Page 55 - Alumni Horae: Vol. 94, No. 1 Fall 2013

55
2007
Donovan Sean “Donny”
Dickson
beloved son of
Douglas and
Laurie (McLaugh-
lin) Dickson,
younger brother
of Mackswell ’04
and Bowman ’05,
and friend to
too many to
count, died on
October 4, 2013, in New York City. He
was 24 years old.
Born on March 9, 1989, Donny was a
sweet and beautiful boy with a bright out-
look and a contagious positive manner,
who had grown into a wonderful adult,
loved and admired by his students and
colleagues at the Peddie School in Hights-
town, N.J., where he taught math and
coached boys cross country, track, and
wrestling. He injected happiness and
spirit into every occasion or encounter
in which he was involved, whether as
emcee of a variety show (something he
had done many times), singing karaoke
with friends, or just sharing his infectious
smile with a stranger he passed on the
street. He loved to laugh and make others
laugh, and was always the first one to
don a cape, face paint, or a costume to
celebrate any occasion, introducing his
special brand of humor and life into the
most elaborate or mundane events. But
he was also a serious student and teacher,
admired for his intellect and his patience
with those he taught.
Donny grew up on the campus of
St. Paul’s School, where his father,
Doug, was a longtime faculty member.
He attended Concord public schools
until high school, when he enrolled at
St. Paul’s, graduating summa cum laude
with the Form of 2007, with distinction
in fine arts, languages, mathematics, and
sciences. He was elected to the Cum Laude
Society as a Sixth Former.
At St. Paul’s he was an All-New England
runner and an accomplished wrestler,
who captained the SPS cross country and
wrestling teams. He served as a prefect in
Armour House and volunteered with the
Friends Program to mentor a local child.
He brought house spirit to his dormmates
in many ways, including participation in
the Fiske Cup house play competition. At
his graduation, he received the Benjamin
Rush Toland Award, recognizing intellec-
tual achievement, athletic ability, and a
gallant spirit.
Donny embodied the St. Paul’s School
Prayer, which urges kindness, unselfish-
ness in friendship, thoughtfulness, and
an “eagerness to bear the burdens of
others.” He was kind and accepting of
everyone he met, something that was
not lost on those who knew him.
Though his family moved to Austin,
Texas, in 2008, Donny remained in New
England to attend Middlebury College,
where he majored in math and German,
co-captained the cross country team,
earned league honors in cross country
and track, and served as a peer tutor in
calculus and writing. He was chosen by
his peers as the commencement speaker
for Middlebury’s Class of 2011. He went
to work at Peddie upon his graduation,
following in the footsteps of his family
of teachers.
He continued running as an adult and
had recently qualified for the 2014 Boston
Marathon.
Donny loved St. Paul’s and considered
it his home. For the last three summers,
he returned to Concord, first as an intern
and then for two years as an assistant
director of the Advanced Studies Pro-
gram, where he distinguished himself as
a kind and caring mentor and a respected
authority figure, who also shared his
humor and enthusiasm with his students.
A memorial service to celebrate Donny’s
life was held in the Chapel of St. Peter and
St. Paul on October 11 and was attended
by close to 1,000 mourners.
He leaves his parents, Doug and Laurie;
his brothers, Mackswell ’04 and Bowman
’05; his paternal grandmother, Pauline
Dickson; his maternal grandmother, Mary
McLaughlin; many aunts, uncles, and
cousins; his dogs, Moose and Penny; and
enough friends to fill a stadium. He was
predeceased by his grandfathers, Donald
J. Dickson and Francis J. McLaughlin.
Donations may be made in Donny’s
memory to a scholarship fund in his name
at St. Paul’s School.