Brian Dickerson

Profile Updated: October 12, 2020
Brian Dickerson
Year of Graduation: 1966
Residing In: Lexington Park, MD USA
Spouse/Partner Name: Marilyn (a fine Texas girl from Austin)
Homepage: brian-dickerson.blogspot.com/
www.TexasEx.org
Occupation: Almost retired for the third time; still fiddling as a technical advisor to some young folks
Children: Daughter, Christy. Little ballerina with more backbone than most NFL linemen could muster. (She gets More…it from her mom.) Inner-city school teacher by choice. A bit of a world traveler, too.
Military Service: USN (Retired)  
Yes! Attending Reunion
Comments:

Tried retirement a couple of times. It didn't take on either occasion. Still inclined to enjoy working plus it includes travel to interesting places, an extraordinary blessing for which we're so thankful. Marilyn goes along sometimes.

MHS principal during your High School years, or your favorite teacher:

Mr. Roark, (Nancy's dad). Good fellow; tough, as I remember.

School Memories:

Loved Marshall. We moved to Austin for my Jr/Sr years, but I managed to come back for an event or two. I remember being there at a yearbook signing party for our class in Marshall even though I'd graduated in Austin. Fond memories.

My Life After Graduation:

Been working with DoD/DoN for almost 45 years. All good, some enjoyable, most recently in Africa (chance of a lifetime). Marilyn made the trip to Sao Tome & Principe with me last April. Mind-bending stuff. Djibouti and Kenya again this year, looks like. Pretty nice and not-so-nice. Recent stuff is on the website.

We lived in Spain for 5 years as newlyweds back in the early '70's; highly recommended. Cuba and Japan, wandered the Pacific, and now east and west Africa sites. Still prefer Texas; I guess it's something you don't lose just 'cause you left. I haven't lived in TX for 40 years, but when folks in Africa ask me where I'm from, I still say Texas. Saves embarrassment.

Brian's Latest Interactions

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Brian Dickerson added a photo to profile gallery.
Nov 02, 2018 at 5:40 PM
In one of the nicer African neighborhoods, kids pile in the back of my truck in preparation for a trip down to the beach. Their parents are now old friends of ours, and the occasional visit is much like family.
Brian Dickerson added a photo to profile gallery.
Nov 02, 2018 at 5:37 PM
At the end of the spring semester, she's passed final exams with flying colors. Now officially a fifth grader, our first scholar is doing well academically and her family is on sound footing with a way forward.

If you poke her like this, her neck disappears and she squeals. Lots of kids have that problem, I've noticed.
Brian Dickerson added a photo to profile gallery.
Mar 07, 2017 at 4:38 AM
Summer 2011. Visiting another of our families, they proudly escort me through the fields they tend. Corn, beans, unidentifiable weird African vegetables, and okra! The scattered yellow flowers are the tops of 6' tall okra plants.
They've made great progress this last year and are justifiably proud of their efforts. Two of the four kids are in school and doing quite well; the oldest boy just finished the 7th grade and is studying intro English.
Brian Dickerson added a photo to profile gallery.
Mar 07, 2017 at 4:32 AM
Outside the Djibouti capital, all the trees are shaped like this, probably because of the camels. They're not friendly. Here for work, mostly.
Brian Dickerson added a photo to profile gallery.
Mar 07, 2017 at 4:23 AM
Naptime. Now the centerpiece of our lives, our granddaughter has pretty much swept us up in her life. More fun than work and another reason to retire. Marilyn will in May, and I'm doing about half time on a casual schedule now.
Brian Dickerson added a photo to profile gallery.
Mar 07, 2017 at 4:08 AM
One of the teens who 'kidnapped' me a few years ago; they're all grown up and with families of their own now. Nice folks. The beach is one of many such beautiful places in the western African country of Sao Tome & Principe. I'd never heard of it before I was sent there for work.
Sep 09, 2015 at 10:12 AM

Hi, pal. Your name came up in conversation just last week with some teens. We were sharing our homemade boat/raft adventures, and laughing a lot. I recounted our pond and raft disaster for them. I still have a vague visual of you being the last guy on the sinking raft. Our general consensus was that ponds are better than bathtubs.
Hope you're doing well.

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Posted: Mar 07, 2017 at 4:25 AM
Naptime. Now the centerpiece of our lives, our granddaughter has pretty much swept us up in her life. More fun than work and another reason to retire. Marilyn will in May, and I'm doing about half time on a casual schedule now.
Posted: Mar 07, 2017 at 4:39 AM
One of the teens who 'kidnapped' me a few years ago; they're all grown up and with families of their own now. Nice folks. The beach is one of many such beautiful places in the western African country of Sao Tome & Principe. I'd never heard of it before I was sent there for work.
Posted: Feb 08, 2011 at 6:47 AM
Three years living in Japan on a Navy assignment. The kid loved it, as did we. Great people, sweet friends, beautiful country.
Posted: Dec 17, 2013 at 12:12 AM
With friends in Kenya in April '11. Nice folks; tough world. The little fellow lost his dad in the same accident that crippled his mom. She's a sweet Christian lady.
Posted: Mar 07, 2017 at 4:35 AM
Outside the Djibouti capital, all the trees are shaped like this, probably because of the camels. They're not friendly. Here for work, mostly.
Posted: Nov 02, 2018 at 5:37 PM
At the end of the spring semester, she's passed final exams with flying colors. Now officially a fifth grader, our first scholar is doing well academically and her family is on sound footing with a way forward.

If you poke her like this, her neck disappears and she squeals. Lots of kids have that problem, I've noticed.
Posted: Nov 02, 2018 at 5:40 PM
In one of the nicer African neighborhoods, kids pile in the back of my truck in preparation for a trip down to the beach. Their parents are now old friends of ours, and the occasional visit is much like family.
Posted: Nov 02, 2018 at 5:40 PM
Summer 2011. Visiting another of our families, they proudly escort me through the fields they tend. Corn, beans, unidentifiable weird African vegetables, and okra! The scattered yellow flowers are the tops of 6' tall okra plants.
They've made great progress this last year and are justifiably proud of their efforts. Two of the four kids are in school and doing quite well; the oldest boy just finished the 7th grade and is studying intro English.
Posted: Dec 17, 2013 at 12:12 AM
After dinner, kids play, adults sit around and talk. My cameras run off with teenagers. You can see one fellow in the background with a camera. Another is in front of me taking this picture. I have hundreds of shots the kids took, mostly of themselves trying to look cool. I'll print this batch and deliver them perhaps next year.
Posted: Dec 17, 2013 at 12:12 AM
OCT '11 in Ethiopia; kids on the street take turns with my camera. They dragged me around the neighborhood, introduced me to their parents, their grandparents, their dog, and showed me the trees. "This is a big tree. That one over there is big too." Nice folks.

These kids have shelter, food and clothing; more fortunate than most in the country. All live in incomprehensible simplicity. Food and water occupy most of their efforts. Keeping kids in school is pretty far down the priority list.