A Veteran in Need: Community Rallies for Navy Veteran Ahead of Veterans Day

CONROE, TX -- On this Veterans Day, one local Navy veteran could use a hand from the community he served.

The need is urgent. Richard Szymanski, a Conroe resident who served in the U.S. Navy from 1958 to 1965, has been without running water for nearly three months. The well and pump on his property are damaged beyond repair. For the past several weeks, Richard’s only source of water has been rain collected from his leaking roof. Although the city of Conroe is working through permits needed to connect his home to municipal water, there is no current timeline to restore running water to the home.

The house needs a new roof. It has leaked for a very long time, leaving extensive water damage and termite damage in most rooms of the house. Black mold is permeating the home and must be professionally remediated — work that is expensive and time-consuming. The electrical panels must be removed and replaced. Tree limbs threaten further damage and must be removed, and extensive landscaping is needed to bring the property into compliance with homeowners association standards.

To his neighbors, Richard Szymanski, 85, is simply a quiet Navy veteran and retired engineer. But his résumé reads like a tour of American innovation: he pioneered computerized typesetting in the publishing industry, directed science coverage of NASA’s space program for World Book Encyclopedia and he worked alongside primatologist Jane Goodall, nuclear physicist Edward Teller — known as the father of the hydrogen bomb — as well as Dr. Michael DeBakey and Dr. Denton Cooley during their pioneering heart surgeries. Now, as neighbors and local businesses race to restore his Conroe home, the man who chronicled others' achievements for the world to witness needs a story of his own to tell.

Community answers the call

Heart & Hammer TX, a Montgomery County nonprofit that assists families in need, including military veterans, is leading the project. Tiffany Michelle, who founded the organization, is coordinating the repairs, while Kristin Roesler of American Legion Post 114 in Conroe serves as a major project contributor. I visited Richard's home with both women on Nov. 5, the first day of demolition and mold removal. Each of them brings a deep passion to the project, guided by genuine admiration for Richard and his endless stories. Their commitment to volunteer service is contagious — and it shows no signs of slowing.

The generosity across the community has been remarkable. As of this writing, SRS Distribution recently donated all of the required roofing materials. Corey Construction will be making the roofing repairs from the water damage and installing the new shingles for free, meaning Richard is getting a new roof!

Businesses and organizations supporting the project thus far include:

• Home Depot
• Corey Construction
• SRS Distribution
• All Pro Waste Services
• ACT Well & Septic
• White Tail Ranch Development
• Femme Fix It
• McKnight's Water and Well Service
• American Legion Post 114
• Lone Star Cowboy Church
• Veterans & Patriots United
• 12th Battalion, Army Reserve Careers Group

The outpouring continued Tuesday, Nov. 10, when roughly 20 volunteers from Home Depot, Heart & Hammer TX, the American Legion and several other organizations gathered at Richard’s home to work on multiple projects.

However, despite the volunteer work and donations secured so far, Tiffany Michelle and Kristin Roesler estimate an additional $17,000 is needed to restore Richard's home to safe, livable conditions. The work will progress only as funding comes forward through community support. Every contribution helps — whether $10 or $100. Information on how to volunteer or make donations is available at Heart & Hammer TX at heartandhammertx.org. All donations go directly toward project materials needed to restore Richard’s home. Tiffany, Kristin, and many others are all 100% volunteers of their time.

A life of service and discovery

Richard's story is one the community can take pride in helping repay.

Born July 4, 1941, in Chicago, he served in the Navy during the early years of the space race and the Cold War. Assigned to the naval air wing, he served aboard three aircraft carriers — the USS Kitty Hawk, the USS Coral Sea and the USS Ticonderoga. While stationed at Naval Air Station Miramar, he was part of a fighter squadron.

According to his entry in the 2000-2001 edition of Who's Who in Industry, Richard held a doctorate in physics and chemistry from Northwestern University and California Institute of Technology. He founded Metromorphics and served as president of Rocappi, an organization credited with pioneering the use of computers in the printing and publishing industry, becoming nationally known for his expertise in computerized typesetting and magazine, book and newspaper layout.

As vice president and technical director of World Book Encyclopedia Science Service, Richard led a staff of science writers and photographers who documented history as it happened. His team syndicated coverage of major scientific breakthroughs to 325 newspapers and 50 foreign publications — from crewed space launches at Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the first heart transplant performed in Houston, a procedure he witnessed alongside the surgical teams of DeBakey and Cooley. Among his memories of that era: a trip to Russia to help document international space history - he still keeps the watch, bearing a Russian red star, that was given during the visit. He later served as publisher of the American Digest of Orthopedic Literature, earning an associate membership to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons for his work bringing medical knowledge to practicing physicians.

Who's Who listed him as CEO and chairman of Redox Technology Corp., a Houston manufacturer of advanced battery systems. He later entered the oil industry, drilling 25 wells with three field discoveries, owning and operating three rigs, and founding an oil field supply company. In 1998, he founded Hybrid Technologies LLC in Conroe.

Richard enjoyed many wonderful years with his wife, Patricia, who passed away Nov. 11, 2007 — on Veterans Day. Known throughout the area for breeding and showing their Akitas dogs, she and Richard shared a love of animals. Since her passing, he has lived alone in the home on a fixed retirement income. Like many homeowners his age, Richard now finds himself simply unable to tackle major repairs on his own — and over the years, small problems grew into big ones. Today he shares the house only with his cat, Betty.

A friend indeed

There's an old saying: a friend in need is a friend indeed. This Veterans Day, a veteran in need is a neighbor — one who spent a lifetime in service to his country and his community.

Whether you can give money, materials, skilled labor or a few hours of your time, you can help bring a veteran's home back to life. Donations can be made online and securely to Heart & Hammer TX at heartandhammertx.org. In the comments section, you can ask for your donation to benefit Richard Szymanski.

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