Dorothy Dickson (Photo: Red Deer and District Community Foundation)

By rdnewsNOW staff

eight decades of community leadership

Dorothy Dickson receives RDC Honorary Degree

Jun 5, 2020 | 10:37 AM

Leader. Environmentalist. Community builder. Volunteer.

Red Deer College has announced Dorothy Dickson as the recipient of the Honorary Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies for Convocation 2020.

Dickson has contributed to her communities in countless ways for more than eight decades.

At the age of 92 she continues to inspire others with the energy and enthusiasm she has for sharing knowledge, working with students and advocating passionately to preserve the natural world in which we all live.

As a youth living in England during the Second World War, Dickson learned to take on a great deal of responsibility and also to speak out and ask questions when she saw something that was not right. These qualities have served her well throughout her immense contributions as a physiotherapist, educator, volunteer, activist and environmental advocate.

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Dorothy, her husband and their two daughters moved to Canada in 1963, first living in Halifax before moving to Calgary in 1968. There she translated her lifelong love of nature into a commitment to environmental preservation that has resounding impacts to this day. Her many decades of contributions are diverse and impactful, from developing one of the first recycling programs in Canada in 1972 to volunteering countless hours to helping to plan National Parks in Canada.

As an active member of the Red Deer River Naturalists Society, she helped provide guidance and input into the development of the Waskasoo Park system in Red Deer. She remains active in the community, with her advising on the City of Red Deer’s planning document, Red Deer Vision 2020, demonstrating her expertise.

Through her work to protect the environment and develop effective policies, Dorothy has always presented well-informed research, blended with practical and effective solutions about environmental protection. As a skilled writer, communicator and community builder, she had formidable ability to put forth a position, defend it and bargain for a fair resolution. Throughout her many years of advocacy and continuing to this day, Dorothy remains whole-heartedly dedicated to creating positive change through education and environmental stewardship.

Her contributions have been recognized through many awards, including the Douglas H. Pimlott Award, Nature Canada’s most prestigious conservation award. It honours individuals who have demonstrated a significant contribution throughout their lifetime through words and deeds to the conservation of Canada’s biodiversity, landscapes and wilderness. Dorothy has also received the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Environment Award through Red Deer & District Community Foundation’s Women of Excellence, along with honorary lifetime memberships with the Canadian Nature Federation and the Federation of Alberta Naturalists. Dorothy’s professional colleagues and peers from across the country recognize her lifelong commitment and determination to work collectively to preserve our world.

Now living on RDC’s main campus at Bethany CollegeSide, she continues to educate community contributors, igniting in them a passion for lifelong learning and social engagement. She is enthusiastic to connect with RDC students whenever possible, sharing her wealth of knowledge and helping with their educational projects ranging from health care training to creative works. Students indicate her passion for life and naturalism is sincerely inspirational, modelling how to integrate community building, education and life-long learning into areas you care deeply about.

(With file from RDC media release)