Helen Oates Dickson
1941 - 2008
Helen Oates Dickson was born in September, 1941, the oldest child of John Wesley Dickson and Helen O. Dickson of Marion, South Carolina. She became the sole guardian for her two brothers and one sister after their parents’ death in 1970. All were in higher education by that time and have done well in their fields of study. Although she was raised and practiced in the Methodist Church, Helen’s deep spiritual quest led to her conversion to Catholicism.
Throughout her life, Helen used her God-given gifts well in the service of the community. An educator for over 32 years, she served in many aspects of the vocation, serving Greenville County Schools as a high school teacher and the head of the Social Studies Department. As the first Drug Education Coordinator for the county, she developed drug education prevention training programs and helped to develop a training program for teachers regarding pharmacology and drug abuse prevention. Helen also established connections with local law enforcement and community agencies. She then served as the Curriculum Consultant for K-12 in her school district and was appointed to the Commission on Education by South Carolina Governor Dick Riley.
Among her many other accomplishments, Helen wrote the initial grants for her School District in South Carolina that brought nationally known consultants to her district to bring about an easier transition to desegregation. She introduced distance courses at the secondary and college level. She also received two Fulbright Fellowships: one to Japan and the other to India, where she met Mother Theresa and spent time in ministry in Calcutta.
As significant as these accomplishments are Helen can also be a witness for all of us through her spiritual journey. She stated in her autobiography written in 1982, “My life is one of growth and unfolding. The Lord is doing exciting things with me and I am most grateful. I am awed at His Grace and (am) at peace being in the palm of His hand.”
In 2007, Helen celebrated her 25th jubilee year as an Adrian Dominican Associate. She has exemplified in those 25 years what it is to be Dominican. The fruits of this spiritual life of service became apparent when twice she collaborated with Adrian Dominican Sisters in Ohio and Michigan to supply excess educational materials to her poor, rural southern school district. In a letter written in 1992, Sister Patricia Walter, OP told Helen, “We were all delighted that, through you, we are present to the poor in South Carolina and that we are associated with you in life and ministry. We are also thrilled that the wonderful possibilities which inhere in our size and diversity were realized in such a creative way.”
The last year of Helen’s life had been physically challenging, but she strove always to get well. She was finally able to return home after many long months in the hospital and in nursing facilities. Shortly after her return home, God called her to her permanent home. May she rest in the palm of His hand.