Richard Partlow
- Sound Department
- Actor
- Producer
Richard (Rick) Partlow was born in Kansas City, Kansas in 1948, the
youngest of two boys, to Mr and Mrs. James E. Partlow. His Mother,
Norma Jane VanDervort, born in 1921, a graduate of Ohio University, was
an artist, singer, poet, lyricist, author (under Norma Kalina) and
reporter. His Father, James Edwin Partlow, a graduate of North Carolina
State University, was a corporate businessman and served as a Captain
during World War II in the Army Signal Corps, Intelligence Division.
One year after his birth the family moved to Oakland, California and
the at age three to Houston, Texas where Richard was introduced to
swimming, boating, water skiing, crabbing and Saturday Morning Serials
at the movies like Buck Rogers and Commander Cody. That is where his
imagination took root. At age 9 the family moved to Pennsylvania. His
parents bought a modest farm house on ten acres a few miles from the
village of Chester Springs where Richard attended fifth and sixth
grades in a two room school house. Richard graduated at the top of his
class of five students. He and older brother, Jamie, attended amid
graduated from Downingtown High School, Richard in 1966. Growing up in
rural Pennsylvania, 80 miles west of Philadelphis, was idyllic for
Richard. No young child or teenager could wish for any greater
experience. Friendships were forged that exist to this day. Football,
track, gymnastics and swimming took up a lot of his time. But the four
seasons of the year held so much more. Summer was rope swings over the
swimming hole, a three acre honeysuckle canopied pine forest as his
private domain, and a one half acre asparagus patch as his summer cash
cow when sold to the local farmers market. Fall was sports, riding
horses and roaming the forest . Winter was snow forts, sledding, ice
hockey on the local pond and for cash, using his Dads 1948 Jeep with
plow to clear snow from the long country lanes. Spring was planting
veggie gardens, building homemade go-carts and dreaming of summer.
Richard was somewhat rebellious during his last year of High School so
his Father insisted he spend his first year of college at Valley Forge
Military Academy Jr. College. From there a year at The University of
Miami and a semester at Villanova University which is when Richard
joined the Marines. Following his stint in the Marines Richard had no
idea of what he wanted to do with his life. During summer breaks in
high school and college he spent alot of his time playing guitar,
singing and writing music with partner Jim Richards. They played mostly
in coffee houses and cafés in Phila. and on the Jersey Shore.
So following the Marines, with his parents divorced, the farm sold,
Richard moved back to Philly, working as a bartender, bank teller,
retail sales and finally with a detective agency as a flagman on a road
crew where he was placed to track stolen equipment. With only two weeks
on the job a car stopped. A man and woman got out and asked Richard if
he wanted to be in a play at a local community theatre. He got the lead
in the play in the role of Tom Lee, in 'Tea and Sympathy'. Richard was
hooked. During the limited run of the show he was seen by a producer of
a local CBS children's show and signed a one year contract where he
played characters in history such as young Ben Franklin and young
Thomas Edison.
youngest of two boys, to Mr and Mrs. James E. Partlow. His Mother,
Norma Jane VanDervort, born in 1921, a graduate of Ohio University, was
an artist, singer, poet, lyricist, author (under Norma Kalina) and
reporter. His Father, James Edwin Partlow, a graduate of North Carolina
State University, was a corporate businessman and served as a Captain
during World War II in the Army Signal Corps, Intelligence Division.
One year after his birth the family moved to Oakland, California and
the at age three to Houston, Texas where Richard was introduced to
swimming, boating, water skiing, crabbing and Saturday Morning Serials
at the movies like Buck Rogers and Commander Cody. That is where his
imagination took root. At age 9 the family moved to Pennsylvania. His
parents bought a modest farm house on ten acres a few miles from the
village of Chester Springs where Richard attended fifth and sixth
grades in a two room school house. Richard graduated at the top of his
class of five students. He and older brother, Jamie, attended amid
graduated from Downingtown High School, Richard in 1966. Growing up in
rural Pennsylvania, 80 miles west of Philadelphis, was idyllic for
Richard. No young child or teenager could wish for any greater
experience. Friendships were forged that exist to this day. Football,
track, gymnastics and swimming took up a lot of his time. But the four
seasons of the year held so much more. Summer was rope swings over the
swimming hole, a three acre honeysuckle canopied pine forest as his
private domain, and a one half acre asparagus patch as his summer cash
cow when sold to the local farmers market. Fall was sports, riding
horses and roaming the forest . Winter was snow forts, sledding, ice
hockey on the local pond and for cash, using his Dads 1948 Jeep with
plow to clear snow from the long country lanes. Spring was planting
veggie gardens, building homemade go-carts and dreaming of summer.
Richard was somewhat rebellious during his last year of High School so
his Father insisted he spend his first year of college at Valley Forge
Military Academy Jr. College. From there a year at The University of
Miami and a semester at Villanova University which is when Richard
joined the Marines. Following his stint in the Marines Richard had no
idea of what he wanted to do with his life. During summer breaks in
high school and college he spent alot of his time playing guitar,
singing and writing music with partner Jim Richards. They played mostly
in coffee houses and cafés in Phila. and on the Jersey Shore.
So following the Marines, with his parents divorced, the farm sold,
Richard moved back to Philly, working as a bartender, bank teller,
retail sales and finally with a detective agency as a flagman on a road
crew where he was placed to track stolen equipment. With only two weeks
on the job a car stopped. A man and woman got out and asked Richard if
he wanted to be in a play at a local community theatre. He got the lead
in the play in the role of Tom Lee, in 'Tea and Sympathy'. Richard was
hooked. During the limited run of the show he was seen by a producer of
a local CBS children's show and signed a one year contract where he
played characters in history such as young Ben Franklin and young
Thomas Edison.