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Rick was a fountain of stories. He never failed to have a new one. It always amazed me how many people Rick knew! He had so many connections from students to faculty to staff to administration. He was a living NEIT Blog or Archive.

Forget about 6 degrees of seperation from Kevin Bacon!
One summer I went to a going away party for an old college buddy of mine. My friend retired from the Airforce and came home to RI for a few years and then decided to buy an RV to travel the country. At the party my friend showed me the RV. As we stepped out of the RV....... Rick Tobin came around the corner with a cooler! Long story cutting to the chase.....come to find out that my friend had been an extra in one of Rick Tobin's movies eons ago. Go figure.

Little known alternative fact. Rick worked for NASA during the Kennedy Administration.

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Having Rick as a colleague and office mate made coming to work such fun. He taught me that I should never take life or learning too seriously. I was always amazed at how he could come up with a funny example,picture, video,etc to explain a not so funny concept. Rick was really smart and clever, but I don’t think he ever believed it. He was a great teacher because he had high standards but his easy going manner put him on equal footing with students and faculty alike. Even when he was busy he always made time to help someone who came into the office. He was our Mr.Fixit and FRC cheerleader - we couldn’t feel down with Rick around. Sometimes his mischievous nature would make me feel like I was working with my little brother 😊.
I think Rick would be surprised to hear how much he meant to so many people, but his lessons of humility, kindness and humor will live on in all those he touched.
Stephanie Ferriola

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When I first started working with Rick Tobin, I thought he was sarcastic all the time.  The more I got to work with him on projects, I realized how very wrong I was.  Rick had the unique ability to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, and the boldness to point it out.  I often walked away from our conversations either scratching my head (with a whole new paradigm), or laughing at myself that I had missed the obvious.

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Rick had an amazing way of taking a bad situation and using it as an excuse to make something that would entertain other people. There were the times he had to do tech support on Saturdays so he was stuck in the FRC all day with nothing to do, and he would film podcasts in character and leave them open on the big computer for others to find on Monday morning.  Or the time when everyone got sick and he made “Quarantined: FRC Plague House” signs that were so convincing they scared the cleaners, but in the process gave our brand new team something to laugh together about. Or even the times that he filmed stop motion video by putting his phone on the dashboard as he was driving to and from the hospital to visit his girlfriend. How much better would the world be if this is what we all did?

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It was a real pleasure to be able to banter with Rick about the many topics that came up at work, such as NEIT diner food, bands we loved to hate (and hated to love), the cultural manifestations of Prancercise, rich anecdotes he shared from working with faculty (!!) and a host of other life lessons. I always felt that our humor was on the same (twisted) plane, and that he always "got it". And for one who complained so unceasingly about the place, I know that Rick held NEIT dear to his heart, which was as big as the world.

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It was a real pleasure to be able to banter with Rick about the many topics that came up at work, such as NEIT diner food, bands we loved to hate (and hated to love), the cultural manifestations of Prancercise, rich anecdotes he shared from working with faculty (!!) and a host of other life lessons. I always felt that our humor was on the same (twisted) plane, and that he always "got it". And for one who complained so unceasingly about the place, I know that Rick held NEIT dear to his heart, which was as big as the world.

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Rick always kept things "real"; meaning he dealt with the situation with an authenticity and honesty. His heart was big and  kind. He helped me with my course shell each term to make it better. We would have conversations about life, people, film, movie stars. I always felt comfortable around Rick. When I think of Rick, it makes me happy. I was fortunate to have met him.

So long for now Rick
Mary Grace Amendola

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Rick came to me as a work study during his first program at NEIT (he completed 3). He was a Multimedia student who worked third shift at an industrial sized bakery in East Providence. He came with amazing dedication and persistence. He was always early, arriving before the 8:00 am start because he slept in the parking lot after his shift. He had an alarm clock and everything. He would work with me until 10 or 11 and then go to class until 2 or 3, go home, east and sleep and then go to work again. He did this for three years. I hired him and he became our McGyver. He would do anything you asked of him...regardless of whether he knew how to do it ...and he never seemed to get upset or lose focus (as long as he could go grab a smoke every now and then and get a coffee). And the stories he told....
Tom Thibodeau

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First of all I need to say that i had a very good friend of mine show me this and I absolutely LOVE it!! I would be more than happy to help make this podcast happen however I can.
Rick was hands down, one of the greatest mentors I have ever had, as well as one of my best and closest friends.
So ill leave you with a quick story. Rick and I were hanging out at the designated smokers pavilion (affectionately called "The Wall") and we were talking about films and we both just start doing a Bill Belichick impersonation referring to all the Film Competitions we do. (that monotone kind of indifferent growl that he was a lot better at than I am )  But that was Rick, usually what started as a joke always had some truth to it and I was lucky enough to work on at least 10 or 11 shorts with him, so it always payed off. He not only taught me how to be a better film maker, he taught me how to be a better person. So again I'd love to contribute to this in any way possible.

- Luke Hosking

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In 2016 I made a series of short videos to introduce the weekly topics for a new course.  Rick went through them, edited, added subtitles, and generally made them better.  Finally, after editing all 10 (plus a “spare” or two) he decided to indulge himself.  He combined his favorite excerpts and set them to music, creating a “mashup” that he called (quoting me) “Infrastructure: Why should I care?”.  The result is brilliant, funny, and so well done that I had to make it part of the course.  Rick knew how to poke fun without being mean about it; one of his most endearing qualities.

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Rick was a keen observer of humans and situations. I believe this is what made him a good photographer, videographer, and student center food critic. Rick had a particular interest in irrational idealism. I will remember him watching an awkward story unfold and hearing him chuckle in his raspy way and giving me a sideward glance that asked, "How's that gonna work?!"

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I learned that being recorded in the studio is not that scary. Rick helped me make instructional videos for my Blackboard course, and they came out very professional looking. He was easy to work with, and very laid back. That was the first time I did something like that, and he was very helpful. I learned to be open to what the FRC has to offer.