VWC Newsletter - August 1998
Ernie Dickerman1910-1998
Ernie Dickerman, the inspiration and guiding force behind the Virginia Wilderness Committee for three decades, died on his nephew's mountainside farm at Buffalo Gap during the night of July 31/August 1. Following are reflections on Ernie's life from current and past leaders of the VWC.
…Jim Murray, President
Most of you will have heard, by now, of the death of our old friend Ernie Dickerman. One cannot feel sad for him. His life had a shape and meaning that few of us will achieve, and he left it on his own terms. The sadness we feel is for ourselves. It is rather like losing one's guide or one's compass. In all one's dealings in environmental matters the simple question was: What would be Ernie's direction in this case? We can never again ask the question in person, but it will still be the yardstick for measuring our conduct.
Ernie's legacy is all around you. Think of St. Mary's River, Ramsey's Draft, the Rich Hole, James River Face, the Tazewell Beartown, Mountain Lake, Peter's Mountain etc., etc. Think of the cross-mountain highway in the Smokies - not built. Think of the gas wells in Laurel Fork - not bored. Think of the Oceana powerline - not crossing Mt. Lake. Think of Route 58 - not crossing the NRA. And think of the work to be done in Ernie's honor: wilderness designation for Laurel Fork and a dozen others, protection for the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge. As Ernie got up every morning his first thought was "What can I do to further the cause of wilderness protection today?" Can we match up to the challenge?
For this preliminary notice, a few of us have simply spoken our first thoughts. We want to do more in the way of celebrating Ernie's life. We are proposing to collect and publish a festschrift of tributes from his friends. If you would like to contribute a piece I invite you to send it to me or to Lynn Cameron in the next month or six weeks. We will put them together for you all.
Meanwhile we are planning to gather for a memorial walk in Ernie's favorite place in Virginia - Laurel Fork. Please join us:
Ernie Dickerman Memorial Gathering
Laurel Fork - Locust Spring Campground
10:00 am - 4 October 1998
Bring lunch and be prepared for a walk in the woods.
…Bess Murray, Vice President
Sad news travels fast, so by Monday August 3, most of us had heard that Ernie Dickerman had died the previous Friday night. The news left a huge hole in so many places. We all reacted in our own ways. Some of us just became very quiet, some of us talked to each other at length on the telephone, some started writing rapidly about all that Ernie had meant to the conservation community. I started thinking, perhaps selfishly, of all that Ernie had meant to my own family. My husband Jim said, as usual briefly but poignantly: "We will miss him".
I was only dimly aware of Jim's association with Ernie in 1969 - at the formation of the VWC and 5 years after the passage of the Wilderness Act. I was immersed in domesticities of a young family. I remember slightly resenting Jim's frequent absences "doing something about Wilderness with Ernie". I may even have said that Jim seemed to fall in with anything Ernie suggested, and Jim may well have said yes. What Ernie suggested usually needed doing, and was right, reasonable, timely and wise. A few years later, when the children and I went on wilderness hikes with them, I remember saying "Why didn't you TELL me all this was out here?", and Jim saying "We have been---for years". Disjointed vignettes in no particular order come to mind as I think about the relationship Ernie, childless and a lifelong bachelor, had with our children.
In 1979 we led a group of reporters and photographers up the St Marys River to generate favorable publicity for Wilderness designation. Our second son was by far the youngest person on the trip and nobody waited to see if he needed help on the stream crossings---except Ernie---which was the beginning of THEIR friendship. When our first son was old enough to be turned loose in Washington DC for an afternoon, and we asked him where he'd been, he muttered "slipped a note under Congressman Olin's door about Wilderness", and glowed when we said "Ernie'll like that". And from our daughter: "Ernie is so clearly one of the few people in the world my father really likes and respects".
The whole family was pleased when he came, he was such a WHOLE person. He may have come to "talk Wilderness with Father", most probably DID, but he joined in and talked to everyone about what was on their minds. Once it was some unbelievably amateurish theatricals, and Ernie cheerfully held up one end of the blanket/curtain and flatteringly christened the outfit "The Banks of the Rivanna Theatre" which delighted the children.
His brown bag lunches on wilderness hikes were always frugal and modest, in keeping with the rest of his lifestyle, yet he enjoyed food and wine and loved to sit down to an ample home-cooked meal, and always ate like a teenager. At the Annual VWC meeting at our house this June, I was secretly pleased when he confessed he'd forgotten his lunch, because I loved feeding him and he was so appreciative.
Yes, a whole person who wrote beautifully and read widely, and not just about wilderness. The same daughter has just finished a Ph.D in French Civilization, and on one of Ernie's recent visits, he asked her, with his usual interest, about her studies. "I couldn't believe how well-read he is in MY subject" she said "Most people just go blank when I start talking about it".
There's absolutely no secret about what we can do for Ernie now. Our current Wilderness Areas are his legacies, and his memorial must be the future ones. Ernie wouldn't want us to mourn him, but in this family, we all must a bit. As Jim says: "We'll miss him".
…Ed Clark, former President
Thoughts on my hero, my mentor, and my true friend, Ernie Dickerman:
From time to time, in the course of one's life, you encounter rare individuals whose influence on your future cannot be foreseen, nor overstated. In my life, such a person was Ernie Dickerman.
In the summer of 1977, my friend Bob Belton asked if I was interested in helping with a little audio-visual project with which another of his friends was struggling. An avid photographer, I was happy to oblige. We set a time to meet and I thought no more about it. When the day came, Bob introduced me to a remarkable little man named Ernie Dickerman. His project was to produce a slide presentation on Virginia's wilderness areas. At the time, I had no way of knowing how significant that project was to be.
Ernie asked me to share "just a few hours of my time" for an important conservation initiative. The moment I agreed, the course of my life radically changed. It has been almost exactly twenty-one years since I offered up those few hours of my time, and I am still working on that important conservation initiative. I had been chosen by Ernie Dickerman to be a soldier in the war to save the last of the Earth's wild places and wild things.
I learned so much from Ernie that I cannot begin to explain. However, he taught five critical lessons that propel me forward toward my third decade of professional conservation activism. 1) Never believe that a single person cannot change the world. Indeed, Ernie changed the world. 2) Always take your cause and your work seriously, but never take yourself too seriously. Ernie loved to laugh and most importantly, he could laugh at himself. 3) Conservation is an endurance event. What we win today we must defend again tomorrow, because what we lose is gone forever. 4) The force of reason and persuasion will prevail over the influence of greed and hollow rhetoric. Ernie could tell someone to go to hell with such eloquence that he would look forward to the trip. And, Ernie was always a perfect gentleman. 5) Ernie showed me that through a life lovingly dedicated to the defense of the natural world and the majesty of wilderness, one could achieve true immortality and greatness. This was the greatest lesson of all.
It requires a mighty stride to walk in the footsteps of Ernie Dickerman. I doubt that my mark on the world will ever match that of my hero, Ernie. Nevertheless, having been chosen by Ernie to join the ranks of the true believers, I get up every day and do what I can. Conservation, the way Ernie did it, is not simply a job-it is a journey. I thank God for the privilege of having known and loved Ernie for twenty-one years. I thank Ernie for having shown me the path on which my life's journey will be traveled. I will miss him, terribly, but I know that he is still here in all that is wild and untamed.
(Ed is currently the President of the Wildlife Center of Virginia and is Vice Chairman of the Board of the National Wildlife Federation. He also sits on the board of several other national conservation organizations.)
…Lynn Cameron, Secretary, former President
I met Ernie late in his life, but while he was still very much in his prime. The thing that drew us to each other was wilderness, of course. He quickly became my teacher and later my friend.
I have many wonderful stories about Ernie, but my favorite happened in 1989 when the Forest Service held a public meeting on Wilderness at Briery Branch. There were about 200 angry bearhunters packed into the community center and only seven wilderness advocates. Ernie spoke for wilderness - his usual speech for opponents about how you can hunt, fish, and in other ways enjoy national forest wilderness. Although Ernie was quite eloquent and persuasive, the bearhunters began to boo and heckle Ernie, making statements like "Get that old man off the stage". Ernie continued bravely and with conviction, not seeming to hear the rude jeers. At the end of the meeting, I felt discouraged, but when we met for a few minutes to discuss what had happened, Ernie simply said that he thought the meeting was successful in that we made our points on the benefits of wilderness and gave those guys something to think about. When I noted that that we didn't get the desired response, Ernie simply laughed and shrugged it off. This was my first big lesson on perseverance. It was also a lesson on treating the opposition with respect. No matter how badly the other side behaved, Ernie kept his dignity. Consequently, forest service officials and loggers alike respected Ernie. Maybe even a few bearhunters did, too.
Ernie always said, "We will keep fighting for wilderness until we draw our last breath", and he did. In May he went to a Mentoring Conference in Arizona where effective senior conservationists shared their wisdom with the younger generation. Accounts were that Ernie was the star of the show. In June he attended the VWC annual meeting at the Murrays' and the Valley Conservation Council fundraiser at Buffalo Herb Farm. Ernie was in full form at the fundraiser. He had on coat and tie, looking particularly dapper. He charmed the ladies, drank wine, indulged in plate after plate of cookies, and appeared to be having a great time. Late in June, he gave a talk on wilderness and how to be an effective grassroots activist at a local church meeting.
Ernie said, "'Quit while you're ahead' is sound philosophy both in poker and in life", and he did, but his huge legacy of protected wildlands and inspired activists lives on!
Officers:
PRESIDENT Jim Murray 1601 Bentivar Farm Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22901 (804) 973-6693
VICE PRES Elizabeth Murray 1601 Bentivar Farm Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22901 (804) 973-6693
TREASURER Julie Simpson P.O. 11 E Monmouth, Winchester, VA 22601 (540) 662-7043
SECRETARY Lynn Cameron Rt. 1, Box 319, Mt. Crawford, VA 22841 (540) 234-6273.
Ernie Dickerman, the inspiration and guiding force behind the Virginia Wilderness Committee for three decades, died on his nephew's mountainside farm at Buffalo Gap during the night of July 31/August 1. Following are reflections on Ernie's life from current and past leaders of the VWC.
…Jim Murray, President
Most of you will have heard, by now, of the death of our old friend Ernie Dickerman. One cannot feel sad for him. His life had a shape and meaning that few of us will achieve, and he left it on his own terms. The sadness we feel is for ourselves. It is rather like losing one's guide or one's compass. In all one's dealings in environmental matters the simple question was: What would be Ernie's direction in this case? We can never again ask the question in person, but it will still be the yardstick for measuring our conduct.
Ernie's legacy is all around you. Think of St. Mary's River, Ramsey's Draft, the Rich Hole, James River Face, the Tazewell Beartown, Mountain Lake, Peter's Mountain etc., etc. Think of the cross-mountain highway in the Smokies - not built. Think of the gas wells in Laurel Fork - not bored. Think of the Oceana powerline - not crossing Mt. Lake. Think of Route 58 - not crossing the NRA. And think of the work to be done in Ernie's honor: wilderness designation for Laurel Fork and a dozen others, protection for the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge. As Ernie got up every morning his first thought was "What can I do to further the cause of wilderness protection today?" Can we match up to the challenge?
For this preliminary notice, a few of us have simply spoken our first thoughts. We want to do more in the way of celebrating Ernie's life. We are proposing to collect and publish a festschrift of tributes from his friends. If you would like to contribute a piece I invite you to send it to me or to Lynn Cameron in the next month or six weeks. We will put them together for you all.
Meanwhile we are planning to gather for a memorial walk in Ernie's favorite place in Virginia - Laurel Fork. Please join us:
Ernie Dickerman Memorial Gathering
Laurel Fork - Locust Spring Campground
10:00 am - 4 October 1998
Bring lunch and be prepared for a walk in the woods.
…Bess Murray, Vice President
Sad news travels fast, so by Monday August 3, most of us had heard that Ernie Dickerman had died the previous Friday night. The news left a huge hole in so many places. We all reacted in our own ways. Some of us just became very quiet, some of us talked to each other at length on the telephone, some started writing rapidly about all that Ernie had meant to the conservation community. I started thinking, perhaps selfishly, of all that Ernie had meant to my own family. My husband Jim said, as usual briefly but poignantly: "We will miss him".
I was only dimly aware of Jim's association with Ernie in 1969 - at the formation of the VWC and 5 years after the passage of the Wilderness Act. I was immersed in domesticities of a young family. I remember slightly resenting Jim's frequent absences "doing something about Wilderness with Ernie". I may even have said that Jim seemed to fall in with anything Ernie suggested, and Jim may well have said yes. What Ernie suggested usually needed doing, and was right, reasonable, timely and wise. A few years later, when the children and I went on wilderness hikes with them, I remember saying "Why didn't you TELL me all this was out here?", and Jim saying "We have been---for years". Disjointed vignettes in no particular order come to mind as I think about the relationship Ernie, childless and a lifelong bachelor, had with our children.
In 1979 we led a group of reporters and photographers up the St Marys River to generate favorable publicity for Wilderness designation. Our second son was by far the youngest person on the trip and nobody waited to see if he needed help on the stream crossings---except Ernie---which was the beginning of THEIR friendship. When our first son was old enough to be turned loose in Washington DC for an afternoon, and we asked him where he'd been, he muttered "slipped a note under Congressman Olin's door about Wilderness", and glowed when we said "Ernie'll like that". And from our daughter: "Ernie is so clearly one of the few people in the world my father really likes and respects".
The whole family was pleased when he came, he was such a WHOLE person. He may have come to "talk Wilderness with Father", most probably DID, but he joined in and talked to everyone about what was on their minds. Once it was some unbelievably amateurish theatricals, and Ernie cheerfully held up one end of the blanket/curtain and flatteringly christened the outfit "The Banks of the Rivanna Theatre" which delighted the children.
His brown bag lunches on wilderness hikes were always frugal and modest, in keeping with the rest of his lifestyle, yet he enjoyed food and wine and loved to sit down to an ample home-cooked meal, and always ate like a teenager. At the Annual VWC meeting at our house this June, I was secretly pleased when he confessed he'd forgotten his lunch, because I loved feeding him and he was so appreciative.
Yes, a whole person who wrote beautifully and read widely, and not just about wilderness. The same daughter has just finished a Ph.D in French Civilization, and on one of Ernie's recent visits, he asked her, with his usual interest, about her studies. "I couldn't believe how well-read he is in MY subject" she said "Most people just go blank when I start talking about it".
There's absolutely no secret about what we can do for Ernie now. Our current Wilderness Areas are his legacies, and his memorial must be the future ones. Ernie wouldn't want us to mourn him, but in this family, we all must a bit. As Jim says: "We'll miss him".
…Ed Clark, former President
Thoughts on my hero, my mentor, and my true friend, Ernie Dickerman:
From time to time, in the course of one's life, you encounter rare individuals whose influence on your future cannot be foreseen, nor overstated. In my life, such a person was Ernie Dickerman.
In the summer of 1977, my friend Bob Belton asked if I was interested in helping with a little audio-visual project with which another of his friends was struggling. An avid photographer, I was happy to oblige. We set a time to meet and I thought no more about it. When the day came, Bob introduced me to a remarkable little man named Ernie Dickerman. His project was to produce a slide presentation on Virginia's wilderness areas. At the time, I had no way of knowing how significant that project was to be.
Ernie asked me to share "just a few hours of my time" for an important conservation initiative. The moment I agreed, the course of my life radically changed. It has been almost exactly twenty-one years since I offered up those few hours of my time, and I am still working on that important conservation initiative. I had been chosen by Ernie Dickerman to be a soldier in the war to save the last of the Earth's wild places and wild things.
I learned so much from Ernie that I cannot begin to explain. However, he taught five critical lessons that propel me forward toward my third decade of professional conservation activism. 1) Never believe that a single person cannot change the world. Indeed, Ernie changed the world. 2) Always take your cause and your work seriously, but never take yourself too seriously. Ernie loved to laugh and most importantly, he could laugh at himself. 3) Conservation is an endurance event. What we win today we must defend again tomorrow, because what we lose is gone forever. 4) The force of reason and persuasion will prevail over the influence of greed and hollow rhetoric. Ernie could tell someone to go to hell with such eloquence that he would look forward to the trip. And, Ernie was always a perfect gentleman. 5) Ernie showed me that through a life lovingly dedicated to the defense of the natural world and the majesty of wilderness, one could achieve true immortality and greatness. This was the greatest lesson of all.
It requires a mighty stride to walk in the footsteps of Ernie Dickerman. I doubt that my mark on the world will ever match that of my hero, Ernie. Nevertheless, having been chosen by Ernie to join the ranks of the true believers, I get up every day and do what I can. Conservation, the way Ernie did it, is not simply a job-it is a journey. I thank God for the privilege of having known and loved Ernie for twenty-one years. I thank Ernie for having shown me the path on which my life's journey will be traveled. I will miss him, terribly, but I know that he is still here in all that is wild and untamed.
(Ed is currently the President of the Wildlife Center of Virginia and is Vice Chairman of the Board of the National Wildlife Federation. He also sits on the board of several other national conservation organizations.)
…Lynn Cameron, Secretary, former President
I met Ernie late in his life, but while he was still very much in his prime. The thing that drew us to each other was wilderness, of course. He quickly became my teacher and later my friend.
I have many wonderful stories about Ernie, but my favorite happened in 1989 when the Forest Service held a public meeting on Wilderness at Briery Branch. There were about 200 angry bearhunters packed into the community center and only seven wilderness advocates. Ernie spoke for wilderness - his usual speech for opponents about how you can hunt, fish, and in other ways enjoy national forest wilderness. Although Ernie was quite eloquent and persuasive, the bearhunters began to boo and heckle Ernie, making statements like "Get that old man off the stage". Ernie continued bravely and with conviction, not seeming to hear the rude jeers. At the end of the meeting, I felt discouraged, but when we met for a few minutes to discuss what had happened, Ernie simply said that he thought the meeting was successful in that we made our points on the benefits of wilderness and gave those guys something to think about. When I noted that that we didn't get the desired response, Ernie simply laughed and shrugged it off. This was my first big lesson on perseverance. It was also a lesson on treating the opposition with respect. No matter how badly the other side behaved, Ernie kept his dignity. Consequently, forest service officials and loggers alike respected Ernie. Maybe even a few bearhunters did, too.
Ernie always said, "We will keep fighting for wilderness until we draw our last breath", and he did. In May he went to a Mentoring Conference in Arizona where effective senior conservationists shared their wisdom with the younger generation. Accounts were that Ernie was the star of the show. In June he attended the VWC annual meeting at the Murrays' and the Valley Conservation Council fundraiser at Buffalo Herb Farm. Ernie was in full form at the fundraiser. He had on coat and tie, looking particularly dapper. He charmed the ladies, drank wine, indulged in plate after plate of cookies, and appeared to be having a great time. Late in June, he gave a talk on wilderness and how to be an effective grassroots activist at a local church meeting.
Ernie said, "'Quit while you're ahead' is sound philosophy both in poker and in life", and he did, but his huge legacy of protected wildlands and inspired activists lives on!
Officers:
PRESIDENT Jim Murray 1601 Bentivar Farm Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22901 (804) 973-6693
VICE PRES Elizabeth Murray 1601 Bentivar Farm Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22901 (804) 973-6693
TREASURER Julie Simpson P.O. 11 E Monmouth, Winchester, VA 22601 (540) 662-7043
SECRETARY Lynn Cameron Rt. 1, Box 319, Mt. Crawford, VA 22841 (540) 234-6273.