Rick Eugene Provine

Rick Eugene Provine, 67, of Greencastle, IN, shuffled off this mortal coil on the morning of August 21, 2025. Rick was born on December 10, 1957, in Danville, IL to Roy and Doris Provine. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Mark Provine, and his first wife, Cheryl Provine. He is survived by his beloved wife, Ann Provine, of Greencastle, IN; his two adoring children, Reggie Provine, of Seattle, WA, and Savannah Provine (Griffin Moore), of Indianapolis, IN; his grandson Quinn Moore-Provine; his sister, Vickie Provine, of Bloomington, IN; and his niece, Carrie Kleiman, of New Palestine, IN.

Rick graduated in 1976 from Terre Haute South Vigo High School before completing his undergraduate studies at Indiana University. He earned a Master of Library Science from IU in 1991 and began his library career at the University of Virginia as a Digital Media Librarian. There, he established the Digital Music and Media Center—one of UVA’s first digital centers—and later led the development of UVA’s media services, culminating with the 1999 opening of the Robertson Media Center, which featured a large circulating media collection alongside an array of digital media services and served as a national model for media centers.

In 2000, he accepted a position at DePauw University, where he ultimately assumed the role of Dean of Libraries, before retiring in 2022. He took great pride in having been the driving force behind the recent renovation of the Roy O. West Library. During his career, he was active in the broader academic library community, serving in various roles on numerous committees, including as the Chair of the Video Round Table for the American Library Association, the Association of College Research Library (ACRL) Media Resources Committee, the ACRL Arts Film and Broadcast Studies Group, and as the President of the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI).

He was a proud member of his community and avid supporter of the arts, serving on the board of the Greencastle Arts Council, as the President of the Putnam County Museum board, and in assorted roles on local political campaigns. Dude was a passionate part-time musician and Nashville recording artist, playing drums for theatrical productions, open mics, and innumerable bands, including Cosmic Muffin, Shoes and Strings, The Glass Babies, The Houskatz, The Katz Pajamas, etc… He was an avid reader and advocate for free speech. He participated in Banned Books Week at the Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Memorial Library, championing the right to unfettered access to information. He was a fanatic supporter of all things Indiana University basketball.

Services will be held at Gobin Methodist Church in Greencastle, IN on Friday, August 29, at 1 p.m., with a musical celebration of life to follow at The Whisk. For those unable to attend, you may join us virtually at Gobin.live/rickprovine. His family kindly requests that donations be made in Rick’s honor to the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library in lieu of gifts and flowers (https://www.vonnegutlibrary.org/).

So it goes.