Dorsett Rickborn

Dorsett Roe (Rick) Rickborn died on March 23, 2012 after a brief illness. Rick was born on December 24, 1923, in Badham, South Carolina, the youngest of seven children of Glenn William and Hattie Hutto Rickborn. After graduation from St. George High School, Rick entered the U.S. Army. He served in India until the end of World War II.

Rick continued his education at the University of South Carolina. He graduated magna cum laude in 1950, with a double major in English and French. He was also elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Rick began working for the Internal Revenue Service in Columbia, SC; and in 1961 transferred to Atlanta to be a part of the brand new IRS Processing Center in Chamblee. Rick retired from the IRS in 1983.

Rick had a wide variety of interests throughout his life and enjoyed learning new things. He was a passionate gardener who transformed his Chamblee yard from woods to a lovely garden filled with all kinds of plants. He had many varieties of hostas over the years and was especially proud of his camellias; several of which are over 50 years old, having been transplanted from his yard in Columbia.

Rick also enjoyed a part time career as a writer. Over the years he had many articles published in The State newspaper, (Columbia, SC) including an interview with artist Jasper Johns. He was also published in several national magazines and had numerous pieces in Home Life, a publication of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Rick had a very artistic side which he enjoyed expressing at Christmas. He loved decorating the family home, making ornaments, candles, wreaths and so on. He also helped decorate for Christmas at the churches he attended. He was adept at flower arranging and made all the flower arrangements and bouquets for his children’s weddings. Rick often joined his friends in exploring other artistic avenues including oil painting, watercolor painting, stained glass and candle wicking.

After retirement, Rick took up baking. He made all the family birthday cakes, candies and treats at Christmas, and other goodies all year round. His favorite medium was chocolate and he enjoyed sharing his brownies, cookies, and fudge with everyone.

Rick was a very involved church member, first at Morningside Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon and as Sunday School Superintendent, and later at Oak Grove Methodist Church. First and foremost, though, Rick was a family man. He was very proud of his wife, children, and grandchildren, and was always glad for the chance to brag about them.

Rick is survived by his wife of 62 years, Virginia Hutto Rickborn; children Beth Hardage, Alpharetta; Reed (Brenda) Rickborn, Greenwood, SC; Stacy (Eddie) Knight, Suwanee, GA; Chris (Kelly) Rickborn, Coral Gables, FL. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Kim Hardage, 1st Lt. Greg Hardage, and Megan Rickborn; brother-in-law Edgar (Mary) Hutto; a number of nieces and nephews including Glenna (John) McGahey, Dunwoody, and Helene (Mike) Mungo, Charleston, SC.

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 1:00 PM, at Oak Grove Methodist Church, 1722 Oak Grove Road, Decatur, GA 30033. Visitation will be held in the church parlor, one hour prior to the service. Arrangements made by H.M. Patterson and Son – Oglethorpe Chapel, 4550 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta 30319.