David L. Dickson
David Lewis Dickson, 71, Buena Park, Calif., eldest son of Lewis and Marjorie Dickson, Oregon, died Friday, July 25, 2014 after a prolonged battle with Pick’s disease.
He was born in Washington D.C. on Aug. 31, 1942.
In 1946 the family relocated to Mt. Morris and later to Oregon.
David attended St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, where he was confirmed and active in Sunday School, choir, youth activities.
He attended grammar school, junior high, and high school in Oregon.
He was involved in Math and Science Clubs, sports, plays, was president of his senior class and Student Council.
He was a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship and an award recipient.
He received scholarships from the Rockford Register Star and Rotary Club also.
He graduated from OCHS in 1960 as valedictorian of his class.
He received offers of full scholarships many colleges, including Harvard, Columbia, University of Illinois in Champaign, and Cal Tech in Pasadena, Calif. He chose Cal Tech as he was focused on the sciences and it was one of the top schools in the country in the sciences.
He found he did not want to be locked in a lab all day; he liked interaction with people and he took a sabbatical.
When he returned to education, he attended UCLA, majoring in humanities with specialty in Spanish language and literature. He graduated summa cum laude.
He was then offered a three year full time fellowship from USC to work toward his Masters and PhD degrees. He completed those,again with high honors.
He became a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
David began his professional career as a professor at Whittier College where he taught Spanish language to future bilingual education teachers.
At California State University, Fullerton, he managed a Title VII Federal Grant program dedicated to preparing bilingual teachers for California and other states where there was a need for bilingual teachers.
He recruited promising minority students and provided support and training as they earned their college degrees and teaching credentials.
He was a charter member of the California Association for Bilingual Education known as CABE. He drafted their by laws.
He successfully organized and conducted the first few state-wide CABE conventions for teachers.
David was offered a position as a full-time professor of Spanish at Biola University, a private Christian university.
He employed creative techniques where the students not only learned a foreign language, but the experience served to open their door to the Spanish speaking world.
He still receives letters from former, grateful students.
He retired as chair of the Language Department of Biola when diagnosed with his disease.
David was a strong Christian and modeled his Christian values for all to see. He lived his life well and will be missed.
David was a beloved husband to his wife, Rosalilia; daughter, Heidi; special son-in-law, TJ; granddaughter, Marissa; brothers, Daniel and Kenneth; and sister, MaryAnn Dickson-Egler.
Memorials may be made to Biola University, Language Dept. David Dickson Memorial Fund, 13800 Biola Ave.,La Mirada, CA 90639 or to MaryAnn Dickson-Egler, 2604 Woodmar Road, Apt. 1, Rockford, IL 61114 to be sent to Biola.