Leon Prockop ’55

Surely the rarest of men was our classmate Leon. He was born March 28, 1934, in Aquashicola, Pa., to parents of Ukrainian ancestry, and led a life of both academic and physical accomplishments. He came from the most humble of beginnings in a Pennsylvania backwater and rose up to be the founding chairman of the department of neurology at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Ukrainian influence inculcated by his parents influenced every aspect of Leon’s life. He always thought of family and the old country and was revered in Ukraine for his generosity in bringing there not only his medical knowledge but also the latest technology.

The neurology department he founded at the University of South Florida has grown into a world-renowned center for research, academics, and patient care. He required perfection from those he taught, and despite being a demanding teacher was often selected by medical students as Professor of the Year. Through the years, he became known as an expert in neurotoxicology and was asked to lecture all over the world.

He co-founded the American Society of Neuroimaging, which has played a role in developing new and innovative techniques for treating disease. Too many to mention are the various awards and accolades bestowed on “Lion,” a sobriquet bestowed on him by his college roommates.

A possessor of boundless energy, Leon participated for many years in triathlons. He ran his last one with his trainer, Whit Lasseter, a race whose outcome was predetermined but no less satisfying, thrilling Leon to be first at the finish line and immediately surrounded by the Bucs cheerleaders.

Leon died June 28, 2018, in Tampa, Fla., of dementia of the frontal lobe. He was 84.

He is survived by his wife, Fran; five children; a stepson; four grandchildren; college roommates Paul Perreten and John Perkins; and many admirers and many who loved him.