The "The Lancaster That Was 50 Years Ago" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at the "Living" section of my Sunday News.  Page E2 had one of my favorite sections, "Lancaster That Was."  This particular section has events that made the news 25 years ago, 50 years ago, 75 years ago and 100 years ago.  Almost every week there is also a photograph that was featured on one of the four years which was perhaps the most important event of that date.  The photograph in today's Sunday News was one of a familiar face to me.  Staring at me was a fellow whom I knew quite well by the name of William "Smokey" Roberts who was a scuba diver and underwater photographer.  The photograph featured Smokey holding his 100-pound camera he dubbed "The Beast."  Smokey was named Diver of the Year by the Boston Sea Rovers in 1973.  

Smokey Roberts, scuba diver extraordinare

I have written a few stories about Smokey during the lifetime of my blog and they all tell of a good friend and one of the best scuba divers in the United States.  It was back on April 23, 1973 that the Lancaster New Era profiled Smokey who had risen to the top of his field.  Smokey was the owner of a Lancaster scuba shop called Smokey's Divers Den.  He had recently been named the Diver of the Year by the Boston Sea Rovers. The trophy for the award was presented to Smokey by none other than Jacques Cousteau.  Smokey won the award for his many underwater exploits as a pioneer in the field of underwater photography.  

Smoky with his wife Dotty

His most recognized photographic work was of a sunken Japanese war fleet near the Caroline Islands in the South Pacific.  Smokey had been exploring the undersea word for nearly 20 years and sot more than 37,000 feet of film in 1972 alone.  His camera of choice was a massive 100-pound contraption he dubbed "The Monster."  Smokey made a few trips to Manheim Township High School, were I taught, to teach a club that was run by a good friend of his, Stan Lipman.  Stan had a scuba club in the high school and Smokey would visit to teach the club about underwater photography.  

Smokey was also good on the accordion

I enjoyed visiting in the pool area when Smokey came to teach Stan's club about diving.  Smokey ran Smokey's Divers Den in Lancaster until the mid-1990s when he retired.  He died in 2020 at the age of 94, a victim of COVID-19.  Smokey was one of the best scuba diver's there ever was.  He was one of the most interesting people I have ever met.  Would have loved to have one diving with him, but I was a poor swimmer so that wouldn't have worked for me.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.