Richard Flanagan, 52

by Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 1/3/2005

Richard Flanagan, who was Borders's president of store operations from 1994 to 1999, died December 19. The 52-year-old Chicago native lived in Chapel Hill, N.C., after his retirement from Borders, which he joined in 1991 as v-p, finance and administration, and CFO of Borders Books & Music. During his tenure, the bookstore chain grew from fewer than 20 stores to nearly 300. Although he retired in January 1999, he stayed on as a part-time adviser on strategic real estate issues until January 2000. Flanagan began his teaching career at University of North Carolina–Greensboro in 2002 as internship program coordinator, Bryan School of Business and Economics, Department of Accounting, before becoming a full-time instructor. Memorial contributions may be made to the Rick Flanagan Scholarship, Bryan School of Business, UNC Greensboro, P.O. Box 26165, Greensboro, NC 27401.