Richard Lidz was born in August 22, 1933 and grew up in the town of Lawrence, Long Island. Lidz was a graduate of The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. While at Hopkins, he became an editor of various publications including the school paper, setting the stage for a life in books and publishing. He also formed a “Gourmet Club” with a group of college peers that continues to meet regularly for fine food and conversation, and whose table will be a bit less animated in his absence.

In time, he felt the need to strike out on his own and pursue his passion for work in books and publishing and formed the Visual Education Corporation. Vis-Ed, as it came to be called, created multi-media education materials and textbooks, and over the years grew from a small store-front operation on Nassau Street to a multi-million dollar firm with over 100 employees. After more than 30 years in operation, he sold the business to McGraw-Hill.

Richard also had a great passion for history. His own book, Many Kinds Of Courage: An Oral History of World War II, was published by Putnam in 1980.