Richard Eckerd was born in Clearwater, Florida. He first studied glass at Tulane University in 1980, while working toward an undergraduate degree in economics. He fell in love with the material and later attended numerous classes at Penland and Pilchuck, before attaining a Master of Fine Arts degree in glass from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He became an Artist in Residence at Penland for three years and now lives in Asheville, NC with his wife, Bridget and four children. Rick gaffs on larger works, while overseeing operations and designing for Eckerd Glass L.L.C., a hot glass studio he set up in a historic factory near Grove Park Inn.