Richard Joseph Kopec (August 20, 1928 - December 2, 2019) was an American geographer and professor. Born in Passaic, New Jersey, Kopec attended Shippensburg University for his undergraduate education. He received a Ph.D. in geography from Wayne State University. In 1966, Kopec held his Ph.D. and was an assistant professor of geography at Wayne State. He became the chair of the Department of Geography and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and also served as the chairperson for the North Carolina Geographical Society. Kopec met his wife Pauline while studying at Shippensburg University and they were married for over sixty-seven years. They had three children.