Obituaries : Richard Pope Sr.; Tourism Promoter

Richard Downing Pope Sr., a flamboyant showman who built Cypress Gardens park and was credited with founding Florida’s modern tourist industry, died at his home here at age 87.

Pope built Cypress Gardens--the state’s first tourist attraction--on 16 acres of swampland in 1936 when the state was noted only for oranges and mosquitoes. In the next three decades it became known as a lush backdrop for water-skiing exhibitions and movies featuring Esther Williams, Fernando Lamas and Van Johnson.

Pope, who died Thursday of undisclosed causes, became a legend for his efforts on behalf of the entire state, handing out Florida-shaped pins and persuading forecasters to describe the weather as partly sunny instead of partly cloudy.

He staged water-skiing extravaganzas for motion pictures, newsreel shorts, “The Ed Sullivan Show” and the 1964-1965 World’s Fair in New York.

“Dick Pope Sr. was the embodiment of Florida tourism,” said Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.).

“He set the stage for the exposure of Florida worldwide,” said Jo Farmer, executive director of the Osceola County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “There wasn’t any place in the world you could go and not hear about Florida. He pretty much wrote the book.”