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Besides being a great attorney, Richard C. Hand was a wonderful human being and a remarkable friend.

Rich died earlier this week. A piece of my heart passed with him.

In 1970, as a young civil rights attorney, Rich sat in front of my death row cell and asked, “Billy how in the world did you get in this mess.”

Together, we won the first ever prisoners rights lawsuit for death row inmates. It would change the way condemned inmates would be treated across the country.

For the next 35 years, Rich represented me before Louisiana pardon boards, parole boards, court hearings, and administrative proceedings. He was always there when Jodie and I needed more than an attorney—when we needed a friend to guide us through the hardship of despair and hopelessness.

He once told me after a failed parole hearing, “Wait till you see the sunset on Fire Island.”

Rich never gave up on me.

Jodie and I spent a week in 2007 at Rich’s home with his wonderful wife, Jean. He introduced us to his family and friends. It was a most special week.

One afternoon we took a boat trip on Fire Island and there, with splendor my mind had never before imagined, we watched the sun set on Fire Island.

“I promised you,” Rich said, placing arm over my shoulder, “we would see the sun set on Fire Island.”

Tears welled up in the heart of a man who just the year before had been released from prison after serving more than 40 years—and not once did Rich, over our attorney/client relationship and personal friendship, ever doubt my individual salvation and the promise of a sunset on Fire Island.

Why our paths with other people intersect into special bonds of friendship and love lies beyond our knowledge. We all know we have special people in our lives—and it is these people who make living endurable and all of life’s sorrows bearable.

I lost a beloved friend who enriched my life with hope, faith, promise, and a desire to survive—and most of all he gave me the unforgettable memory of watching the sunset over Fire Island with him.

Rest in peace, old friend, on the other side of the sunset on Fire Island.