William L. Dick

Colonel William L. (“Bill”) Dick, USMC, Retired, passed away on September 6, 2013 at the age of 94, surrounded by the love of his family and the gratitude of a nation. He was born in Lewiston Idaho, on July 27, 1919, to Leslie William and Leah McEachron Dick. A product of the Northwest, Bill spent most of his young life in Dayton, Washington, a town of 3,000, graduating from Dayton High School in 1937. He attended and graduated from the University of Washington in 1941, where he affiliated with the Psi Upsilon fraternity. His nascent career in advertising, that had begun with N.W. Ayer & Sons, Inc., in Philadelphia, was cut short by World War II, when he was offered a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, beginning a career that would last 26 years and during which he would rise to the rank of Colonel. During World War II, he saw combat with the Fourth Marine Division in the battles of Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima, initially as an infantry troop leader and later as a tactical air observer identifying Japanese troop locations and command facilities. During the war, Bill was introduced to a Marine junior, Jeanne Mitchell, who became the love of his life, and they were married at the MCRD Chapel in 1944 while he was on leave. Following a brief honeymoon to the Northwest, Bill resumed his duties in the Pacific until the conclusion of the war. Upon his return, he was assigned to the Marine Corps School, Quantico, Virginia, where he taught tactical air observation. Following a tour at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Bill was transferred to Honolulu, beginning a life-long love of Hawaii. He was then assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps and, while there, served on the Inaugural Committee of President Eisenhower. Following an assignment as an Assistant Professor of Naval Sciences at the University of Utah, Bill was stationed at Camp Pendleton and also attended the Armed Forces Staff College. A tour in Okinawa was followed by his assignment to be senior aide-de-camp to General David Shoup, Commandant of the Marine Corps, during which time Bill served on President Kennedy’s Inaugural Committee, as personal representative of the Commandant to the White House and as liaison with the United States Marine Band, beginning another life-long passion. In 1963 he returned to Honolulu, serving as CINCPAC representative in Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines and South Vietnam. After two years he was transferred to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego where he assumed command of the Recruit Training Regiment among other responsibilities. It was at this time that he followed in this father’s footsteps and joined Rotary as a member of the Point Loma club, a membership he would maintain the rest of his life. After a year of combat in Vietnam as Commanding Officer of the 4th Marine Regiment, Third Marine Division, Bill returned to MCRD for his final tour of duty. He retired from the Marine Corps in September 1968 and he and Jeanne settled into their home in Point Loma. Colonel Dick’s personal decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement on Iwo Jima, the Legion of Merit with Combat “V”, the Air Medal and gold stars in lieu of a second and third Air Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation with two stars, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. Following retirement from the Marine Corps, Bill began a second career with the Port of San Diego as its first Director of Community and Government Affairs, responsible for relations between the Port and other governmental agencies on the federal, state and local levels. One of his favorite duties was coordinating an annual visit of Port Commissioners to Washington, D.C. to advocate for San Diego’s maritime and aviation potential and opportunities. He was also actively involved in the American Association of Port Authorities and the Airport Operators Conference International. During this time, Bill became a member of the San Diego Rotary Club, where he was a Paul Harris Fellow and served as its President in 1985. He also served as a National Director of the Navy League, President of the Propeller Club of San Diego, Chairman of the San Diego Zoo’s Development Committee, President of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Chairman of the Combined Health Agencies Drive (CHAD). He also served on the San Diego Citizens Police Review Board and the board of the USO and St. Paul’s Manor and enjoyed the camaraderie of his fellow members of the Rest & Aspiration Society. On Friday mornings for 15 years, he read the Union-Tribune aloud for the blind on KPBS. Bill retired from the Port in October 1986 after 18 years. After two years as a consultant to several local businesses, Bill and Jeanne began a third career travelling the world, often accompanied by some of their many friends, and enjoying their family which eventually grew to include nine grandchildren. Bill was an avid golfer and enjoyed all forms of exercise, becoming a regular morning fixture at the pool of the San Diego Yacht Club where he was a member for many years. Colonel Dick is survived by his wife of 68 years, the former Jeanne Mitchell, son and daughter-in law, William M. and MaryAnn Dick of Leavenworth, Washington, and his three children Darby, Kevin and Caroline, son and daughter-in-law, James M. and Sharon Dick of San Diego, and their two children, James II (Jay) and Laura, and son and daughter-in-law David L. Dick and MaryAlice Godfrey of San Diego, and their four children Alexander, Madeleine, Rosalind and MaryCharlotte. He is also survived by former daughter-in-law Karen Casey and was preceded in death by his younger sister Dorothy Eshelman of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends and all those whose lives he touched, whether during active duty in the Marine Corps, as a Port of San Diego executive, as a community leader or, most importantly to him, as a parent and grandparent. Services for Colonel Dick will be held on Monday, October 21, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. at All Soul's Episcopal Church, 1475 Catalina Blvd., San Diego, CA 92107 (www.all-souls.com), followed by Military Honors and Inurnment at 11:30 a.m. at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, CA. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Colonel Dick’s memory to the Wounded Warrior Project.