. They also designed blue wristbands that read, “OSHS Legend Mr.Bourn”. Members of the team sold the wristbands for $2 to raise money in order to buy flowers for the family of Mr. Bourn.
The girls soccer team also wanted to honor his legacy. They designed t-shirts and bag tags with Mr.Bourn’s high school yearbook quote from when he graduated from Old Saybrook High School. His quote was, “Doing good things without end. Modest, generous, and glad to lend.” Carmen Vercillo, a junior on the team, felt that this quote really summed him up as a person because of all the kind things he would do for everyone.
However, the biggest memorial of his legacy will be the updated scoreboard named in his honor. The Old Saybrook Athletic Department designed a sign to put above the scoreboard reading, “Richard Bourn Field”. The unveiling of the new scoreboard will take place on Monday, September 29th at 5:45 pm during “Mr. Bourn Night”, which is before a boys soccer game against Haddam-Killingworth. Now, during every game the players and on-lookers in the stands can be reminded of the incredible impact Mr. Bourn has left on the players, the teachers, the parents, and the community. Athletic Director Brendan Saunders, who had the idea of dedicating the scoreboard for Mr. Bourn says, “Dedicating the scoreboard in his honor is a way for us to always remember his dedication to the Old Saybrook Schools and community.”
