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A TRIBUTE TO COMMISSIONER RICHARD TEITEL

Who could forget when Commissioner Richard Teitel, out of character, drove a golf ball into a foursome of elderly ladies playing the hole in front of him who were playing too slowly?

photo of commissioner teitel

And who could forget the recurring intonations of Harry McGuirk, former Governor William Donald Schaefer's liaison to the Commission, that he had "several complaints here...and they're all about Teitel!"?

Sadly, Richard Teitel's last day as an incumbent Workers' Compensation Commissioner was Friday, October 4, 2002; having served in that capacity for more than 14 years. This position was his second governmental service post; before his appointment in 1988, Commissioner Teitel was the supervising attorney for the Injured Workers Insurance Fund. He came to State service from private practice. During his tenure on the Commission, Richard Teitel has always exhibited an interest in outreach to the workers' compensation community. To that end, Commissioner Teitel is active in MICPEL (Maryland Institute for Continuing Professional Education of Lawyers) and the Committee on Insurance, Negligence and Workers' Compensation of the MSBA (Maryland State Bar Association); he has also worked with the WCC webmaster to facilitate the level of excellence of content on the Commission's website.

At a dinner during this year's MWCEA conference, he reflected that there are countless injured workers who depend upon all of us to expeditiously provide the services for which the workers' compensation system was designed. His remarks were but the most recent demonstration of that which we all know: Richard Teitel's sense of commitment - as a Commissioner, as a person and as a friend to us all.

We wish him, his wife Marlene, and their two devoted sons, Danny and Brett, all the best in the future. Those of us who are privileged to call the Teitels our friends have no doubt that privilege will continue. While departing State officials often note how honored they are to have served, it is we, the Commissioners, who are truly honored by the experience to have served along with Commissioner Richard Teitel as a colleague.