Richard Procyk, Jupiter historian who helped to preserve Battlefield Park, dies at 98

JUPITER — Local historian Richard Procyk, who led a successful effort to rename a portion of Riverbend Park to Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park, dug up artifacts in his Shores neighborhood, wrote a book, traveled the world and served as a police detective in Miami Beach during the glory days of Jackie Gleason and President John F. Kennedy, died peacefully at his Jupiter home on Friday. The Philadelphia native was 98.

“Richard had tenacity. He was curious. He had fortitude. They don’t make people like that anymore,” said Bobbi Procyk, who was married to Richard for 48 years.

The rangy former Miami Beach police detective always loved a good dig. The Everglades, construction sites in Miami, trips to Mexico, Nepal, India, Egypt and Peru — there's nothing like going to new places to solve a mystery, the University of Miami graduate once told The Palm Beach Post.

The Navy veteran uncovered relics from the Seminole Wars, an 1830s campsite from Maj. William Lauderdale, musket balls and bayonets from an 1830s battle between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Seminole Indians — all in and around Riverbend Park. He dressed up in a 1830s military uniform and led tours at Riverbend Park, a historic gem Procyk polished for 35 years.

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Richard Procyk led effort to create Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park in Jupiter

"This park is like the seven layers of Troy. The more you look, the more you find," Procyk told The Palm Beach Post one day when a reporter found him digging on his backyard.

Bobbi said Richard would knock on a neighbor’s door and ask them if he could dig in their yard.

”They would let him. I think they were impressed with his curiosity,” said Bobbi. The Morehead, Kentucky, native met Richard, then a Miami Beach police officer, when he came to her mother’s Miami Beach business to investigate a robbery.

Awards for work in local historic preservation were many for Procyk. The Jupiter Lighthouse Chapter of National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, James R. Knott Historical Contribution Award, Bessie DuBois Award and Jonathan Dickinson Award for history.

But the 2011 renaming of about 64 acres of the 680 within Riverbend Park to Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park was his passion, said former County Commissioner Karen Marcus, who represented northern Palm Beach County.

“There’s always one person who leads the charge. Richard was that one person for Battlefield Park. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer,” said Marcus.

Procyk’s book reflecting his historical research, "Guns Across the Loxahatchee: Remembering the Seminole Wars," was published in 1999.

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Richard Procyk's career as a police officer took him to Miami Beach in its heyday

Procyk’s fascination with the unknown was sparked by his mother, who worked with his dad in the family's three Philadelphia restaurants. While his father was a nose-to-the-grindstone type, Procyk's mother was a self-taught student of religion and philosophy.

"My mother would give talks to groups all over the city about ancient societies and their beliefs," Procyk once told The Post.

His father's health brought the family to South Florida. Procyk enrolled at the University of Miami, with a major in public administration and a minor in anthropology.

After graduation, he became a police officer in 1956 in Miami Beach during the glory days of Jackie Gleason, the glittering Fontainebleau resort and visits by JFK, the last coming shortly before his Nov. 22, 1963, assassination in Dallas.

"The Secret Service guys were real nervous every time (JFK) went into a crowd to shake hands. Something was up," Procyk said.

After 25 years and being promoted to lieutenant to head the homicide division, Procyk retired in 1981. After a short stint working with Miami Beach developer Stephen Muss, he and Bobbi moved to Jupiter. Procyk retired in 1987 after 18 months as head of security at the Palm Beach Mall.

Procyk's fascination with the park on Indiantown Road just west of Florida's Turnpike started when he and Bobbi moved to the Shores neighborhood in 1985. His research turned up two battles in 1838 in the park between federal troops, Seminoles and Black Seminoles.

And now, every Jan. 15, the ancestors of the Black Seminoles gather to carry water from the Loxahatchee River in vases and pour it on the former battlefield to commemorate their ancestors.

Besides Bobbi, Procyk is survived by his three children, Rick, Pamela and Sharon and four grandchildren. A private funeral service is planned.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jupiter historian Richard Procyk dies at 98; Battlefield Park champion