LATE SEN. DICKSON LEFT GREAT LEGACY, FRIENDS SAY
By Ken Ellsworth and Jerry Reed
December 1, 2006
Former State Sen. Temple Dickson's life was not always easy, but it was productive, from his legislative work to his loving care of his Nolan County ranch and his career as a Sweetwater attorney.
Dickson, 72, died Wednesday at his ranch surrounded by family and friends, including his wife, Kathy Kerbow Dickson, his Sweetwater High School sweetheart with whom he shared a love of nature and the environment. He had suffered from cancer.
Dickson's first political contest was not successful. While he still was a University of Texas law student, Dickson ran for a Texas House seat, losing by a handful of votes to Max Carriker, former Sen. Steve Carriker's father.
Steve Carriker of Roby and Dickson eventually became friends and political allies. They served in the Senate in adjoining seats.
Dickson's friends and political contemporaries say Dickson was a dedicated politician and served his district with his clientele at heart. As a rookie senator in 1989, he was named to the executive committee of the Democratic caucus.
"I'm proud to have served with Temple Dickson," said contemporary Sen. Carlos Truan of Corpus Christi. "He served his district with distinction. He represented them as well as any other senator." Truan served in the Senate from 1976 to 2003 and served in the House the previous eight years. "To me, Temple Dickson will always stand out as one of the few of the best," Truan said. "I am proud to call him a friend."
It's fair to say that Dickson was liberal in political leanings for this part of the country and a Democrat, as were five preceding generations of Dicksons. He was respected in the Senate and House.
"Senator Dickson was an able and effective voice for West Texans and a compassionate, intelligent, independent fighter for our families," U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, said in a prepared statement.
According to a story told by Kathy Dickson, the late Gov. Ann Richards, whose language could be salty, once called the Dickson ranch. Dickson was at work at his Sweetwater law office, and so Kathy answered the phone.
Richards told Kathy she wanted Sen. Dickson's support on a political matter.
Kathy warned Richards that her husband could be stubborn, not afraid to step on a few feet, outspoken and less than diplomatic.
"Oh, I know all that. That's why I need him," Richards replied. "There are a lot of lily-livered legislative (expletive) out here, and Temple's not one of them."
Kathy said she considered it the best compliment her husband ever received. She said her husband had the ability to look over the core issues in politics and understand them, leading to a better life for his constituents.
Dickson and friend, Abilenian Jim Rose, were college roommates at the University of Texas and retained their friendship to the end of Dickson's life.
"I've always had great admiration for him. He did so much for West Texas," Rose said. "He had a lot to do with the development of Texas State Technical College in Sweetwater. Now, there are other campuses throughout the area."
Dickson also was admired for his courtroom trial skills.
"I'm sorry to hear about Temple," said Abilene attorney Frank Scarborough. "His father and my father were friends and professional adversaries for many years, and Temple and I were friends. Temple himself was a formidable opponent. He had a real homespun way about him. He could really talk to the people on juries who were the country people," he added.
Dickson loved the country life, himself. He built a meandering rock fence around his ranch grounds stone by stone, with the help of a few others. His stone fence work helped him beat his addiction to alcohol, he said.
After more than 15 years of work, his fences did not enclose anything but wandered wherever he wanted them to go. He enjoyed watching the wildlife that frequently visited near his ranch house.
He was a former smoker and had a bout with lung cancer in the 1980s, which he overcame. Dickson became an anti-tobacco activist, supporting legislators who were anti-tobacco.
Kathy Dickson said her husband, a lover of Shakespeare, was intent on giving his four daughters the firm conviction that they could be anything they wanted to be. He involved them in everything from the ranch to the political arena.
"Come on with me," he often said when his daughters were in Austin. "Let's go over and talk with Ann Richards." He encouraged them to live," she said.
Dickson seemed interested in nearly everything.
"I'm learning the land, smelling the flowers and identifying the flowers," he told the Reporter-News in 1996.
His wife enjoyed her husband's work and interests.
"Temple's got an artist's eye," she said a few years ago.
Survivors include his wife, Kathy; daughter Allison Baker and husband Steve; daughter Angie Dickson; daughter Priscilla Primavera and husband Paul; daughter Maria Parigi and husband Frank; and 13 grandchildren.
Services for Dickson will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday on his 69 Ranch, at 12110 FM 608 near Maryneal in Nolan County.
The family requests donations to the Temple Dickson Scholarship for Recovering Alcoholics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409; Hendrick Hospice Care, 1682 Hickory St., Abilene, TX 79604; or the Nolan County-City Library, 206 Elm St., Sweetwater, TX 79556.
From THE ABILENE REPORTER
******************
Temple Dickson
Son of Temple Dickson Sr., a state legislator from 1938 to 1941
Grandson of a district judge
Longtime friend of late former Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock
Defeated former Sweetwater Mayor Bill Matthews for a Texas House of Representatives seat in 1964 and retired from the Legislature in 1970
Fought a bitter and high-dollar campaign to oust incumbent state Sen. Grant Jones in 1988
Lost Senate race in the 1992 Democratic primary to Bill Simms
1953 Sweetwater High School graduate
He and his wife, Kathy, were the parents of four daughters.
Temple Dickson Center, a former juvenile detention center in Sweetwater, named after him.
****************
FORMER STATE SENATOR DICKSON DIES
November 30, 2006
Former state Sen. R. Temple Dickson III, a Nolan County rancher and lawyer, died Thursday, November 30, 2006.
A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the 69 Ranch, 12110 FM 608, Maryneal.
McCoy Funeral home is in charge of arrangements.
The family requests donations be made to the Temple Dickson Scholarship for Recovering Alcoholics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock Texas 79409-1160; Hendrick Hospice Care, 1682 Hickory, Abilene, Texas 79604; or the Nolan County-City Library, 206 Elm Street, Sweetwater Texas 79556. McCoy Funeral Home, 877-710-3946.
Survivors include his wife, Kathy: daughter Allison Baker and husband Steve, and their children Temple, Treeman, Cole ,and Katherine of Austin; daughter Angie Dickson and her children Andrew and Taylor Madison of Colleyville; daughter Priscilla Primavera and husband Paul, and their children Chris, Joe and Mia of the Woodlands: and daughter Maria Parigi and husband Frank, and their children Isabel, Ana, Nick and Anthony of Lexington, Kentucky; and his uncles Charlie Heard of Midland, and Robert Murri of Salisbury, Connecticut, cousins Carl Andersen and wife Linda of Lubbock, Sydney Gay Heard of Midland, Joe Dickson of Seymour, Dickson Kehl of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sally Tenny of Rockwall and Judy Abbott of Dallas.
Serving as pallbearers will be Temple's sons-in-laws and grandchildren.
Serving as honorary pallbearers will be Don Aiken, Ed Aiken, David Burrows, Paul Dent, Joe Dickson, David Hall, Lance Hall, Michael Hall, John Hart, Rex George, Margarito Gonzales, Ronnie Gurley, Manuel Luna, Weldon Kirk, Austin McCloud, Luther Martin, Joe Maddox, Kenny Maxwell, Aubrey Roberts, Mondel Rogers, Jim Rose, Ruff Ruffin, Ted Sellers, Pete Sheridan, Frank Stovall, Les Wootan and Greg Wortham.
*******************
THE HONORABLE R. TEMPLE DICKSON III
McCoy Funeral Home
Friday, December 01, 2006
Temple Dickson passed away on November 29, 2006 in the shadows of the ancient cottonwoods that circle the perpetual Sweetwater spring on the family ranch just north of Maryneal. Yet, like the thunder of the buffalo, his spirit lives on in the everlasting hard rock and omnipresent blowing wind of his beloved west Texas and through the impact he had on family, friends, business associates, critics and opponents.
Temple was born October 29, 1934 in Seymour, Texas to Robert Temple and Mary Isabel Dickson. He was a product of the Sweetwater Independent School district; where, while in Junior High, he met his soul mate, the beautiful Katherine Kerbow. Destined they were, and after Kathy survived the sinking of the Andrea Doria, they married in 1957 and raised four wonderful girls, their connection growing deeper and deeper.
As did five generations before him, Temple became a lawyer, a legislator and a Democrat: graduating from the University of Texas School of Law, serving in the House of Representatives, the Senate, and as president of the Sweetwater Independent School District. Temple was a staunch defender of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and a relentless advocate for underdogs everywhere.
As a representative Temple wrote and sponsored the Texas Tort Claims Act which for the first time held the government responsible for its negligent acts. This landmark 1969 legislation altered the inherited English concept that "the king could do no wrong." Temple loved his Shakespeare, but being of Scottish heritage and a direct descendant of Colonel Joe Dickson (a revolutionary war hero and early US congressman from North Carolina), Temple was no fan of kings or those who so pretended. Appalled that a barbershop refused to cut the hair of a minority veteran, Temple also filed what may have been the first civil rights bill in Texas. Dickson was instrumental in the creation and expansion of the Sweetwater campus of Texas State Technical Institute and considered it perhaps his most important local legislation. In the Senate, Temple proudly championed legislation promoting mental health funding, rural assistance, public education, substance abuse treatment, and tirelessly fought the big business lobby on behalf of consumers, workers, small business and the environment. Temple practiced law from 1960 until his death, practicing the last 3 decades from the restored Ragland building, a stone's throw from the Nolan County Courthouse. Dickson loved the law, the advocacy of his fellow man, and held sacrosanct the great American right to trial by a jury of ones peers, and the right of all to counsel. His partners included the late Johnny Moore, Lance Hall, Kenny Maxwell, Aubrey Roberts and Mike Ratliff and he partnered on many cases with the late Don Bowen, Steve Baker and many other fine lawyers.
Dickson walked the walk when it came to his belief in loyalty, hard work, courage and helping those in need. Many were saved by his actions in the courtroom and on the back porch. Temple was not afraid to make enemies, nor to take unpopular positions if he felt the cause right, and his word was truly his bond. His greatest satisfaction came from his children and grandchildren embracing these virtues. Temple had a wonderful sense of humor, and loved a good practical joke, which were often provided and received by long time ranch foreman Rex George. Dickson bestowed on his beloved pets names that said it all: Gato, Sister Girl, Bobby D, Yellow Bob, Buffalo Girl and Half Dead Bob. Temple had a passion for reading, and was fond of quoting Shakespeare often with a unique west Texas adaptation. He was an ardent student of history, politics and genealogy. Other significant interests were flying, the cattle business and a particular affinity for implementing the organic and holistic care of native plants and animals. He transformed the family West Texas ranch into one of beauty and productivity by working with nature instead of fighting it. His solace however came by building rock fences. By hand, and with the touch of a master mason, Temple built these massive meandering structures, keeping no creatures out or in. The fences are the essence of this unique man. The stonework, like the man, Temple Dickson, speaks of poetry, of history, of diligence and of perseverance, of standing up for your beliefs, of courage and strength, of nature and of the peace and stability that a recovering alcoholic can attain.
Temple is survived by this wife, Kathy: daughter Allison Baker and husband Steve, and their children Temple, Treeman, Cole and Katherine of Austin; daughter Angie Dickson and her children Andrew and Taylor Madison of Colleyville; daughter Priscilla Primavera and husband Paul, and their children Chris, Joe and Mia of the Woodlands: and daughter Maria Parigi and husband Frank, and their children Isabel, Ana, Nick and Anthony of Lexington, Kentucky; and his uncles Charlie Heard of Midland, and Robert Murri of Salisbury, Connecticut, cousins Carl Andersen and wife Linda of Lubbock, Sydney Gay Heard of Midland, Joe Dickson of Seymour, Dickson Kehl of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sally Tenny of Rockwall and Judy Abbott of Dallas. Serving as pallbearers are Temple's son-in-laws and grandchildren. Serving as honorary pallbearers are Don Aiken, Ed Aiken, David Burrows, Paul Dent, Joe Dickson, David Hall, Lance Hall, Michael Hall, John Hart, Rex George, Margarito Gonzales, Ronnie Gurley, Manuel Luna, Weldon Kirk, Austin McCloud, Luther Martin, Joe Maddox, Kenny Maxwell, Aubrey Roberts, Mondel Rogers, Jim Rose, Ruff Ruffin, Ted Sellers, Pete Sheridan, Frank Stovall, Les Wootan and Greg Wortham, Charles Cupp, Joe Feagan, Alan Thompson and John Paul Cain.
The family wishes to thank those legions of friends and professionals who have touched our hearts in assisting Temple in his fight against lung disease, and extends specific gratitude to Janie Chmores, Dr. Luther Martin and Donna Boatright for their loyalty, patience and professionalism.
The celebration of Temple's life and times will be among the rocks by the spring at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 2, 2006 at the 69 Ranch, 12110 FM 608, Maryneal, Texas.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Temple Dickson Scholarship for Recovering Alcoholics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock Texas 79409-1160; Hendrick Hospice Care, 1682 Hickory, Abilene, Texas 79604; or the Nolan County-City Library, 206 Elm Street, Sweetwater Texas 79556.
From THE ABILENE REPORTER-NEWS
****************
By Ken Ellsworth and Jerry Reed
December 1, 2006
Former State Sen. Temple Dickson's life was not always easy, but it was productive, from his legislative work to his loving care of his Nolan County ranch and his career as a Sweetwater attorney.
Dickson, 72, died Wednesday at his ranch surrounded by family and friends, including his wife, Kathy Kerbow Dickson, his Sweetwater High School sweetheart with whom he shared a love of nature and the environment. He had suffered from cancer.
Dickson's first political contest was not successful. While he still was a University of Texas law student, Dickson ran for a Texas House seat, losing by a handful of votes to Max Carriker, former Sen. Steve Carriker's father.
Steve Carriker of Roby and Dickson eventually became friends and political allies. They served in the Senate in adjoining seats.
Dickson's friends and political contemporaries say Dickson was a dedicated politician and served his district with his clientele at heart. As a rookie senator in 1989, he was named to the executive committee of the Democratic caucus.
"I'm proud to have served with Temple Dickson," said contemporary Sen. Carlos Truan of Corpus Christi. "He served his district with distinction. He represented them as well as any other senator." Truan served in the Senate from 1976 to 2003 and served in the House the previous eight years. "To me, Temple Dickson will always stand out as one of the few of the best," Truan said. "I am proud to call him a friend."
It's fair to say that Dickson was liberal in political leanings for this part of the country and a Democrat, as were five preceding generations of Dicksons. He was respected in the Senate and House.
"Senator Dickson was an able and effective voice for West Texans and a compassionate, intelligent, independent fighter for our families," U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, said in a prepared statement.
According to a story told by Kathy Dickson, the late Gov. Ann Richards, whose language could be salty, once called the Dickson ranch. Dickson was at work at his Sweetwater law office, and so Kathy answered the phone.
Richards told Kathy she wanted Sen. Dickson's support on a political matter.
Kathy warned Richards that her husband could be stubborn, not afraid to step on a few feet, outspoken and less than diplomatic.
"Oh, I know all that. That's why I need him," Richards replied. "There are a lot of lily-livered legislative (expletive) out here, and Temple's not one of them."
Kathy said she considered it the best compliment her husband ever received. She said her husband had the ability to look over the core issues in politics and understand them, leading to a better life for his constituents.
Dickson and friend, Abilenian Jim Rose, were college roommates at the University of Texas and retained their friendship to the end of Dickson's life.
"I've always had great admiration for him. He did so much for West Texas," Rose said. "He had a lot to do with the development of Texas State Technical College in Sweetwater. Now, there are other campuses throughout the area."
Dickson also was admired for his courtroom trial skills.
"I'm sorry to hear about Temple," said Abilene attorney Frank Scarborough. "His father and my father were friends and professional adversaries for many years, and Temple and I were friends. Temple himself was a formidable opponent. He had a real homespun way about him. He could really talk to the people on juries who were the country people," he added.
Dickson loved the country life, himself. He built a meandering rock fence around his ranch grounds stone by stone, with the help of a few others. His stone fence work helped him beat his addiction to alcohol, he said.
After more than 15 years of work, his fences did not enclose anything but wandered wherever he wanted them to go. He enjoyed watching the wildlife that frequently visited near his ranch house.
He was a former smoker and had a bout with lung cancer in the 1980s, which he overcame. Dickson became an anti-tobacco activist, supporting legislators who were anti-tobacco.
Kathy Dickson said her husband, a lover of Shakespeare, was intent on giving his four daughters the firm conviction that they could be anything they wanted to be. He involved them in everything from the ranch to the political arena.
"Come on with me," he often said when his daughters were in Austin. "Let's go over and talk with Ann Richards." He encouraged them to live," she said.
Dickson seemed interested in nearly everything.
"I'm learning the land, smelling the flowers and identifying the flowers," he told the Reporter-News in 1996.
His wife enjoyed her husband's work and interests.
"Temple's got an artist's eye," she said a few years ago.
Survivors include his wife, Kathy; daughter Allison Baker and husband Steve; daughter Angie Dickson; daughter Priscilla Primavera and husband Paul; daughter Maria Parigi and husband Frank; and 13 grandchildren.
Services for Dickson will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday on his 69 Ranch, at 12110 FM 608 near Maryneal in Nolan County.
The family requests donations to the Temple Dickson Scholarship for Recovering Alcoholics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409; Hendrick Hospice Care, 1682 Hickory St., Abilene, TX 79604; or the Nolan County-City Library, 206 Elm St., Sweetwater, TX 79556.
From THE ABILENE REPORTER
******************
Temple Dickson
Son of Temple Dickson Sr., a state legislator from 1938 to 1941
Grandson of a district judge
Longtime friend of late former Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock
Defeated former Sweetwater Mayor Bill Matthews for a Texas House of Representatives seat in 1964 and retired from the Legislature in 1970
Fought a bitter and high-dollar campaign to oust incumbent state Sen. Grant Jones in 1988
Lost Senate race in the 1992 Democratic primary to Bill Simms
1953 Sweetwater High School graduate
He and his wife, Kathy, were the parents of four daughters.
Temple Dickson Center, a former juvenile detention center in Sweetwater, named after him.
****************
FORMER STATE SENATOR DICKSON DIES
November 30, 2006
Former state Sen. R. Temple Dickson III, a Nolan County rancher and lawyer, died Thursday, November 30, 2006.
A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the 69 Ranch, 12110 FM 608, Maryneal.
McCoy Funeral home is in charge of arrangements.
The family requests donations be made to the Temple Dickson Scholarship for Recovering Alcoholics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock Texas 79409-1160; Hendrick Hospice Care, 1682 Hickory, Abilene, Texas 79604; or the Nolan County-City Library, 206 Elm Street, Sweetwater Texas 79556. McCoy Funeral Home, 877-710-3946.
Survivors include his wife, Kathy: daughter Allison Baker and husband Steve, and their children Temple, Treeman, Cole ,and Katherine of Austin; daughter Angie Dickson and her children Andrew and Taylor Madison of Colleyville; daughter Priscilla Primavera and husband Paul, and their children Chris, Joe and Mia of the Woodlands: and daughter Maria Parigi and husband Frank, and their children Isabel, Ana, Nick and Anthony of Lexington, Kentucky; and his uncles Charlie Heard of Midland, and Robert Murri of Salisbury, Connecticut, cousins Carl Andersen and wife Linda of Lubbock, Sydney Gay Heard of Midland, Joe Dickson of Seymour, Dickson Kehl of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sally Tenny of Rockwall and Judy Abbott of Dallas.
Serving as pallbearers will be Temple's sons-in-laws and grandchildren.
Serving as honorary pallbearers will be Don Aiken, Ed Aiken, David Burrows, Paul Dent, Joe Dickson, David Hall, Lance Hall, Michael Hall, John Hart, Rex George, Margarito Gonzales, Ronnie Gurley, Manuel Luna, Weldon Kirk, Austin McCloud, Luther Martin, Joe Maddox, Kenny Maxwell, Aubrey Roberts, Mondel Rogers, Jim Rose, Ruff Ruffin, Ted Sellers, Pete Sheridan, Frank Stovall, Les Wootan and Greg Wortham.
*******************
THE HONORABLE R. TEMPLE DICKSON III
McCoy Funeral Home
Friday, December 01, 2006
Temple Dickson passed away on November 29, 2006 in the shadows of the ancient cottonwoods that circle the perpetual Sweetwater spring on the family ranch just north of Maryneal. Yet, like the thunder of the buffalo, his spirit lives on in the everlasting hard rock and omnipresent blowing wind of his beloved west Texas and through the impact he had on family, friends, business associates, critics and opponents.
Temple was born October 29, 1934 in Seymour, Texas to Robert Temple and Mary Isabel Dickson. He was a product of the Sweetwater Independent School district; where, while in Junior High, he met his soul mate, the beautiful Katherine Kerbow. Destined they were, and after Kathy survived the sinking of the Andrea Doria, they married in 1957 and raised four wonderful girls, their connection growing deeper and deeper.
As did five generations before him, Temple became a lawyer, a legislator and a Democrat: graduating from the University of Texas School of Law, serving in the House of Representatives, the Senate, and as president of the Sweetwater Independent School District. Temple was a staunch defender of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and a relentless advocate for underdogs everywhere.
As a representative Temple wrote and sponsored the Texas Tort Claims Act which for the first time held the government responsible for its negligent acts. This landmark 1969 legislation altered the inherited English concept that "the king could do no wrong." Temple loved his Shakespeare, but being of Scottish heritage and a direct descendant of Colonel Joe Dickson (a revolutionary war hero and early US congressman from North Carolina), Temple was no fan of kings or those who so pretended. Appalled that a barbershop refused to cut the hair of a minority veteran, Temple also filed what may have been the first civil rights bill in Texas. Dickson was instrumental in the creation and expansion of the Sweetwater campus of Texas State Technical Institute and considered it perhaps his most important local legislation. In the Senate, Temple proudly championed legislation promoting mental health funding, rural assistance, public education, substance abuse treatment, and tirelessly fought the big business lobby on behalf of consumers, workers, small business and the environment. Temple practiced law from 1960 until his death, practicing the last 3 decades from the restored Ragland building, a stone's throw from the Nolan County Courthouse. Dickson loved the law, the advocacy of his fellow man, and held sacrosanct the great American right to trial by a jury of ones peers, and the right of all to counsel. His partners included the late Johnny Moore, Lance Hall, Kenny Maxwell, Aubrey Roberts and Mike Ratliff and he partnered on many cases with the late Don Bowen, Steve Baker and many other fine lawyers.
Dickson walked the walk when it came to his belief in loyalty, hard work, courage and helping those in need. Many were saved by his actions in the courtroom and on the back porch. Temple was not afraid to make enemies, nor to take unpopular positions if he felt the cause right, and his word was truly his bond. His greatest satisfaction came from his children and grandchildren embracing these virtues. Temple had a wonderful sense of humor, and loved a good practical joke, which were often provided and received by long time ranch foreman Rex George. Dickson bestowed on his beloved pets names that said it all: Gato, Sister Girl, Bobby D, Yellow Bob, Buffalo Girl and Half Dead Bob. Temple had a passion for reading, and was fond of quoting Shakespeare often with a unique west Texas adaptation. He was an ardent student of history, politics and genealogy. Other significant interests were flying, the cattle business and a particular affinity for implementing the organic and holistic care of native plants and animals. He transformed the family West Texas ranch into one of beauty and productivity by working with nature instead of fighting it. His solace however came by building rock fences. By hand, and with the touch of a master mason, Temple built these massive meandering structures, keeping no creatures out or in. The fences are the essence of this unique man. The stonework, like the man, Temple Dickson, speaks of poetry, of history, of diligence and of perseverance, of standing up for your beliefs, of courage and strength, of nature and of the peace and stability that a recovering alcoholic can attain.
Temple is survived by this wife, Kathy: daughter Allison Baker and husband Steve, and their children Temple, Treeman, Cole and Katherine of Austin; daughter Angie Dickson and her children Andrew and Taylor Madison of Colleyville; daughter Priscilla Primavera and husband Paul, and their children Chris, Joe and Mia of the Woodlands: and daughter Maria Parigi and husband Frank, and their children Isabel, Ana, Nick and Anthony of Lexington, Kentucky; and his uncles Charlie Heard of Midland, and Robert Murri of Salisbury, Connecticut, cousins Carl Andersen and wife Linda of Lubbock, Sydney Gay Heard of Midland, Joe Dickson of Seymour, Dickson Kehl of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sally Tenny of Rockwall and Judy Abbott of Dallas. Serving as pallbearers are Temple's son-in-laws and grandchildren. Serving as honorary pallbearers are Don Aiken, Ed Aiken, David Burrows, Paul Dent, Joe Dickson, David Hall, Lance Hall, Michael Hall, John Hart, Rex George, Margarito Gonzales, Ronnie Gurley, Manuel Luna, Weldon Kirk, Austin McCloud, Luther Martin, Joe Maddox, Kenny Maxwell, Aubrey Roberts, Mondel Rogers, Jim Rose, Ruff Ruffin, Ted Sellers, Pete Sheridan, Frank Stovall, Les Wootan and Greg Wortham, Charles Cupp, Joe Feagan, Alan Thompson and John Paul Cain.
The family wishes to thank those legions of friends and professionals who have touched our hearts in assisting Temple in his fight against lung disease, and extends specific gratitude to Janie Chmores, Dr. Luther Martin and Donna Boatright for their loyalty, patience and professionalism.
The celebration of Temple's life and times will be among the rocks by the spring at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 2, 2006 at the 69 Ranch, 12110 FM 608, Maryneal, Texas.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Temple Dickson Scholarship for Recovering Alcoholics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock Texas 79409-1160; Hendrick Hospice Care, 1682 Hickory, Abilene, Texas 79604; or the Nolan County-City Library, 206 Elm Street, Sweetwater Texas 79556.
From THE ABILENE REPORTER-NEWS
****************
LATE SEN. DICKSON LEFT GREAT LEGACY, FRIENDS SAY
By Ken Ellsworth and Jerry Reed
December 1, 2006
Former State Sen. Temple Dickson's life was not always easy, but it was productive, from his legislative work to his loving care of his Nolan County ranch and his career as a Sweetwater attorney.
Dickson, 72, died Wednesday at his ranch surrounded by family and friends, including his wife, Kathy Kerbow Dickson, his Sweetwater High School sweetheart with whom he shared a love of nature and the environment. He had suffered from cancer.
Dickson's first political contest was not successful. While he still was a University of Texas law student, Dickson ran for a Texas House seat, losing by a handful of votes to Max Carriker, former Sen. Steve Carriker's father.
Steve Carriker of Roby and Dickson eventually became friends and political allies. They served in the Senate in adjoining seats.
Dickson's friends and political contemporaries say Dickson was a dedicated politician and served his district with his clientele at heart. As a rookie senator in 1989, he was named to the executive committee of the Democratic caucus.
"I'm proud to have served with Temple Dickson," said contemporary Sen. Carlos Truan of Corpus Christi. "He served his district with distinction. He represented them as well as any other senator." Truan served in the Senate from 1976 to 2003 and served in the House the previous eight years. "To me, Temple Dickson will always stand out as one of the few of the best," Truan said. "I am proud to call him a friend."
It's fair to say that Dickson was liberal in political leanings for this part of the country and a Democrat, as were five preceding generations of Dicksons. He was respected in the Senate and House.
"Senator Dickson was an able and effective voice for West Texans and a compassionate, intelligent, independent fighter for our families," U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, said in a prepared statement.
According to a story told by Kathy Dickson, the late Gov. Ann Richards, whose language could be salty, once called the Dickson ranch. Dickson was at work at his Sweetwater law office, and so Kathy answered the phone.
Richards told Kathy she wanted Sen. Dickson's support on a political matter.
Kathy warned Richards that her husband could be stubborn, not afraid to step on a few feet, outspoken and less than diplomatic.
"Oh, I know all that. That's why I need him," Richards replied. "There are a lot of lily-livered legislative (expletive) out here, and Temple's not one of them."
Kathy said she considered it the best compliment her husband ever received. She said her husband had the ability to look over the core issues in politics and understand them, leading to a better life for his constituents.
Dickson and friend, Abilenian Jim Rose, were college roommates at the University of Texas and retained their friendship to the end of Dickson's life.
"I've always had great admiration for him. He did so much for West Texas," Rose said. "He had a lot to do with the development of Texas State Technical College in Sweetwater. Now, there are other campuses throughout the area."
Dickson also was admired for his courtroom trial skills.
"I'm sorry to hear about Temple," said Abilene attorney Frank Scarborough. "His father and my father were friends and professional adversaries for many years, and Temple and I were friends. Temple himself was a formidable opponent. He had a real homespun way about him. He could really talk to the people on juries who were the country people," he added.
Dickson loved the country life, himself. He built a meandering rock fence around his ranch grounds stone by stone, with the help of a few others. His stone fence work helped him beat his addiction to alcohol, he said.
After more than 15 years of work, his fences did not enclose anything but wandered wherever he wanted them to go. He enjoyed watching the wildlife that frequently visited near his ranch house.
He was a former smoker and had a bout with lung cancer in the 1980s, which he overcame. Dickson became an anti-tobacco activist, supporting legislators who were anti-tobacco.
Kathy Dickson said her husband, a lover of Shakespeare, was intent on giving his four daughters the firm conviction that they could be anything they wanted to be. He involved them in everything from the ranch to the political arena.
"Come on with me," he often said when his daughters were in Austin. "Let's go over and talk with Ann Richards." He encouraged them to live," she said.
Dickson seemed interested in nearly everything.
"I'm learning the land, smelling the flowers and identifying the flowers," he told the Reporter-News in 1996.
His wife enjoyed her husband's work and interests.
"Temple's got an artist's eye," she said a few years ago.
Survivors include his wife, Kathy; daughter Allison Baker and husband Steve; daughter Angie Dickson; daughter Priscilla Primavera and husband Paul; daughter Maria Parigi and husband Frank; and 13 grandchildren.
Services for Dickson will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday on his 69 Ranch, at 12110 FM 608 near Maryneal in Nolan County.
The family requests donations to the Temple Dickson Scholarship for Recovering Alcoholics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409; Hendrick Hospice Care, 1682 Hickory St., Abilene, TX 79604; or the Nolan County-City Library, 206 Elm St., Sweetwater, TX 79556.
From THE ABILENE REPORTER
******************
Temple Dickson
Son of Temple Dickson Sr., a state legislator from 1938 to 1941
Grandson of a district judge
Longtime friend of late former Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock
Defeated former Sweetwater Mayor Bill Matthews for a Texas House of Representatives seat in 1964 and retired from the Legislature in 1970
Fought a bitter and high-dollar campaign to oust incumbent state Sen. Grant Jones in 1988
Lost Senate race in the 1992 Democratic primary to Bill Simms
1953 Sweetwater High School graduate
He and his wife, Kathy, were the parents of four daughters.
Temple Dickson Center, a former juvenile detention center in Sweetwater, named after him.
****************
FORMER STATE SENATOR DICKSON DIES
November 30, 2006
Former state Sen. R. Temple Dickson III, a Nolan County rancher and lawyer, died Thursday, November 30, 2006.
A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the 69 Ranch, 12110 FM 608, Maryneal.
McCoy Funeral home is in charge of arrangements.
The family requests donations be made to the Temple Dickson Scholarship for Recovering Alcoholics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock Texas 79409-1160; Hendrick Hospice Care, 1682 Hickory, Abilene, Texas 79604; or the Nolan County-City Library, 206 Elm Street, Sweetwater Texas 79556. McCoy Funeral Home, 877-710-3946.
Survivors include his wife, Kathy: daughter Allison Baker and husband Steve, and their children Temple, Treeman, Cole ,and Katherine of Austin; daughter Angie Dickson and her children Andrew and Taylor Madison of Colleyville; daughter Priscilla Primavera and husband Paul, and their children Chris, Joe and Mia of the Woodlands: and daughter Maria Parigi and husband Frank, and their children Isabel, Ana, Nick and Anthony of Lexington, Kentucky; and his uncles Charlie Heard of Midland, and Robert Murri of Salisbury, Connecticut, cousins Carl Andersen and wife Linda of Lubbock, Sydney Gay Heard of Midland, Joe Dickson of Seymour, Dickson Kehl of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sally Tenny of Rockwall and Judy Abbott of Dallas.
Serving as pallbearers will be Temple's sons-in-laws and grandchildren.
Serving as honorary pallbearers will be Don Aiken, Ed Aiken, David Burrows, Paul Dent, Joe Dickson, David Hall, Lance Hall, Michael Hall, John Hart, Rex George, Margarito Gonzales, Ronnie Gurley, Manuel Luna, Weldon Kirk, Austin McCloud, Luther Martin, Joe Maddox, Kenny Maxwell, Aubrey Roberts, Mondel Rogers, Jim Rose, Ruff Ruffin, Ted Sellers, Pete Sheridan, Frank Stovall, Les Wootan and Greg Wortham.
*******************
THE HONORABLE R. TEMPLE DICKSON III
McCoy Funeral Home
Friday, December 01, 2006
Temple Dickson passed away on November 29, 2006 in the shadows of the ancient cottonwoods that circle the perpetual Sweetwater spring on the family ranch just north of Maryneal. Yet, like the thunder of the buffalo, his spirit lives on in the everlasting hard rock and omnipresent blowing wind of his beloved west Texas and through the impact he had on family, friends, business associates, critics and opponents.
Temple was born October 29, 1934 in Seymour, Texas to Robert Temple and Mary Isabel Dickson. He was a product of the Sweetwater Independent School district; where, while in Junior High, he met his soul mate, the beautiful Katherine Kerbow. Destined they were, and after Kathy survived the sinking of the Andrea Doria, they married in 1957 and raised four wonderful girls, their connection growing deeper and deeper.
As did five generations before him, Temple became a lawyer, a legislator and a Democrat: graduating from the University of Texas School of Law, serving in the House of Representatives, the Senate, and as president of the Sweetwater Independent School District. Temple was a staunch defender of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and a relentless advocate for underdogs everywhere.
As a representative Temple wrote and sponsored the Texas Tort Claims Act which for the first time held the government responsible for its negligent acts. This landmark 1969 legislation altered the inherited English concept that "the king could do no wrong." Temple loved his Shakespeare, but being of Scottish heritage and a direct descendant of Colonel Joe Dickson (a revolutionary war hero and early US congressman from North Carolina), Temple was no fan of kings or those who so pretended. Appalled that a barbershop refused to cut the hair of a minority veteran, Temple also filed what may have been the first civil rights bill in Texas. Dickson was instrumental in the creation and expansion of the Sweetwater campus of Texas State Technical Institute and considered it perhaps his most important local legislation. In the Senate, Temple proudly championed legislation promoting mental health funding, rural assistance, public education, substance abuse treatment, and tirelessly fought the big business lobby on behalf of consumers, workers, small business and the environment. Temple practiced law from 1960 until his death, practicing the last 3 decades from the restored Ragland building, a stone's throw from the Nolan County Courthouse. Dickson loved the law, the advocacy of his fellow man, and held sacrosanct the great American right to trial by a jury of ones peers, and the right of all to counsel. His partners included the late Johnny Moore, Lance Hall, Kenny Maxwell, Aubrey Roberts and Mike Ratliff and he partnered on many cases with the late Don Bowen, Steve Baker and many other fine lawyers.
Dickson walked the walk when it came to his belief in loyalty, hard work, courage and helping those in need. Many were saved by his actions in the courtroom and on the back porch. Temple was not afraid to make enemies, nor to take unpopular positions if he felt the cause right, and his word was truly his bond. His greatest satisfaction came from his children and grandchildren embracing these virtues. Temple had a wonderful sense of humor, and loved a good practical joke, which were often provided and received by long time ranch foreman Rex George. Dickson bestowed on his beloved pets names that said it all: Gato, Sister Girl, Bobby D, Yellow Bob, Buffalo Girl and Half Dead Bob. Temple had a passion for reading, and was fond of quoting Shakespeare often with a unique west Texas adaptation. He was an ardent student of history, politics and genealogy. Other significant interests were flying, the cattle business and a particular affinity for implementing the organic and holistic care of native plants and animals. He transformed the family West Texas ranch into one of beauty and productivity by working with nature instead of fighting it. His solace however came by building rock fences. By hand, and with the touch of a master mason, Temple built these massive meandering structures, keeping no creatures out or in. The fences are the essence of this unique man. The stonework, like the man, Temple Dickson, speaks of poetry, of history, of diligence and of perseverance, of standing up for your beliefs, of courage and strength, of nature and of the peace and stability that a recovering alcoholic can attain.
Temple is survived by this wife, Kathy: daughter Allison Baker and husband Steve, and their children Temple, Treeman, Cole and Katherine of Austin; daughter Angie Dickson and her children Andrew and Taylor Madison of Colleyville; daughter Priscilla Primavera and husband Paul, and their children Chris, Joe and Mia of the Woodlands: and daughter Maria Parigi and husband Frank, and their children Isabel, Ana, Nick and Anthony of Lexington, Kentucky; and his uncles Charlie Heard of Midland, and Robert Murri of Salisbury, Connecticut, cousins Carl Andersen and wife Linda of Lubbock, Sydney Gay Heard of Midland, Joe Dickson of Seymour, Dickson Kehl of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sally Tenny of Rockwall and Judy Abbott of Dallas. Serving as pallbearers are Temple's son-in-laws and grandchildren. Serving as honorary pallbearers are Don Aiken, Ed Aiken, David Burrows, Paul Dent, Joe Dickson, David Hall, Lance Hall, Michael Hall, John Hart, Rex George, Margarito Gonzales, Ronnie Gurley, Manuel Luna, Weldon Kirk, Austin McCloud, Luther Martin, Joe Maddox, Kenny Maxwell, Aubrey Roberts, Mondel Rogers, Jim Rose, Ruff Ruffin, Ted Sellers, Pete Sheridan, Frank Stovall, Les Wootan and Greg Wortham, Charles Cupp, Joe Feagan, Alan Thompson and John Paul Cain.
The family wishes to thank those legions of friends and professionals who have touched our hearts in assisting Temple in his fight against lung disease, and extends specific gratitude to Janie Chmores, Dr. Luther Martin and Donna Boatright for their loyalty, patience and professionalism.
The celebration of Temple's life and times will be among the rocks by the spring at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 2, 2006 at the 69 Ranch, 12110 FM 608, Maryneal, Texas.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Temple Dickson Scholarship for Recovering Alcoholics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock Texas 79409-1160; Hendrick Hospice Care, 1682 Hickory, Abilene, Texas 79604; or the Nolan County-City Library, 206 Elm Street, Sweetwater Texas 79556.
From THE ABILENE REPORTER-NEWS
****************
By Ken Ellsworth and Jerry Reed
December 1, 2006
Former State Sen. Temple Dickson's life was not always easy, but it was productive, from his legislative work to his loving care of his Nolan County ranch and his career as a Sweetwater attorney.
Dickson, 72, died Wednesday at his ranch surrounded by family and friends, including his wife, Kathy Kerbow Dickson, his Sweetwater High School sweetheart with whom he shared a love of nature and the environment. He had suffered from cancer.
Dickson's first political contest was not successful. While he still was a University of Texas law student, Dickson ran for a Texas House seat, losing by a handful of votes to Max Carriker, former Sen. Steve Carriker's father.
Steve Carriker of Roby and Dickson eventually became friends and political allies. They served in the Senate in adjoining seats.
Dickson's friends and political contemporaries say Dickson was a dedicated politician and served his district with his clientele at heart. As a rookie senator in 1989, he was named to the executive committee of the Democratic caucus.
"I'm proud to have served with Temple Dickson," said contemporary Sen. Carlos Truan of Corpus Christi. "He served his district with distinction. He represented them as well as any other senator." Truan served in the Senate from 1976 to 2003 and served in the House the previous eight years. "To me, Temple Dickson will always stand out as one of the few of the best," Truan said. "I am proud to call him a friend."
It's fair to say that Dickson was liberal in political leanings for this part of the country and a Democrat, as were five preceding generations of Dicksons. He was respected in the Senate and House.
"Senator Dickson was an able and effective voice for West Texans and a compassionate, intelligent, independent fighter for our families," U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, said in a prepared statement.
According to a story told by Kathy Dickson, the late Gov. Ann Richards, whose language could be salty, once called the Dickson ranch. Dickson was at work at his Sweetwater law office, and so Kathy answered the phone.
Richards told Kathy she wanted Sen. Dickson's support on a political matter.
Kathy warned Richards that her husband could be stubborn, not afraid to step on a few feet, outspoken and less than diplomatic.
"Oh, I know all that. That's why I need him," Richards replied. "There are a lot of lily-livered legislative (expletive) out here, and Temple's not one of them."
Kathy said she considered it the best compliment her husband ever received. She said her husband had the ability to look over the core issues in politics and understand them, leading to a better life for his constituents.
Dickson and friend, Abilenian Jim Rose, were college roommates at the University of Texas and retained their friendship to the end of Dickson's life.
"I've always had great admiration for him. He did so much for West Texas," Rose said. "He had a lot to do with the development of Texas State Technical College in Sweetwater. Now, there are other campuses throughout the area."
Dickson also was admired for his courtroom trial skills.
"I'm sorry to hear about Temple," said Abilene attorney Frank Scarborough. "His father and my father were friends and professional adversaries for many years, and Temple and I were friends. Temple himself was a formidable opponent. He had a real homespun way about him. He could really talk to the people on juries who were the country people," he added.
Dickson loved the country life, himself. He built a meandering rock fence around his ranch grounds stone by stone, with the help of a few others. His stone fence work helped him beat his addiction to alcohol, he said.
After more than 15 years of work, his fences did not enclose anything but wandered wherever he wanted them to go. He enjoyed watching the wildlife that frequently visited near his ranch house.
He was a former smoker and had a bout with lung cancer in the 1980s, which he overcame. Dickson became an anti-tobacco activist, supporting legislators who were anti-tobacco.
Kathy Dickson said her husband, a lover of Shakespeare, was intent on giving his four daughters the firm conviction that they could be anything they wanted to be. He involved them in everything from the ranch to the political arena.
"Come on with me," he often said when his daughters were in Austin. "Let's go over and talk with Ann Richards." He encouraged them to live," she said.
Dickson seemed interested in nearly everything.
"I'm learning the land, smelling the flowers and identifying the flowers," he told the Reporter-News in 1996.
His wife enjoyed her husband's work and interests.
"Temple's got an artist's eye," she said a few years ago.
Survivors include his wife, Kathy; daughter Allison Baker and husband Steve; daughter Angie Dickson; daughter Priscilla Primavera and husband Paul; daughter Maria Parigi and husband Frank; and 13 grandchildren.
Services for Dickson will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday on his 69 Ranch, at 12110 FM 608 near Maryneal in Nolan County.
The family requests donations to the Temple Dickson Scholarship for Recovering Alcoholics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409; Hendrick Hospice Care, 1682 Hickory St., Abilene, TX 79604; or the Nolan County-City Library, 206 Elm St., Sweetwater, TX 79556.
From THE ABILENE REPORTER
******************
Temple Dickson
Son of Temple Dickson Sr., a state legislator from 1938 to 1941
Grandson of a district judge
Longtime friend of late former Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock
Defeated former Sweetwater Mayor Bill Matthews for a Texas House of Representatives seat in 1964 and retired from the Legislature in 1970
Fought a bitter and high-dollar campaign to oust incumbent state Sen. Grant Jones in 1988
Lost Senate race in the 1992 Democratic primary to Bill Simms
1953 Sweetwater High School graduate
He and his wife, Kathy, were the parents of four daughters.
Temple Dickson Center, a former juvenile detention center in Sweetwater, named after him.
****************
FORMER STATE SENATOR DICKSON DIES
November 30, 2006
Former state Sen. R. Temple Dickson III, a Nolan County rancher and lawyer, died Thursday, November 30, 2006.
A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the 69 Ranch, 12110 FM 608, Maryneal.
McCoy Funeral home is in charge of arrangements.
The family requests donations be made to the Temple Dickson Scholarship for Recovering Alcoholics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock Texas 79409-1160; Hendrick Hospice Care, 1682 Hickory, Abilene, Texas 79604; or the Nolan County-City Library, 206 Elm Street, Sweetwater Texas 79556. McCoy Funeral Home, 877-710-3946.
Survivors include his wife, Kathy: daughter Allison Baker and husband Steve, and their children Temple, Treeman, Cole ,and Katherine of Austin; daughter Angie Dickson and her children Andrew and Taylor Madison of Colleyville; daughter Priscilla Primavera and husband Paul, and their children Chris, Joe and Mia of the Woodlands: and daughter Maria Parigi and husband Frank, and their children Isabel, Ana, Nick and Anthony of Lexington, Kentucky; and his uncles Charlie Heard of Midland, and Robert Murri of Salisbury, Connecticut, cousins Carl Andersen and wife Linda of Lubbock, Sydney Gay Heard of Midland, Joe Dickson of Seymour, Dickson Kehl of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sally Tenny of Rockwall and Judy Abbott of Dallas.
Serving as pallbearers will be Temple's sons-in-laws and grandchildren.
Serving as honorary pallbearers will be Don Aiken, Ed Aiken, David Burrows, Paul Dent, Joe Dickson, David Hall, Lance Hall, Michael Hall, John Hart, Rex George, Margarito Gonzales, Ronnie Gurley, Manuel Luna, Weldon Kirk, Austin McCloud, Luther Martin, Joe Maddox, Kenny Maxwell, Aubrey Roberts, Mondel Rogers, Jim Rose, Ruff Ruffin, Ted Sellers, Pete Sheridan, Frank Stovall, Les Wootan and Greg Wortham.
*******************
THE HONORABLE R. TEMPLE DICKSON III
McCoy Funeral Home
Friday, December 01, 2006
Temple Dickson passed away on November 29, 2006 in the shadows of the ancient cottonwoods that circle the perpetual Sweetwater spring on the family ranch just north of Maryneal. Yet, like the thunder of the buffalo, his spirit lives on in the everlasting hard rock and omnipresent blowing wind of his beloved west Texas and through the impact he had on family, friends, business associates, critics and opponents.
Temple was born October 29, 1934 in Seymour, Texas to Robert Temple and Mary Isabel Dickson. He was a product of the Sweetwater Independent School district; where, while in Junior High, he met his soul mate, the beautiful Katherine Kerbow. Destined they were, and after Kathy survived the sinking of the Andrea Doria, they married in 1957 and raised four wonderful girls, their connection growing deeper and deeper.
As did five generations before him, Temple became a lawyer, a legislator and a Democrat: graduating from the University of Texas School of Law, serving in the House of Representatives, the Senate, and as president of the Sweetwater Independent School District. Temple was a staunch defender of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and a relentless advocate for underdogs everywhere.
As a representative Temple wrote and sponsored the Texas Tort Claims Act which for the first time held the government responsible for its negligent acts. This landmark 1969 legislation altered the inherited English concept that "the king could do no wrong." Temple loved his Shakespeare, but being of Scottish heritage and a direct descendant of Colonel Joe Dickson (a revolutionary war hero and early US congressman from North Carolina), Temple was no fan of kings or those who so pretended. Appalled that a barbershop refused to cut the hair of a minority veteran, Temple also filed what may have been the first civil rights bill in Texas. Dickson was instrumental in the creation and expansion of the Sweetwater campus of Texas State Technical Institute and considered it perhaps his most important local legislation. In the Senate, Temple proudly championed legislation promoting mental health funding, rural assistance, public education, substance abuse treatment, and tirelessly fought the big business lobby on behalf of consumers, workers, small business and the environment. Temple practiced law from 1960 until his death, practicing the last 3 decades from the restored Ragland building, a stone's throw from the Nolan County Courthouse. Dickson loved the law, the advocacy of his fellow man, and held sacrosanct the great American right to trial by a jury of ones peers, and the right of all to counsel. His partners included the late Johnny Moore, Lance Hall, Kenny Maxwell, Aubrey Roberts and Mike Ratliff and he partnered on many cases with the late Don Bowen, Steve Baker and many other fine lawyers.
Dickson walked the walk when it came to his belief in loyalty, hard work, courage and helping those in need. Many were saved by his actions in the courtroom and on the back porch. Temple was not afraid to make enemies, nor to take unpopular positions if he felt the cause right, and his word was truly his bond. His greatest satisfaction came from his children and grandchildren embracing these virtues. Temple had a wonderful sense of humor, and loved a good practical joke, which were often provided and received by long time ranch foreman Rex George. Dickson bestowed on his beloved pets names that said it all: Gato, Sister Girl, Bobby D, Yellow Bob, Buffalo Girl and Half Dead Bob. Temple had a passion for reading, and was fond of quoting Shakespeare often with a unique west Texas adaptation. He was an ardent student of history, politics and genealogy. Other significant interests were flying, the cattle business and a particular affinity for implementing the organic and holistic care of native plants and animals. He transformed the family West Texas ranch into one of beauty and productivity by working with nature instead of fighting it. His solace however came by building rock fences. By hand, and with the touch of a master mason, Temple built these massive meandering structures, keeping no creatures out or in. The fences are the essence of this unique man. The stonework, like the man, Temple Dickson, speaks of poetry, of history, of diligence and of perseverance, of standing up for your beliefs, of courage and strength, of nature and of the peace and stability that a recovering alcoholic can attain.
Temple is survived by this wife, Kathy: daughter Allison Baker and husband Steve, and their children Temple, Treeman, Cole and Katherine of Austin; daughter Angie Dickson and her children Andrew and Taylor Madison of Colleyville; daughter Priscilla Primavera and husband Paul, and their children Chris, Joe and Mia of the Woodlands: and daughter Maria Parigi and husband Frank, and their children Isabel, Ana, Nick and Anthony of Lexington, Kentucky; and his uncles Charlie Heard of Midland, and Robert Murri of Salisbury, Connecticut, cousins Carl Andersen and wife Linda of Lubbock, Sydney Gay Heard of Midland, Joe Dickson of Seymour, Dickson Kehl of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sally Tenny of Rockwall and Judy Abbott of Dallas. Serving as pallbearers are Temple's son-in-laws and grandchildren. Serving as honorary pallbearers are Don Aiken, Ed Aiken, David Burrows, Paul Dent, Joe Dickson, David Hall, Lance Hall, Michael Hall, John Hart, Rex George, Margarito Gonzales, Ronnie Gurley, Manuel Luna, Weldon Kirk, Austin McCloud, Luther Martin, Joe Maddox, Kenny Maxwell, Aubrey Roberts, Mondel Rogers, Jim Rose, Ruff Ruffin, Ted Sellers, Pete Sheridan, Frank Stovall, Les Wootan and Greg Wortham, Charles Cupp, Joe Feagan, Alan Thompson and John Paul Cain.
The family wishes to thank those legions of friends and professionals who have touched our hearts in assisting Temple in his fight against lung disease, and extends specific gratitude to Janie Chmores, Dr. Luther Martin and Donna Boatright for their loyalty, patience and professionalism.
The celebration of Temple's life and times will be among the rocks by the spring at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 2, 2006 at the 69 Ranch, 12110 FM 608, Maryneal, Texas.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Temple Dickson Scholarship for Recovering Alcoholics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock Texas 79409-1160; Hendrick Hospice Care, 1682 Hickory, Abilene, Texas 79604; or the Nolan County-City Library, 206 Elm Street, Sweetwater Texas 79556.
From THE ABILENE REPORTER-NEWS
****************
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