Dickinson	NEWSLETTER
Family Association
VOLUME V, NUMBER 3	November, 2008

A message from the President

As I write this, New England is enjoying a spectacular show of fall foliage which helps take our minds off some less pleasant situations in the financial world. This letter also gives me an opportunity to reflect on the wonderful gathering of cousins which was our 2008 reunion in Amherst this past June.

On Friday June 20 several of us were treated to a fascinating tour of Wildwood Cemetery given by Jonathan Tucker. There we saw the graves of Austin Dickinson (Emily’s brother), his wife and their children. The cemetery was carefully designed in diverse sections by Austin himself in the late 19^th century, beautifully set in a natural wooded area. That evening about 32 of us filled the “Windowed Hearth Room” at the Lord Jeffery Inn for a most enjoyable social hour and dinner.

Saturday morning thirty members took a special tour of the Emily Dickinson Museum and I heard only raves about it. We are so thankful to the museum staff and tour guides for making this possible. This fall is the 5^th anniversary of the addition of the Evergreens to the Homestead to create the Emily Dickinson Museum as it now exists. I remember our 2003 reunion (my first), held on the grounds of the Homestead, when some of us got a “sneak preview” of the Evergreens before it was officially opened to the public. Anyone who hasn’t seen it should take the tour sometime – it is truly a gem!

The rest of the activities took place at Amherst College, in the beautiful facility known as Lewis-Sebring Commons. We had a large area for registration and exhibits, the latter largely put together by Andrew Dickinson with contributions from Bob Magovern and others. Adrienne Weible was on hand, giving and receiving genealogical information. Morning refreshments were enjoyed in an adjoining area with large windows looking out on the main quadrangle of the college.

At noon the doors to the dining room were opened and we enjoyed a delicious buffet lunch of chicken with the traditional succotash and strawberry shortcake. We awarded prizes to Carolyn Wacker for coming the farthest (from Oregon), Susan Foley representing the largest family group, Sarah Hannaway,6, the youngest (my granddaughter), and Elsie Hayden, the oldest. Our family photographer, Shari Kaples took a group picture outside in the blazing sun, then we returned inside for the annual meeting

Our speaker for the day was Polly Longsworth and it was indeed a pleasure to have her with us on this occasion as we celebrated the 125^th anniversary of the great reunion of 1883. Her excellent and very appropriate talk, “Grounds of Memory”, was published in the fall newsletter of the Emily Dickinson Museum. With Polly’s permission and with the help of Jane Wald and Donna Abelli at the museum, we were able to post a reprint of that speech on our website where you can find it on the “Scrapbook” page. The group photo is there as well.

The weather was perfect that day, the turnout (88) was the best in several years and many new friendships were made. My deepest thanks go to the DFA board and all who worked hard to make the celebration so successful. Let’s hope we can repeat that success with our 2009 reunion in Wethersfield, CT.

Alan C. Dickinson, president

EARLY NEWS OF 2009 REUNION

At the reunion this past June it was stated that we hope to hold the 2009 reunion in Connecticut and we can now confirm the location. Our next reunion will be at the First Church of Christ in Wethersfield, CT on Saturday, June 27, 2009. Although in years past Connecticut was a frequent location, our last Connecticut reunion was 25 years ago. One reason Connecticut is appropriate is that the first recorded reunion occurred in Glastonbury, just across the river from Wethersfield, in 1859. On that basis we can say the Dickinson Family Association will be 150 years old next summer.

The 1984 reunion was held at the same church and it is a wonderful venue. They have great facilities for registration and exhibits, as well as the lunch, meeting and children’s activities. The building is handicapped accessible with plenty of nearby parking. Furthermore, the church is in the center of Old Wethersfield, which is a charming piece of “living history.” This was the first place of residence of Nathaniel Dickinson, and many historic buildings remain, some of which are open for public tours.

We will revise our accommodations list so that it applies to the Wethersfield/Hartford area, and we’re sure there are many possibilities in that area for those who will be staying overnight. There are also many places of interest to visit for those of you who haven’t explored that area before. So plan now to attend next year, and watch the website and future newsletters for more news as it develops.

EXECUTIVE BOARD CHANGES

Most of the positions on the DFA board remained as they were last year. One notable exception is that after over a year of searching, we have a new secretary, Karen Sims of Waterford, CT. She is a relatively new member of the association who responded to our appeal for help on the January survey card sent out last winter. Karen has been performing the secretary’s role since the April 2008 board meeting, even before she was officially elected as secretary in June. We are delighted to welcome Karen to the board.

Another change on the board is in the scholarship committee. Jean Blackmer, a committee member for several years, has become chair and we are happy to welcome her to that position. Carrie Salzer, the longest-serving member of the committee, became chair in 2007 but had to relinquish the position due to the demands of her other commitments. We thank Carrie for the work she has done and for agreeing to continue to serve on the committee.

In the spring of this year we issued a request for someone to act as photographer for the association. That request was answered by Shari Kaples of New York state. Shari had previously sent us some pictures of the 2006 reunion. This year she took the group picture and several other reunion pictures. We appreciate her willingness to help us in this way.

NEW COMMITTEE FORMED

At the annual meeting in June a new initiative was announced. We propose to start work toward a new publication which will describe the contributions of Dickinsons in various fields of endeavor. This publication may take various forms and it may include other things such as a history of the DFA reunions. A committee of three was formed which has since taken the name: Committee on Research and Publications. We are soliciting offers from any of our members to research and write a chapter or two which might be included in a publication. If you are interested, or if you have questions, contact any of the committee members: Betsy Keithcart (ekeithcart@pacific.edu); Andrew Dickinson (thehobhole@yahoo.com); or John Haydon (beltane46@yahoo.com). We are excited about the possibilities that could emerge from this endeavor, but we need your help, so let us know if you are willing to write something. More details on this project will be forthcoming.

2008 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER

Once again this year the DFA is fortunate to have some outstanding students entering college. Although the high quality of all applicants was evident, this year one candidate emerged as particularly deserving of the scholarship. It was Hanna Wagner of Sudbury, MA. She is a graduate of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School where she excelled in math and science, and also played field hockey and ice hockey. She has been active in church and community projects, remembers attending DFA reunions as a child, and even contributed to our cookbook. Hanna is attending Connecticut College in New London, CT. She and her family were attendees at the reunion last June so we had the added pleasure of meeting her there and wishing her well. Best of luck to you, Hanna!

Web site: www.dickinsonfamilyassociation.org

Newsletter editor: Dale Williams