Richard Rudolph “Rick” McGuire, 71, who enjoyed careers as a chemical engineer and retail furniture executive, worked 18 years for Fuller Products Co. and then founded and headed Seaway Furniture Co., considered the largest African-American-owned furniture retailer in the country.
A resident of East Randolph Street, he died Sunday in Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
He had a sign in his store that read, “This business was inspired by S.B. Fuller.” It was there at a tribute to his former employer.
Mr. McGuire had worked starting in the 1950s as head chemist for the Fuller firm, maker of hair-care products. He subsequently also was employed as branch manager and district sales manager as well as business manager for one of Mr. Fuller’s newspapers, The Pittsburgh Courier.
Mr. McGuire was one of only a handful of African-American students in the mid-1940s in the chemical engineering program at Illinois Institute of Technology. He graduated with honors.
He was a frequent lecturer in his early career, and one of his favorite phrases was, “You’ve got to give it away to keep it.”
Survivors include his wife, Jean; a son, Rick Jr.; a daughter, Rita McGuire Cohn; two brothers; a sister; and five grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday in Taylor Funeral Home, 63 E. 79th St. Services will be held at 7 p.m. Friday in the Greater Bethesda Baptist Church, 5301 S. Michigan Ave.
