Dick and Mona McFarland, natives of Kirkwood, Missouri, married and started their family in time to be part of the post-war Baby Boom. Dick worked at Monsanto and Mona stayed home with her boys.
Their second son, Richard Marvin McFarland was born on May 23, 1957, in Pennsylvania. Soon after, the family moved back to the St. Louis area and Rick was raised in Webster Groves on Lee Avenue with two brothers, David and Don.
As typical in many families at that time, Dick was not a day-to-day hands-on father. He did, however, carve out some time for his boys. Rick cherished these memories all his life.
He recalled his dad lying on the floor, placing his feet in Rick’s small tummy and hoisting him in the air, declaring, “Kitty in the tree. Kitty in the tree.” He remembered Indian Guides—a program sponsored by the YMCA to foster positive bonds between fathers and sons—and the days when his dad was Big Silver Feather and he was Little Silver Feather. They made a wooden eagle totem pole lamp together.
Another special memory began at the S Bar F Scout Ranch, where Rick killed a timberback rattlesnake with a rock. Dick helped his son mount the snake skin on a large wood plank, chiseling out an indentation for the snake’s rattles and covering it in Plexiglas.
Rick recalled the two of them whittling and sanding a Pinewood Derby race car as a Cub Scout project for Pack 301. The expert craftsman and the small unskilled boy worked in tandem to win first place in the Best Looking and in the Most Unique Design categories. A number of years later, Dick and Rick worked on their “cream puff” project, refurbishing a classic ’55 Chevy.
Despite these times together, those who knew the family thought Dick was an emotionally remote father—he was hard on Rick, pushing his son beyond his capabilities. Rick pushed himself, too—always desperate to please his dad.
But the major influence over the lives of these three boys was wielded by their mother, Mona. She ruled the home front with a judgmental, self-righteous and rigid form of Christian fundamentalism.
Rick attended Webster Groves High School, where he played water polo, worked on sound and light crews for theater productions and was a member of the staff of the school newspaper, the Echo. He graduated in 1975. Sue’s good friend Sandy, Class of ’77, remembered him as “a pretty happening, popular, hang-with-the-cheerleaders kind of guy.”
Rick continued his education at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield. He was challenged by difficulty with paying attention and maintaining concentration. He had to work hard to earn a “B” average. The only known blemish on his record was an accusation that he’d stolen property from a friend at school. Ultimately, that charge was dismissed.
He graduated in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and got a job at Shearson Lehman, a reputable stock brokerage company. Rick did well there. He drove a BMW and lived in a lovely old carriage house in a very nice part of town.
In 1984, when a group of prominent civic-minded single men formed the St. Louis Squires and Ladies, Rick was quick to join. The organization was a foundation that sought out civic, cultural and charitable projects not helped by traditional funding sources. The group planned a variety of entertainment events from black-tie balls to scavenger hunts to raise these funds. In addition to their charitable work, the organization was an excellent venue for professional and personal networking.
Warning signs of possible instability were well hidden—most of the time. But not to one woman Rick dated. She said that after a couple of dates, she was very uncomfortable with him. She informed him that she was no longer interested in pursuing a relationship.
Rick, she claimed, would not stop calling her. The many calls were troubling, but she considered them nothing more than a nuisance for a while. Then, it all became serious. She felt threatened and frightened when she caught Rick lurking in the bushes outside of her home.
In 1988, Rick met Susan Smith at a party. Although they’d lived in the same town and attended the same high school, this encounter was their first.