H. Dickison Obituary

June 28, 2003 Dr. H. Leo Dickison, age 90, of Jacksonville, FL, formerly of Cazenovia, NY, died June 28, 2003 at Saint Catherine Laboure' Manor, Jacksonville, FL. He was preceded in death by his wife, Billie, his parents, Harry and Nancy Dickison, a sister, Marjorie Jones and a brother, Charles Dickison. He is survived by sons, H. Wayne Dickison and wife, Janet of Shadyside, OH and John Dickison and wife, Jane of Milton, MA; granddaughters, Sara Taylor of Hingham, MA, Carrie Dickison of Milton, MA, and Nancy Dickison of Portland, OR; grandson, Matthew Dickison of South Boston, MA, and great-granddaughter, Emily Taylor of Hingham, MA. Dr. Dickison is also survived by brothers, Carl Dickison and wife, Grace of Myrtle Beach, SC, Virgil Dickison and wife, Nell of Ashland, KY and Jack Dickison and wife, Yvonne, also of Ashland. An outstanding student and athlete during high school, he was the center/linebacker on the Ashland High School state champion teams of 1929-30. He continued both academic and athletic careers at Vanderbilt University, both as a starting guard for the 1931-34 Commodore football teams and as a Phi Beta Kappa student in organic chemistry. He received his BS in 1935, an MS in organic chemistry in 1936 and a PhD in pharmacology in 1939, all from Vanderbilt. From 1939 to 1947, Dr. Dickison was an Associate Professor of Pharmacology at the Vanderbilt Medical School. During the war, he was instrumental in the developing techniques that greatly increased the availability of life saving drugs such as sulfas and penicillin. He joined Bristol Laboratories, Syracuse, NY in 1947 as assistant director of research, leading a team that developed several antibiotics in the fight against resistant pathogens. Dr. Dickison was also a key player in the introduction of synthetic penicillin, a major breakthrough in antibiotic therapy. he finished his career with Bristol by starting the Veterinary Products Division. Dr. Dickison took the division from a single employee to a leader in the veterinary antibiotics market prior to his retirement in 1976. Dr. Dickison was the published author of numerous professional articles. He was a member of the American Chemical Society and the American Pharmacology Society, served as an adjunct professor of pharmacology at the Update Medical Center in Syracuse and was listed in Who's Who in American Science. While residing in Cazenovia, and previously in Fayetteville, NY, Dr. Dickison was active in various civic activities including the Boy Scouts and Little League Baseball. He was instrumental in establishing a scholarship fund at Vanderbilt to be used by student athletes interested in health science careers. An avid small boat sailor, he was a past Commodore of the Willowbank Yacht Club in Cazenovia and was also a member of the Onondaga Country Club in Fayetteville, the Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville and the Ponte Vedra Club in Ponte Vedra, FL. Following his wishes, Dr. Dickison will be cremated and a memorial service will be held at a later date in Ashland, KY. Contributions in his name may be made to the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN. Arrangements by HARDAGE-GIDDENS Funeral Home, 729 S. Egewood Avenue, Jacksonville, Florida.