Obituary: Richard Auhll

July 31, 1941 – September 5, 2023

Richard Auhll will be best remembered for hosting parties: the March apres-wine party up on Aspen mountain, his Mad Hatter and July 4th celebrations in his condo. But there was a far more serious side to the consummate party host. In every sense a self made man, he credited higher education for his success. After graduating from the University of Michigan in aerospace he earned degrees at Stanford and went on to Harvard Business School, with the intention of creating a high tech company in California. Fulfilling that goal, he took Circon in Santa Barbara, from a miniature tool company to manufacturing the world’s smallest video camera instruments. These were used for performing micro-surgery for knee, urology, gynecology, and eye and brain operations.
A relentless philanthropist, Richard endowed multiple Engineering Chairs at University of Michigan and UCSB, and served on many academic advisory boards and foundations. A “graceful skier” he skied Aspen Mountain every March and in summer attended the Aspen Security Conference, Music Festival and Great Gatsby parties. He loved Aspen and will be missed by his many friends. Richard is survived by his daughter, sister, brother and sister in law, cousins and long time partner, Martha Smilgis