Dick Pope, Jr.

Dick Pope Jr.
Born Richard Downing Pope, Jr.
Dec. 12, 1930
Long Island, N.Y.
Died Nov. 8, 2007
Citizenship United States
Organization Cypress Gardens
Known for World Championships, inventing barefooting
Spouse(s) Frances Pope
Parent(s) Dick Pope Sr.

Richard Downing Pope, Jr. (1930 - 2007), better known as Dick Pope Jr., was a World Champion water skier and an important business leader in Central Florida.[1] Pope was an important innovator in sport of water skiing, including the development of Barefoot skiing in 1947.[1] He is the son of Dick Pope, Sr., the founder of Cypress Gardens theme park.

Personal life

Dick Pope, Jr. was born in Long Island, New York. When he was just 18 months old, the family to Winter Haven, Florida.[2] In 1936, his parents, Dick Pope, Sr. and Julie Pope, opened Cypress Gardens, one of the earliest theme parks in America. Dick Pope, Sr. played an important role in the development of Florida tourism and the growth of the sport of water skiing.

Dick Pope, Jr. served in the United States Marine Corps.[1] He was an avid hunter and fisherman. He was known to carry a scratch pad to make notes about fishing conditions.[2] He was also a an expert marksman and champion skeet shooter.[3] Pope and his wife Frances at one time held the husband-wife 12-gauge world title for skeet shooting.[1]

When Walt Disney was scouting for a location for a second, even larger theme, Cypress Gardens and the Pope family where involved in trying to promote Central Florida. Dick Pope, Jr. is said to be the man who ultimately convinced Walt Disney to select Orlando as the home of Walt Disney World.[4]

Water Skiing Career

In 1947, Dick Pope, Jr. was one of the first people to successfully barefoot waterski.[5] He and his friends in Winter Haven, Florida discovered that if the speed of the boat was increased high enough, then barefoot waterskiing became possible. Photographs and newsreels of Dick Pope, Jr. barefoot waterskiing at speeds in excess of 40 mph became an international sensation at the time.[5] This media attention was produced by his father, Dick Pope, Sr. to generate publicity for Cypress Gardens, but it also helped popularize water skiing worldwide. That same year, at age 17, Dick Pope, Jr. won his first National Water Ski Title.

In 1949, Dick Pope, Jr. competed in the first Water Skiing World Championships.[1] He skied all out at the first World Championships, taking youthful risks, and losing out to more conservative European skiers. In 1950, He won his first World Title.[1] He was particularly for tricks. He was one of several skiers from that era who would "climb the rope" in order to get greater height on a jump. This practice is banned in the sport today because of its extreme danger.[1] In 1952, he became the first person to successful complete a 540 jump off a ramp.[1]

Business career

In addition to his skiing career, Pope succeeded his father, Dick Pope Sr. as president of Cypress Gardens in 1962. He took the company public in 1972, and was elected chairman of the board in 1982 before the company was sold to Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.[1]

Tournament results

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 "Richard Downing Pope, Jr.". waterskihalloffame.com. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Richard Downing Pope, Jr. Obituary". Rawlins College. Lakeland Ledger. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Getz, Pope Capture Dixies Skeet Titles". Newpaper June 4, 1963. Lakeland Ledger. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Beyond Disney". Sehlinger, Bob. John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The Story of the Really Big Show: The History of Barefooting". Zenon Bilas. Water Ski Magazine Aug 1989 issue. Retrieved November 11, 2010.