OFG-1
05-05-2005, 10:41 AM
Five years ago this June, Rory Dickens was murdered. Rory was killed for a small amount of cash, and his car. The murderers, two teenagers that Rory had befriended, are in prison. He was bound, beaten, stabbed and left to die.
Rory was a cave diver. I was told that when I met him in 1975, but I had no idea what that really meant at the time. I had been hired by the old PADI College in Jacksonville to help conduct their in-water training. I was a certified PADI Instructor, and therefore, knew everything. There was myself, Jim Ley, and sometimes (the original) Bob Johnson that performed most of the in water training. Jim Ley and Bob Johnson were also cave divers.
The first dive I did with the college was Jenny Springs. Bob Axelrod, the training director, and Rory came along, most likely to keep an eye on me. After the training dive, Jim and Rory went off to dive Devils. Watching them dive, and seeing the inside of Jenny was enough, I wanted to learn to cave dive.
Rory was an NACD Instructor. ( I - 9). A few weeks into the college class, several of us had talked Rory, Sam DiPerna, and Jim into teaching us cave diving. Their class was little different from the others in the area. We had the usual buddy drills, dead light drills and all, but Rory, as a high school physics teacher, spent more time on classroom subjects. We had several rounds of buoyancy and line drills, and all of the usual training dives.
After the class, Rory wasn't through. He was available for dives with his students on almost any weekend. The first 20 or so cave dives that I made was between Jim and Rory on the line. Peacock, Telford, Falmouth, Devils, Little River, Lafayette Blue, and Thunder Hole. Rory had beat up his knees, I believe from an aircraft crash while a pilot in the Navy. (Rory was a Naval Academy graduate). Jim and I accused him of keeping us around only to make sure his 104's were kept filled. We did.
I left the PADI College after a year or so. It was a lot harder to get back to cave country, but I made it about once a month. I saw Rory often, usually at Dale Stone's place on the weekends, and dove with him occasionally. I was diving with Joe Wooley, Tom DelSanto and Doug Clark mostly in those days. Jim Ley had joined the army and moved on. Bob Johnson was in grad school.
As the years went by, I saw him less. The last dive I remember with Rory was at Indian, in the early 80's. There may have been others, but this was Indian, Rory style. Back gas only, downstream, air, short but sweet.
I recall the last conversation I had with him. I was going to Jacksonville in early '99 for a seminar, and called to see if he would be around. He said, "Perhaps we could share the evening meal?". That was vintage Rory, unsure if I called it "dinner" or "supper", it became the evening meal. The seminar didn't happen, I didn't get to Jacksonville, and I did not get to share the evening meal with Rory.
The next thing I knew, Rory Dickens was murdered.
More info here:
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/062700/met_3406922.html
Rory was a cave diver. I was told that when I met him in 1975, but I had no idea what that really meant at the time. I had been hired by the old PADI College in Jacksonville to help conduct their in-water training. I was a certified PADI Instructor, and therefore, knew everything. There was myself, Jim Ley, and sometimes (the original) Bob Johnson that performed most of the in water training. Jim Ley and Bob Johnson were also cave divers.
The first dive I did with the college was Jenny Springs. Bob Axelrod, the training director, and Rory came along, most likely to keep an eye on me. After the training dive, Jim and Rory went off to dive Devils. Watching them dive, and seeing the inside of Jenny was enough, I wanted to learn to cave dive.
Rory was an NACD Instructor. ( I - 9). A few weeks into the college class, several of us had talked Rory, Sam DiPerna, and Jim into teaching us cave diving. Their class was little different from the others in the area. We had the usual buddy drills, dead light drills and all, but Rory, as a high school physics teacher, spent more time on classroom subjects. We had several rounds of buoyancy and line drills, and all of the usual training dives.
After the class, Rory wasn't through. He was available for dives with his students on almost any weekend. The first 20 or so cave dives that I made was between Jim and Rory on the line. Peacock, Telford, Falmouth, Devils, Little River, Lafayette Blue, and Thunder Hole. Rory had beat up his knees, I believe from an aircraft crash while a pilot in the Navy. (Rory was a Naval Academy graduate). Jim and I accused him of keeping us around only to make sure his 104's were kept filled. We did.
I left the PADI College after a year or so. It was a lot harder to get back to cave country, but I made it about once a month. I saw Rory often, usually at Dale Stone's place on the weekends, and dove with him occasionally. I was diving with Joe Wooley, Tom DelSanto and Doug Clark mostly in those days. Jim Ley had joined the army and moved on. Bob Johnson was in grad school.
As the years went by, I saw him less. The last dive I remember with Rory was at Indian, in the early 80's. There may have been others, but this was Indian, Rory style. Back gas only, downstream, air, short but sweet.
I recall the last conversation I had with him. I was going to Jacksonville in early '99 for a seminar, and called to see if he would be around. He said, "Perhaps we could share the evening meal?". That was vintage Rory, unsure if I called it "dinner" or "supper", it became the evening meal. The seminar didn't happen, I didn't get to Jacksonville, and I did not get to share the evening meal with Rory.
The next thing I knew, Rory Dickens was murdered.
More info here:
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/062700/met_3406922.html