Abraham ""Abe Carl Dick

Abraham “Abe” Carl Dick, 88, of Scottsbluff, passed away Sunday, May 23, 2010, at the Golden Living Center in Scottsbluff with family present. Funeral services will be held 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 26, 2010, at First Untied Methodist Church in Scottsbluff with Pastor Nancy Tomlinson officiating. Interment will be in Sunset Memorial Park at Scottsbluff with military honors provided by Nebraska Army National Guard. Friends may visit from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m., Tuesday and from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, at Dugan-Kramer Funeral Chapel in Scottsbluff. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Senior Center or the Guided Education Diploma (GED) program at Western Nebraska Community College. Abraham was born February 7, 1922, at the family sod home in York County, Nebraska to Cornelius and Helena (Braun) Dick. Abe was the youngest of four children. Abe’s family were Mennonites. His grandparents were German/Russian and immigrated from Russia which is now southeastern Ukraine. At the age of six, Abe began first grade at a rural school in Hamilton County, Nebraska, speaking only Low German. Abe had to repeat second grade because he had limited English speaking and reading skills. This was an embarrassment for Abe all of his life and had a great impact on him. It made him very aware of others with the same language barriers when entering our public schools. Abe attended rural schools through the eight grade. Abe graduated from Henderson High School in 1941, ranking 6th in his class. During high school he played basketball and competed in track and field. In track he participated in high jump and threw the discus. His basketball team qualified for the state tournament in 1941. While at the tournament, the University of Nebraska basketball coach offered him a full ride basketball scholarship. York College offered him a partial basketball scholarship which paid his tuition. He opted to attend York College as Lincoln was a large unknown city and he could remain living with his mother. In college, Abe played on the football team and was a guard on the basketball team. After his freshman year of college, Abe went to work as his family had very little money and lived in poverty. He did construction work at the Lincoln Air Base until its completion. On July 1, 1942, all United State males were required to register for the military draft. He tried to enlist but was rejected because he was taller than the 6’4” height limit. Then on October 2, 1942, the military allowed him to join the Army. He did not pass Officers Training School because of his language and heritage. He tried to join the Air Cadets and become a pilot. He passed the IQ test, scrunched down for the physical and a non-commissioned soldier said, “You’re close to 6’4” so I guess I’ll pass you.” On his way to base camp he had to take another physical. This time an officer did the measuring. Abe again tried to scrunch down, but was told, “Stand up soldier, stand up, straight and tall here. You’re 6’6” or better. How in the blankety-blank did you get here?” The military wanted each soldier going over seas to know a little reading, writing, and math, so that is how Abe began his career in education. Later he was sent back to Lincoln to operate low pressure chambers to test potential pilots for altitude tolerance. While working in Lincoln, in March 1944, he met Eleanor Newcomb. They were married July 26, 1944, in Lincoln. In May 1945, he departed for the Philippines. While he was in Luzon he witnessed the surrender of General Yamashita. He received the Ancient Order of the Deep for crossing the equator. In late August 1945, Abe’s division was one of the first Occupational Forces to enter Japan. After the surrender of the Japanese, soldiers were discharged according to the number of months they had been in the service and the number of months they been overseas. Abe was asked to reenlist, but answered with an emphatic NO. He received his Honorable Discharge with the official rank of Tech/Sergeant on February 9, 1946. Abe’s military decorations and honors included American Service Medal, Asiatic Pacific Service Medal, and Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one Bronze Star, World War II Victory Medal and Good Conduct Medal. After his discharge, Abe and Eleanor moved to York so Abe could continue his college education. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in May 1948. Abe accepted his first teaching job in Alexandria, Nebraska. He also taught in Ceresco and Greenwood. He received his Masters Degree in Education from the University of Nebraska in June 1953. He became a superintendent and continued to serve schools in Loomis, Nebraska, Rock River, Wyoming, LaGrange, Wyoming and Mitchell Sunflower as a superintendent. In 1972, Abe became Superintendent of Paxton Public Schools in Paxton, Nebraska. In addition to his superintendent duties he also taught, coached and supervised various activities at these schools. Abe retired from Paxton in May 1987, after 38 years in education. Education was a very important part of his life. After retiring, he and Eleanor moved to Scottsbluff where he continued his educational career as a volunteer for the Adult Basic Education program until 2008. During this time he received numerous volunteer awards for his continued dedication and interest in the program. Abe and Eleanor celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in July 1994, with their four children; Lee, Bill, Barbara and Nancy and their families. After Eleanor’s death in October 1994, Abe accompanied a group of volunteers from the Methodist Church to Mexico to build homes for the impoverished. While there, he met his second wife, Letha (Custer) Schweer. They were married August 7, 1995. Abe was an active member of Methodist Men, Retired Teachers, Lions Club and the VFW. He also enjoyed wood work, gardening, playing cards, fishing, bowling and activities of the YMCA until his health failed. Equally important to Abe was his family. Family gatherings and reunions were cherished times for him. He spent a lot of time finding the where abouts of cousins and other relatives. He was the proud father of four college graduates and grandfather of five college graduates. He looked forward to the times he could attend events of his children and grandchildren. Abe is survived by his wife, Letha; sons, Lee (Bonnie) of Scottsbluff and Bill (Rick) of Istanbul, Turkey; daughters, Barbara (Fred) Pinkerton of Shelby Township, Michigan and Nancy (Marty) Ellis of Franktown, Colorado; grandchildren, Tiffanie Taylor and Andrew (Shana) Dick of Scottsbluff, Heather Richey of Lincoln, Eric Pinkerton of Washington, DC, and Renee (Will) Schwartzkopf of Parker, Colorado; step-grandson, Tristan Donelson of Scottsbluff; and one great-granddaughter, Olivia Taylor of Scottsbluff. Preceding him in death were his parents, wife Eleanor, brothers John and Pete and sister Margaret.