It is with deep regret that I announce the passing of a legend and friend Richard Fred (Dick) Gurske aka DinkyDick.
Dick would have been 87 years old this past weekend. He was born December 3rd, 1935 in Chicago, IL and graduated from Lane Technical High School and joined the Navy in 1953.
I first met him at the age of 70 back in October of 2006 when a group of guys from here on TreasureNet got together on the Jupiter Wreck with Scott Thompson (Seahunter) to dig for Spanish treasure on the Rio Bravo. It was one of the most memorable weekends of my life and many friendships were made that have endured even now 16+ years later. Dick was one of 11 guys from that trip to come together and form ARRG (Aquatic Research and Recovery Group). We pooled our money to build a beautiful treasure boat, the Conquistador, to work the 1715 fleet in 2007 and 2008. Dick was retired and had minimal income, but he always contributed his share.
Dick was a commercial diver and treasure hunter at heart. As he got older and wasn't able to dive he used his skills to build and invent devices to find treasure and shipwrecks. He had a wealth of knowledge as most old men do...and as i got to know him found we had a lot in common. We would talk for hours about different inventions and ideas from magnetometers and metal detector coils to ROVs. He always had a project going.
I can only imagine the things he did in his 86 years. He was very intriguing and smart with a vast knowledge of electronics and programming. Although he seemed to be stuck in the 90s with DOS 3.0. At one point we even worked together on finding the lost Atomic Bomb off Savannah GA. He created an array of sensors to detect the uranium signature in the water.
I really don't know much about his early years. I do know he had a son and had been divorced back in the 70s. He worked as commercial diver when he was younger and up until this past spring he was an instructor at the Commercial Diving Academy in Jacksonville. As the years went on and I was less involved with treasure hunting, we did not talk as much. But I would routinely check in on him just to see how he was doing. I would always call and tell him "I was checking in to make sure he was still kicking". Many times I would catch him while he was at the bar having a drink or in the end his sweet tea. He always seemed to be chatting up the ladies....even at 86!
The last time I spoke to him was over the summer. He had left his job at the Diving Academy and you could tell he was slowing down. He had been having some health problems over the last few years, but he still had some fight and talked about how he was spending more time tinkering on his projects.
This past week I tried reaching out to him, only to find his phone had been disconnected and I was immediately concerned. I started looking for ways to see if I could get in touch or see if anyone had heard from him. I was finally able to get in contact with his neighbor who informed me of his passing last month. I hope in the end he did not suffer. I don't know if he had many friends who kept up with him or even if he had any family left.
If you made it this far, thank you for honoring him by reading this post! This was truly one of the best experiences of my life and he was a part of it.
Thank you Dick for being my friend!
Dick would have been 87 years old this past weekend. He was born December 3rd, 1935 in Chicago, IL and graduated from Lane Technical High School and joined the Navy in 1953.
I first met him at the age of 70 back in October of 2006 when a group of guys from here on TreasureNet got together on the Jupiter Wreck with Scott Thompson (Seahunter) to dig for Spanish treasure on the Rio Bravo. It was one of the most memorable weekends of my life and many friendships were made that have endured even now 16+ years later. Dick was one of 11 guys from that trip to come together and form ARRG (Aquatic Research and Recovery Group). We pooled our money to build a beautiful treasure boat, the Conquistador, to work the 1715 fleet in 2007 and 2008. Dick was retired and had minimal income, but he always contributed his share.
Dick was a commercial diver and treasure hunter at heart. As he got older and wasn't able to dive he used his skills to build and invent devices to find treasure and shipwrecks. He had a wealth of knowledge as most old men do...and as i got to know him found we had a lot in common. We would talk for hours about different inventions and ideas from magnetometers and metal detector coils to ROVs. He always had a project going.
I can only imagine the things he did in his 86 years. He was very intriguing and smart with a vast knowledge of electronics and programming. Although he seemed to be stuck in the 90s with DOS 3.0. At one point we even worked together on finding the lost Atomic Bomb off Savannah GA. He created an array of sensors to detect the uranium signature in the water.
I really don't know much about his early years. I do know he had a son and had been divorced back in the 70s. He worked as commercial diver when he was younger and up until this past spring he was an instructor at the Commercial Diving Academy in Jacksonville. As the years went on and I was less involved with treasure hunting, we did not talk as much. But I would routinely check in on him just to see how he was doing. I would always call and tell him "I was checking in to make sure he was still kicking". Many times I would catch him while he was at the bar having a drink or in the end his sweet tea. He always seemed to be chatting up the ladies....even at 86!
The last time I spoke to him was over the summer. He had left his job at the Diving Academy and you could tell he was slowing down. He had been having some health problems over the last few years, but he still had some fight and talked about how he was spending more time tinkering on his projects.
This past week I tried reaching out to him, only to find his phone had been disconnected and I was immediately concerned. I started looking for ways to see if I could get in touch or see if anyone had heard from him. I was finally able to get in contact with his neighbor who informed me of his passing last month. I hope in the end he did not suffer. I don't know if he had many friends who kept up with him or even if he had any family left.
If you made it this far, thank you for honoring him by reading this post! This was truly one of the best experiences of my life and he was a part of it.
Thank you Dick for being my friend!
