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The cave diving community has lost one of its greatest innovators, teachers,= =20 and friends. Roderick (Rory) Dickens, a naval fighter pilot, school teacher= ,=20 and cave diving instructor passed away this week in Jacksonville, Fl. He was= =20 67. Rory was a fixture within the Cave Diving community during the early=20 seventies throughout the eighties. He made countless contributions in the=20 engineering and development of cave diving equipment through its early years= ..=20 He also authored many important articles and books that defined the sport of= =20 cave diving. His book, The Physics and Engineering of Diving, explained the=20 laws and rules of physics that control our sport to this date. Based on his=20 amazing understanding of physics and engineering he predicted and drew=20 diagrams of what cave diving equipment would ultimately become some thirty=20 years later. He was Hogarthian long before anyone knew there was such a=20 thing. The design of canister lights, wings, backplates, reels, manifolds an= d=20 scooters were either conceived by our improved by his involvement in the=20 sport of cave diving.=20 Rory served the US NAVY for eight years as a jet fighter pilot who flew off=20 aircraft carriers. He was stationed at Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Florida=20 and reached the rank of commander. After serving two tours in the Navy, Rory= =20 pursued a MA degree in physics from Purdue University. Upon completion he=20 returned to Jacksonville, Florida where he became a teacher at Forrest High=20 School. For the next thirty seven years Rory passed along his love for math=20 and physics to thousands of appreciative students. He retired from teaching=20 in 1996, but continued to teach limited classes at Forrest through 2000.=20 During his teaching career he won multiple awards including state teacher o= f=20 the year and a teachers most prestigious honor the =93USA Presidential Award= =20 for Teaching Excellence=94, for his superb skills in science teaching. He wa= s=20 inducted into the Florida =93Teachers Hall of Fame=94 in 1990. During the early and mid seventies, Rory was one of the biggest advocates of= =20 diving safety and training through one of the sports most dark and difficult= =20 times. Utilizing his expertise he work tirelessly to test and evaluate early= =20 concepts and rules of cave diving. No matter what the situation, Rory always= =20 gave freely of his time and vast knowledge on myriad subjects. As an active=20 National Association for Cave Diving (NACD) instructor, he taught many cave=20 divers to dive safely within Florida=92s underwater caves. He was a friend a= nd=20 mentor to many well known cave divers including Sheck Exley, Wes Skiles and=20 Clark Pitcairn.=20 A memorial service for Rory is being held in Jacksonville, Fl on Thursday,=20 June 15th at Hardage/Giddings Funeral Home on 5753 Blanding Blvd. A post=20 memorial gathering of Rory's diving friends, will be held at David Cameron's= =20 house after the service. Please pass this notice along to anyone that might have known Rory and might= =20 be interested in helping him celebrate his incredible life. People wishing to express their feelings regarding Rory Dickens passing are=20 urged to send a charitable donation to: Forrest High School 5530 Firestone Blvd. Jacksonville, Fl 32210 Attn: Janice Lamb Note on check: Rory Dickens Scholarship Fund Wes Skiles (904) 454-3556
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