Richard "Dick" Hancock

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost

When Robert Frost wrote about the road less traveled in 1916, he must have had Dick Hancock in mind.

A true adventurer at heart, Richard "Dick" Hancock of Norman, Oklahoma, embarked on his next journey on August 29, 2025, just months shy of his 100th birthday. Born on January 19, 1926, in Alpine, Texas, to Henry "Lee" Hancock and Mary Eleanor "Molly" Gillett Hancock, Dick's story began in the wide-open spaces of the American Southwest.

He grew up on a cattle and sheep ranch in Corona, New Mexico, during a time when a boy could get into all sorts of trouble-whether it was climbing up (and falling from) a windmill or sliding down a coal chute (and leaving a lasting gray mark on his forehead). His adventures were never short of excitement, from his family apprehending escaped bandits at the farm to witnessing a high school basketball game erupt into a street brawl. After his parents decided he needed "socialization," Dick went to New Mexico Military Institute for his senior year with the hope that he would graduate in time to serve his country during World War II. He made it, serving from 1944-46 on a medical team in the Philippines and Japan. His WWII cap would later bring him gratitude and free coffee from strangers, a testament to the lifelong impact of his service.

After the war, Dick attended New Mexico A&M, earning a degree in animal husbandry. While there, he and his buddies had a memorable run-in with a taxi driver in Juarez, Mexico, that led to an overnight jail stay saved only by a humbling (and probably alarming) early morning telephone call for help to his grandmother in El Paso.

His early career began with the U.S./Mexican Foot and Mouth Commission, where he traveled by horseback across rural Mexico inspecting livestock. He and his Mexican counterpart passed the time by reading aloud from a comic Spanish novel from the 1500s. He was also deeply involved in the Bracero program, facilitating the placement of Mexican laborers on U.S. farms. His positive, calming manner made him a natural for solving cross-cultural and "boss man"/ "worker bee" disputes. During this time, he got his Masters from NMSU in Spanish. His thesis was on Spanish/English agricultural vocabulary.

It was while getting his PhD in Latin American Studies at Stanford, that Dick met Nancy Tout, a brilliant graduate student. They shared their first date on his 30th birthday and were married on March 23, 1957. In his memoirs, Dick wrote, "I don't need a new love because I have an old love that is always new," a sentiment that would define their 68-year marriage.

By 1962, Dick and Nancy were living in Las Cruces, NM while Dick worked as the Executive Secretary for the Farm Bureau of Dona Ana County. It was then that Dick and Nancy answered the call to serve in the Peace Corps, where Dick became the director of the program in El Salvador, taking their young son, Jim, with them and adding daughter Susan to their family there. This Peace Corps stint sparked lifelong connections with their fellow volunteers.

The passion for international service led them to a new chapter in Norman, Oklahoma, in 1963. There, Dick worked at the University of Oklahoma in Continuing Education as the head of the Department of International Training. As part of that work, he was instrumental in establishing a cultural training center at Hacienda El Cobano in Colima, Mexico. There he organized retreats on such varied avocations as birdwatching, painting, photography, Spanish and trail riding.

Dick's life was one of continuous learning and fun escapades. He and Nancy raised their children in Norman, where he was involved in diverse experiences such as Outward Bound training, rock climbing, watercolor painting, helping launch St Michael's Episcopal Church, Boy Scouts with his son, Jim, and horse wrangling with his youngest daughter, Jenny. Dick's professional life at the University of Oklahoma spanned 22 years, where he eventually retired to start his own workshop travel company with his siblings and son. He led educational trips to Spain, Ireland, the Holy Land, and many other places, while also co-managing a translation company with Nancy.

In his later years, Dick's thirst for knowledge never waned. In his mid seventies, he was hired to write a series of tour books on the state of Chihuahua in Mexico, a project that involved daring helicopter rides with Nancy to remote locations. His curiosity, spirit of adventure, and dedication to lifelong learning inspired all who knew him.

Dick is survived by his wife of 68 years, Nancy; his children Jim Hancock (Tia), Susan Hancock (Craig), and Jenny Hancock; his granddaughters Jadelyn Whitaker (Travis) and Molly Hancock; his great-grandson, Blaise Whitaker; his sister, Mary Culpepper; his cousin, Rich Gillett (Anne) and many beloved nephews and nieces -- many of whom called him by his childhood nickname, "Took." He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Bill (Betty) Hancock and Jack (Ella Ann) Hancock; and his sister's husband, Bob Culpepper.

Pallbearers will include Jim Hancock, Travis Whitaker, John Hancock, David Hancock, Chuck Culpepper, and Robert Culpepper.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Norman.

Dick Hancock lived a life that exemplified open mindedness, resilience, integrity, courage, and commitment to others. His story is one of countless roads taken, many adventures lived, and a legacy that will inspire generations to come.

But he said it best in the closing of his memoirs, Nosotros, Peregrinos (We Pilgrims):

"Even though I am now 82 years old and the bell rings for evening prayer and the darkness is falling, I do look forward to a postrer don and wonder what my last gift will be." Dick Hancock, 2008.