On His Own Terms

My father passed away suddenly this morning at home in San Francisco. He had been declining for the last year.  We were getting ready to move him closer to our home in Willow Glen but he did not want to go. Wade Dickinson died as he had lived, on his own terms and where he wanted to be. We have been putting together his obituary. Here is what we have so far:

Ben Wade Oakes Dickinson was born 29 October 1926 in Hickory Township (Sharon), Pennsylvania, to Ben Wade Orr Dickinson, Junior, and Gladys Grace Oakes Dickinson. Wade’s one sibling, Robert Wayne, was born eight years later. Wade and Wayne were creative inventing partners for fifty years, starting between seven and twenty-five companies together (depending on how you count) and being granted more than forty patents for a broad variety of technical inventions. Of his 39, Wade’s most recent patent was granted in 2011 (US Patent 7,914,749).

Wade attended Carnegie Institute of Technology, then United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, starting at the end of World War II and graduating in 1949. He studied as a nuclear physicist at the Oak Ridge School of Reactor Technology, worked on the United States Air Force Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion Program, and was a researcher at RAND Corporation, in Santa Monica, California. Wade was honorably discharged from the US Air Force with the rank of Captain. He joined Bechtel Corporation, during which time he was Technical Advisor on Atomic Energy to the US Congress. Wade and Wayne went into business in San Francisco, founding W.W. Dickinson Corporation, Agrophysics, Petrolphysics, and other businesses, applying their knowledge of physics and engineering to solve problems as varied as cardiology, cattle reproduction, and directional oil drilling.

Wade and Wayne and a team of other lecturers taught “Venture Design: The Start Up Company” (Engineering-110) for 19 years at the University of California at Berkeley. Wade was a Mason (West Point, New York, Lodge) for over 60 years. He was a founder and honorary Board member of the California Medical Clinic for Psychotherapy. Wade was a member of the parish of Saint Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church for over 50 years. At St.Mary’s, he served in several church leadership roles (Vestry, Treasurer) and was a dedicated crucifer and chalice bearer. Wade helped the parish to start community outreach ministries to support the hungry and homeless.

Wade married artist Eleanor Evelyn Vaughan Creekmore in 1952 with whom he had three children: Mark, Katy, and Peter. His grandchildren are: Jessica (and her husband Matthew) and Paul, Corey and Forrest, Lynda and Daniel. Wade died at the age of 85 on 16 November 2011 at his home in San Francisco, California.

Wade’s funeral will be held at Saint Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church in San Francisco, at 3 pm on Sunday, 4 December 2011, reception to follow at the church. If you plan to attend the funeral, please arrive early to allow extra time for parking.

Memorial donations are requested instead of flowers, to: Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin Community Outreach: 2325 Union St., San Francisco, CA 94123. Phone: 415-921-3665 (checks made out to: “St.Mary’s Community Outreach” and include “Donation in Memory of Wade Dickinson” on the memo line), or to the charity of your choice.

Goodbye Grandpa – we love you!

Wade Dickinson’s US Patents (1965-2011)

7,914,749  Clathrate hydrate modular storage, applications and utilization processes
6,206,112  Multiple lateral hydraulic drilling apparatus and method
6,142,246  Multiple lateral hydraulic drilling apparatus and method
5,035,285  Gravel packing system for a production radial tube
4,991,667  Hydraulic drilling apparatus and method
4,974,672  Gravel packing system for a production radial tube
4,872,509  Oil well production system using a hollow tube liner
4,865,128  Gravel packing system for a production radial tube
4,852,668  Hydraulic drilling apparatus and method
4,790,394  Hydraulic drilling apparatus and method
4,787,465  Hydraulic drilling apparatus and method
4,763,734  Earth drilling method and apparatus using multiple hydraulic forces
4,750,561  Gravel packing system for a production radial tube
4,715,128  Curvature probe and method
4,693,327  Mechanically actuated whipstock assembly
4,560,934  Method of transporting a payload in a borehole
4,527,639  Hydraulic piston-effect method and apparatus for forming a bore hole
4,524,324  Downhole instrument including a flexible probe which can travel freely around bends in a borehole
4,501,337  Apparatus for forming and using a bore hole
4,497,381  Earth drilling apparatus and method
4,431,069  Method and apparatus for forming and using a bore hole
4,091,807  Intra-vaginal device and method of use
3,938,504  Method for measuring vagina dimensions
3,854,476  INTRA-VAGINAL DEVICE AND METHOD
3,811,443  METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION
3,811,424  ARTIFICIAL METHOD FOR MODIFYING THE REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE IN ANIMALS
3,811,423  DEVICE FOR INSERTION INTO THE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT AND METHOD OF USING SAME
3,546,927  ULTRASONIC TESTING APPARATUS
3,460,492  METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING SEEDS COATED WITH A MAGNETIC MATERIAL
3,407,650  Ultrasonic apparatus for detecting flaws
3,407,649  Method and apparatus for generating a high power ultrasonic burst pulse signal
3,407,122  Solar still with a cassegranian optical system
3,299,696  Apparatus for generating, directing and receiving ultrasonic wave trains
3,299,695  Ultrasonic testing apparatus
3,299,694  Method and apparatus for detecting flaws using ultrasonic helical waves
3,282,087  Apparatus for generating ultrasonic waves
3,250,120  Method and apparatus for determining flaw locations
3,186,216  Method and apparatus for generating and receiving ultrasonic helical waves
One more from the 1950s... Still looking

Photo Images Copyright 2011 by Katy Dickinson
Wade Dickinson original portrait Copyright 2008 Eleanor Dickinson