Life of former professor, artist Rick Procter celebrated with music and memories

Most people wouldn't recognize Rick Procter without a dance floor beneath him. And that's how a lot of people will remember him now that he's gone.

The 74-year-old retired Southeast Missouri State University art professor, who never retired from art, died Sunday.

Procter was known to burst through the door of Broussard's with feet and torso already moving in time to whatever music was playing.

With that spirit in mind, friends have organized two memorial services, better described as celebrations. The first is planned for 6 p.m. Saturday in the park on the River Campus. The second is at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Captain's Quarters in Port Cape.

"That was his request," said longtime friend Bob Camp. "That we not mourn his death, but we celebrate him."

At the Saturday celebration Camp will join other musically talented friends of Procter like Bill Booth and any other musician who wants to play a song in his memory.

"The idea is just to have some music with the river in the background because he was really fond of the river," McNeely said.

The group plans to move to the River City Yacht Club afterward to continue the fellowship, sharing and dancing.

The Sunday get-together was initiated by Procter's second wife Frances Lemonds. The two eventually parted ways but remained friends.

"It's for anybody," said Evelyn Boardman Wiethop, who has known Procter for almost 30 years. She called him a "prolific artist."

Procter was a prominent and progressive artist. His work often included nudity. As a charter member of the Visual Arts Cooperative, he displayed a piece every month in the Southeast Missouri Arts Council's downtown gallery.

"He was one of those controversial artists," fellow artist and friend Craig Thomas said. Thomas hosted a show by Procter in January in his Black Door Gallery.

He said Procter's work was mainly one of three types. He did contemporary pieces of American Indian scenes, "Rock Heads" made of tightly-wound masking tape painted to look like a head, and collage work with found objects and images from pornography magazines.

"It's not painting by numbers," Camp said. "He was an out-there cat who did really interesting artwork."

Controversial and different, maybe, but loved nonetheless by those who knew him.

Procter is survived by two daughters, Rebecca Procter of Santa Fe, N.M., and Jessica Procter of Dallas; and three grandchildren.

charris@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 246