In Memoriam

Richard "Dick" Jaffre

Richard "Dick" Jaffre passed away Aug. 1 at the age of 79. Jaffre had a long and influential career in the steel industry, starting at Latrobe Steel in Latrobe, Pa., in 1966 and then working at Chaparral Steel in Midlothian, Texas, from 1974 until his retirement in 2007. The ISRI Gulf Coast Chapter gave Jaffre its Israel Proler Award in 2004 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the steel and scrap recycling industries.

Growing up, Jaffre lived abroad with his family in Mexico City, Mexico, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He maintained his fluency in Portuguese, routinely made his favorite Brazilian dish feijoada for holiday dinners, and drank his favorite Brazilian cola, Guarana, throughout his life. He also discovered his lifelong passion for golf as a boy in Brazil. As a young man, he received his undergraduate degree in metallurgical engineering from Cornell University in 1965 and his MBA from University of Pittsburgh in 1973.

Jaffre is survived by his wife, Jean, his children Lisa and Michael, his grandchildren Markus, Benjamin, Johnathan, and Max, and his brother Jim.

A memorial service was held Aug. 12 at Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home in Dallas. The family invites interested parties to make a gift to the UT Southwestern Medical Center Circle of Friends at engage.utsouthwestern.edu.