VOLUME IX, NUMBER 2
| A message from the Presidentabout the 2012 Reunion on June 22 & 23 Hello Cousins: Our Annual Reunion this year falls on June 23, 2012 and will be held at the First Congregational Church in Westfield, Massachusetts. Cousin, Dr. Betsy Keithcart, will give a PowerPoint presentation entitled, “The Dickinsons and Music Education” with Betsy’s and Clarence Dickinson’s musical settings of Emily Dickinson poems. Betsy, Alan Dickinson and Andrew Dickinson, Jr. will play harp, pipe organ, piano and bagpipes in the morning music program. Everyone is welcome to attend our Association Dinner the evening before the Reunion. On June 22, 2012, we gather at the newly renovated Lord Jeffrey Inn in Amherst for the open meeting, social hour and dinner. Andrew Dickinson, president |
| 142th ANNUAL REUNION SCHEDULE FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 2012 5 PM Board Meeting, Lord Jeffrey Inn, Amherst, MA 6 PM Social Hour, Lord Jeffrey Inn 7 PM Dinner, Lord Jeffrey Inn SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 2012 9:30-11:00 Arrivals greeted by bagpipes at the First Congregational Church, Westfield, MA 11:00 AM Morning Music Program 12 noon Group Photo/Lunch/Counting of the Cousins 1:15 PM Annual Meeting of the Dickinson Family Association 2:00 PM Main Speaker: Betsy Keithcart 3:30 PM Singing of “God Bless America” Please return your reservation card as soon as possible.Driving directions will appear in the June newsletter. |
| PIPER TO THE DICKINSON FAMILY ASSOCIATIONSomething New At our last Board Meeting we created a new position within the DFA, that of “Piper to the Dickinson Family Association”. In the tradition of the Scottish Clans of old we have our own ceremonial bagpiper. Andrew Dickinson’s son, Andrew Dickinson, Jr., age 12, has been competing and playing since he was 8 and has won several awards and scholarships. Drew will “pipe you in” as you arrive at the Reunion and he will join Alan Dickinson in a duet of “Highland Cathedral” during the Morning Music Program. |
| NORTHFIELD DICKINSONS The 2012 DFA brochure, which very few of you will probably see, has a picture on its cover of a Memorial to Nathaniel4 Dickinson in Northfield, MA. This monument came to our attention recently when one of our members sent us a photo of the 1872 dedication program which he had found among his memorabilia. The website of the Dickinson Library in Northfield provided the picture. The monument stands at the intersection of routes 10 and 63 in Northfield. This Nathaniel Dickinson was born in 1698 in Hatfield, MA, and was the great grandson of our patriarch. He was “killed and scalped by the Indians” in Northfield on April 15, 1747. Ironically, earlier in the year in which he was born, his oldest brother, also named Nathaniel, was killed by Indians in Hatfield while he was hoeing corn with his father and brother, both of whom survived the attack. The Northfield Library is named after Elijah Marsh7 Dickinson, great grandson of Nathaniel4. Elijah was born in Northfield and was the founder of the E. M. Dickinson Shoe Company of Fitchburg, MA. He donated the money for the current library building of 1898. Read more on the library website: www.northfieldpubliclibrary.org/library-history.Alan Dickinson, DFA Historian |
| 2012 DFA SCHOLARSHIP ALERT – LAST CALL One of the most important functions of the Dickinson Family Association is the awarding of our annual scholarship. The deadline for applications for this year’s DFA scholarship is April 30. Anyone interested in applying should print out the form from our website and submit it with all other required material to the scholarship chair, Jean Blackmer, 61 Sever St., Worcester, MA 01609. If you don’t have access to the internet, contact Jean and she will send you the form. |
| ADDRESS & E-MAIL ALERT Frequently postal and e-mail addresses change and it is easy to forget to update them. So if you change your any of your addresses we would greatly appreciate your sending the new one(s) to our membership clerk, Beth Landolina, at bethl0719@sbcglobal.net |