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Legends of Diving Articles |
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Charles (Chuck) Hepp
UNEXSO
Founding Member
Chuck learned to dive in the mid 1950's in Fort
Lauderdale. He did some treasure hunting in the Keys, taught
swimming and diving for the City of Ft. Lauderdale and worked on
the beach patrol there. In 1961 he took the second ever NAUI
Instructors' course (NAUI #165) and joined UNEXSO in 1965. He
built the original boat docks and then worked as a Program
Director. He was a safety diver when Jacques Mayol made his
record free dive and made a dive in the deep diving vessel, the
Ben Franklin. In 1972 with the financial difficulties at UNEXSO
he decided to work full time for his second love, the space
program. He worked for a NASA contractor all over the world -
Newfoundland, Canada, Guam, Ascension Island and Senegal, West
Africa. In between these assignments he worked with his wife
Lucinda in Grand Cayman, first to open and run Bob Sotos'
Holiday Inn Dive Shop and secondly to run the dive operation at
Spanish Bay reef. He also worked with Bob Wicklund at the
Caribbean Marine Research Center on Lee Stocking Island, Exumas
before moving to central Florida. After working with Harris
Corporation (a government contractor) he retired and in 2001
moved west to Oregon to be close to his daughter, Suzanne.
Klamath Falls offered many outdoor adventures, including a
return to downhill skiing after 50 years, but also included a
knee and hip replacement. He continues to be very active doing
projects, walking his 2 dogs and participating in water aerobics
and water volleyball.
Lucinda Hepp (Cindy Bantock)
UNEXSO
Staff 1968 - 1972
Lucinda learned to dive at UNEXSO in 1967 and joined the
staff in 1968 as Dave Woodward's secretary. She became a NAUI
Instructor in 1968 (#1369) - the tenth woman to do so. Besides
administrative duties at UNEXSO, she taught many 3-hour Resort
Diving Courses and ran dives too. She and Chuck Hepp married in
1971 and left the Bahamas in 1972 when Chuck returned to work
full-time for the space program. The next 14 years took her to
Newfoundland, Canada, Guam and Senegal, West Africa and also to
Grand Cayman. The first time to open and run Bob Soto's Holiday
Inn Dive Shop with Chuck and the second time to run the dive
operation at Spanish Bay Reef. She also did field research on
juvenile Conch at the Caribbean Marine Research Center on Lee
Stocking Island, Exumas, working for Bob Wicklund. After
returning to Central Florida in 1985, she worked in the
marketing department at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor's
Center before going into real estate - a career that lasted
nearly 15 years. Her next adventure was the move out west to
Klamath Falls, Oregon where she had a chance to return to
downhill skiing after nearly 50 years! Lucinda also spent 7
years coordinating a children's literacy program at an
elementary school in Klamath Falls before retiring this past
year to enjoy her passion - quilting!

Chuck and Lucinda Hepp |
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12701 South Dixie Bowling Green OH, 43402
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