Richard Savage Helped Save Apollo 13 Crew

You may remember the scene from the movie "Apollo 13."

In 1970, Apollo 13's astronauts were in danger of slowly suffocating 200,000 miles from Earth, while in Houston, at mission control, engineers scrambled to jury-rig a "scrub box" out of cardboard and duct tape to lower carbon-dioxide levels in the capsule.

One of the engineers was Richard Savage, who died April 22 from heart problems caused by a severe form of anemia. He was 65.

Mr. Savage went to work for Boeing in 1958, and was assigned from 1967 to 1970 to the Apollo program.

Ruth Savage, his wife of 45 years, remembers the call that came to their home in the middle of the night, in the midst of the crisis.

"I was the one who answered the phone," she said. "I remember the person on the other end didn't even say `hello.' He just said, `I have to talk to Dick.' Dick was on the phone, in his clothes, and out the door in a flash.' "

The astronauts returned safely. "I remember there were a lot of splash-down parties after that," his wife said.

"My dad never bragged about how much he accomplished in his career, but he was a true American hero," said his daughter, Lorri Bagby.

"I took him to `Apollo 13.' I spent more time watching his face than the movie," his daughter said. "He was afraid it was going to be Hollywood-ized. But he was really pleased. He was shaking at the end.

Mr. Savage was born in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and grew up in Iowa and Michigan. He attended Colorado College, served two years in the U.S. Army, then graduated from the University of Colorado in 1958 with a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering.

He moved to Seattle that year to work for Boeing, and earned a master's in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington in 1966. During a 34-year career with Boeing, he specialized in aerothermodynamics, working from 1970 until his retirement in 1992 in Boeing's Advanced Space Transportation group.

Away from work, he was an avid private pilot who liked to soar above Puget Sound and Mount Rainier. Closer to earth, he loved salmon fishing and clamming on Washington's coast.

"He loved the ocean. I remember he'd take us salmon fishing when we were little kids in the '60s. I don't think we ever caught anything, but we had a wonderful time," his daughter said.

He had a wit, she said. That night during the Apollo 13 mission, Bagby said her father saw the life-support monitors for the three astronauts. "Two were going crazy, and one was perfectly calm," she said. "I remember him laughing about it later and saying he thought the one guy was either one cool customer, or he was really dumb."

Besides his wife and daughter, his survivors include father Thomas Savage of Silverton, Ore.; sons Rick Savage of Bothell, and Michael Savage of Kent; and one grandson. Services were held yesterday. Memorial contributions may be made to United Way, Disabled Veterans, or a charity of your choice.

Kery Murakami's phone message number is 206-464-2775. His e-mail address is: kmur-new@seatimes.com