Old Cave Diver Remembered - Rory Dickens

[OFG-1]

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/st...t_3406922.html

[FW]

Rory also wrote "Physics and Engineering of Diving", once considered to be *THE* source for information on diving physics.

[Bill Oigarden]

Rory was one of the most interesting people I ever knew. He had a small manufacturing company called DLS enterprises. DLS was for Dickens, Ley, & Sturdivant. Three of the pioneer cave divers and equipment designers. I still have a “Ley Leaker” A dual valve manifold Jim Ley made by drilling a hole in a K valve and the silver soldering a conventional doubles manifold together.
Rory spent most of 1977-1981 teaching me how to become and educator and helped me learn to build my own lights and reels. As a mentor, he was like a father to me. Rory wrote two chapters in the original Safe Cave Diving Manual. Rory wrote many articles and a few books on the physics and buoyancy of diving. When I met Rory, he still dove a horse collar BC. Steve Matheny and I got Rory and David Cameron to start diving Scubapro Stabilizing Jackets. A big switch for “Mr. Psychics”
Unfortunately, all of Rory’s writings were thrown away right after his murder. The man who handled Rory’s estate did not understand the value of all the documentation. This saddens me when ever I think of it. Cindy Butler, Kelly Jessop, and myself are trying to come up with a plan so something like this never happens again.

If there is ever a need to name an award or something which recognizes contributions to cave diver education, I vote we name it after Rory Dickens!

[Maya]

The first time I met Rory, at Peacock Springs (1979 or so) he told me how glad he was to see more women taking up cave divers. Rory was a mentor to many young people and a true "gentle-man" in every sense of the word.

[Jim Wyatt]

The first time I met Rory, at Peacock Springs (1979 or so) he told me how glad he was to see more women taking up cave divers. Rory was a mentor to many young people and a true "gentle-man" in every sense of the word.

Rory was a very bright guy who also was a very nice guy. I too was greatly saddened by the news of his senseless murder. I too agree 100% he was a true gentleman.

I was lucky enough to make a few cave dives with Rory during the time I was preparing for my NACD ITC - he was very helpful to me.

Rory was one of the few of us who also was a PADI full cave instructor. Rory, Sheck & I started the PADI Cave diving program & ran/managed it for a very short time until PADI decided the liability for teaching cave diving was too high.

[harrjd]

I got certified by steve matheny in Jax around 2000. looks like the guy who killed Rory got 40 years.

http://www.dc.state.fl.us/ActiveInma...onID=500184349

[tflaris]

Sounds to me of a great UWS article with multiple authors.....

Just a thought.

TF


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[Sludge]

You'd have to know Rory's proclivity. (I didn't know him personally, but had mutual friends.) Rory would give a stranger the shirt off his back. He befriended these punks because they had nothing and nobody who cared about them.

[WEPIV]

You'd have to know Rory's proclivity. (I didn't know him personally, but had mutual friends.) Rory would give a stranger the shirt off his back. He befriended these punks because they had nothing and nobody who cared about them.

An unfortunate lesson to be learned here that my father taught me years ago, which was easy with some family in law enforcement.
And good idea Tony for an article.

[MORGAN]

And good idea Tony for an article.

+1. We ought to get these stories written down while there are still people around who remember them.

Mike