Richard Ryan Sanderson

Richard Ryan Sanderson, 77, of Beaverdam, Virginia, died October 20, 2023. A naturalist and an expert in herpetology, Sanderson was integral to the field. His friend Cooper Sallade, a biologist and owner of Aquafauna, noted, "He was so humble and quiet that you wouldn't know he was so well regarded and admired among herpetologists and zoologists. You'd be hard pressed to find someone in the field that didn't know of him. He was the first to bring back a rattlesnake from Mexico that was undescribed and is now classified thanks to his efforts."

For more than 20 years, Sanderson taught science to at-risk youth, most recently at VisionQuest South Mountain Lodge in South Mountain, Pennsylvania. Ann Christian, who was a program director at VisionQuest said, "The kids were not easy, but Rick handled them well, earning the respect of both the kids and the other teachers." "Working with young people has helped me to maintain a fresh perspective, and challenges me to grow daily," Sanderson noted in his Flickr profile. For many years Sanderson had a diverse vocational history, including veterinary and lab technician, zookeeper, and outdoor sports specialist instructor.

Sanderson was born in Richmond, Virginia, to Barbara Louise (Hobeck) Sanderson and William Jennings Sanderson. His father was in the Air Force and later worked as a machinist. His mother was a homemaker. Both of his parents passed away at a young age. He joined the Air Force in the late 1960s. He received his BS degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and lived in the Richmond area for most of his life.

A book about snakes given to Sanderson by his aunt Phyllis Lindsey Straus when he was a child made a huge impression. As he wrote, "I learned to read from a book about snakes at about six years of age, and have been active in herpetology and natural history study ever since. This interest has been a springboard for just about everything else I have done or encountered. My education, friends, hobbies, mentors and vocation, all have seemed to evolve naturally from that early experience." He kept many reptiles as pets and was tasked with counting Timber Rattlesnakes for the State of Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in the mountains near where he lived in Chambersburg. Sanderson was also an avid musician and played the autoharp regularly.

He married Ann Mercier Dew in 1976. She passed away in 1999. He is survived by son Ryan Kele Sanderson and daughter-in-law Kristen Parnell and three grandchildren and son Matthew Braden Sanderson. He is also survived by stepson John Davies and stepdaughter Lisa Davies Fazio.

Sanderson also wrote about his love of photography on Flickr. "My photographic interests began with a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Camera received as a Christmas present when I was eight or nine years old, but I bought my first SLR (an Asahi Pentax) while in the Air Force during the late 1960s. Much of my photography could only be described as snapshots, intended to record my experience with family and friends, etc. I have really only taken it seriously (and I'm afraid my technical inexperience shows) when attempting to document subjects of an anthropological and biological nature."

"Everyone that spent some time and got to know Ricky most likely ended up on an adventure that they would remember for the rest of their lives," Adam Straus said about his cousin, who he credits for inspiring his lifelong interest in the natural world. "Ricky opened up the world of reptiles to me and my two brothers in the early 1960s. I was probably 6 or 7 years old when we would go out into the woods around the cabin my father's family owned outside of Ashland, Virginia. I remember seeing my first Copperhead on one of those adventures. We are still fascinated by those same experiences all these years later. I will greatly miss calling him with questions and telling him about what we just saw in the Everglades or any number of places."