Richard Jerome Dove

Rick was a founding member of the Waterkeeper Alliance and served as the Neuse Riverkeeper from 1993 to 2000. One of the first Riverkeepers in the Southeast, Rick helped launch Waterkeeper programs across North Carolina and the country. He held the honorary titles of Waterkeeper Alliance Board Member Emeritus and Neuse Riverkeeper Emeritus.

Rick pioneered the use of aircraft to document pollution and logged over 3,000 flight hours over 30 years. In the 1990s, his advocacy around massive fish kills and human health impacts caused by the toxic organism Pfiesteria brought global attention and spurred major pollution reforms throughout the Neuse watershed.

As a photojournalist, his work appeared in media reports and documentaries worldwide, and in books such as Animal Factory, And the Waters Turned to Blood, This Moment on Earth, Crimes Against Nature, and Righteous Pork Chop. He was also featured in the films The Smell of Money and Eating Animals.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland July 24, 1939, Rick earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Baltimore. He served 25 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring as a Colonel and Military Judge. His honors include the EPA Region IV Merit Award and recognition as one of Time Magazine’s Heroes of the Planet.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Joanne; daughter Hollyanne Marie Trombley and husband Joseph Trombley; grandchildren Anthony Gottschalk, Nicholas Dove, Christian Trombley, Aimee Trombley and her fiancé Tyler Dubik; great-grandchildren Dakoda and Fayelynn Gottschalk, and Parker Kingsbury; nieces Kathryn Restivo and husband William Gentry, Diane Neal and husband Dr. Randolph Neal; nephew Michael Restivo; grandniece Lilly Neal and grandnephew Voss Neal. He is predeceased by his son Todd Dove and sister Bernice Restivo and husband Dr. Marion Restivo.

A memorial service will be held Sept. 6 at 2 p.m., visitation prior at 1 p.m. at Cotten Funeral Home, New Bern.

Memorial donations may be made to https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-enhance-ncs-water-quality