Senior Bachelor

It was during a one-year sojourn in the beautiful Italian region of Tuscany that the idea for Senior Bachelor came to me. Divorced for a decade, I was past 60 and was a seasoned traveler. Under the Tuscan sun, I came to a stark realization. “Here I was in one of the most romantic places in the universe, and I wanted to share the experience with a woman,” I thought to myself. “But it was tough for someone my age to be taken seriously when it came to dating. I was tired of being alone!”

So I decided to become "the poster boy" for promoting Romance and Adventure for folks over 45. I dubbed myself “Senior Bachelor” to crusade against all the “over the hill” stereotypes. My campaign was launched by Oprah Winfrey on April 27th, 2005 on “THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW.”

Princess Caroline with the Roe BoysI was born in New York City in 1941. I graduated from the University of Maryland in 1964. A few weeks after graduation, I met my future wife who happened to be the niece of Princess Grace of Monaco. Upon settling in Philadelphia I became a stockbroker.

Meg and I had three sons in quick succession. Princess Caroline of Monaco became the godmother of their firstborn. We traveled extensively, often staying in Prince Rainier and Princess Grace’s Palace during visits to Monaco.

In 1978, when our sons were 12, 11 and 10, I chucked my career in order to take my family around the world for 14 months. Visiting 38 countries on five continents proved to be a life-changing experience. From that point forward I became entirely focused on family, sports and travel.

My Sons Circa 1978We pared down our lifestyle and I became a teacher, coach, and camp director in order to weave my three passions together. Traveling became an annual ritual.

But in 1994 after 29 years of marriage, my wife stunned me by asking for a divorce. I loved her tremendously. It didn’t seem fair. It really hurt, and I became an emotional marshmallow.

Instead of wallowing in self-pity, I decided to run away. First, I moved from the East Coast to Los Angeles where my children had settled and to be closer to my seven grandchildren. Then, I embarked on an extraordinary globetrotting trip with my 29-year-old son, Chris. We conceived and filmed a feature-length documentary called “Pop & Me” as we traveled from country to country. In each culture, we interviewed a father and son about the bond they shared.

Richard's 7 grandchildren“Pop & Me” was widely acclaimed and ultimately distributed by MGM. I made my first appearance on “THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW,” appeared in People magazine, “THE CBS MORNING NEWS,” CNN, ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT, BBC WORLD NEWS, the Lifetime Channel and National Public Radio. Numerous articles were featured in publications that included The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and USA Today.

Today, I love spending time with my sons, their wives and my seven grandchildren. My wanderlust is as strong as ever. So is my determination to find a soul mate. As the Senior Bachelor, I want to spread the word that Romance and Adventure are alive and well for people of all ages.