The world lost a great man and a deeply dedicated animal lover recently when BB Munford passed away at 89. When I joined the Board of the Richmond SPCA in the mid-90’s and then became the CEO a few years later, BB welcomed me with kindness and enthusiasm. It was a daunting role for me to take on since my predecessor had been on the job for more than 25 years and had been a firm and respected leader whose philosophies differed to a significant extent from my own. BB was one of the folks who made me feel accepted and appreciated and I always loved his warm smile, great sense of humor and easy laugh.
BB loved animals, especially dogs, with all his heart. This organization has had some remarkable leadership through the years but there has never been a Board leader who had a more heart-felt affection and sincere compassion for the animals that are the focus of our mission than did BB. While BB’s devotion to Davenport & Company, where he spent his entire amazing 65 year career, was legendary, I believe that BB was equally devoted to his own beloved dog Whiskey and to every animal in the care of the Richmond SPCA.
I am one of a legion of people in Richmond who will miss BB Munford greatly. He was such an optimist who greatly loved his work, his college (UVa), his family, his delightful and devoted wife Twiggy and animals. He provided great leadership to the Richmond SPCA for many years as can only come from someone with a true devotion to our mission. His decisions always focused on the best choice for the welfare of the animals. BB made clear to me when I took over as CEO that he hoped I would expand the organization and its reach to care for and save the lives of more animals.
Will Rogers said that “If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went.” I have no doubt that BB feels exactly the same way.
Robin Robertson Starr is the chief executive officer of the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.
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