| Larry Dickson |
Full Name: Lawrence Franklin Dickson
Born: October 22, 1926, Tampa, Fla.
Died: March 23, 2020, Tampa, Fla.
School: Jefferson High School in Tampa, Florida
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| Click On Photo To Enlarge |
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| FSU Career |
| Basketball | |
Year No Pos Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown 47-48 16 F-C 6-2 167 Fr * Tampa 48-49 F 6-2 167 So * Tampa 49-50 45 C 6-2 167 Jr * Tampa 50-51 45 F 6-3 160 Sr * Tampa |
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| Tennis | |
Year Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown 1948 6-2 167 Fr * Tampa 1949 6-2 167 So * Tampa 1950 6-2 167 Jr * Tampa 1951 6-2 167 Sr * Tampa |
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| Comments |
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Obituary for Lawrence Franklin Dickson Published by the Blount & Curry Funeral Home, Tampa, Fl After graduating from Jefferson High School in 1944 as World War II was raging, Larry enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 17. His service included time at Camp Peary, Virginia guarding soldiers captured from German submarines that cruised the Atlantic coastline. Always seeing the humanity in others, he observed that they were mostly scared youngsters just like him, and that they never ever tried to escape. Next he was placed in a logistic support group and trained to operate LCPV (Landing Craft, Personnel, Vehicle) used extensively in amphibious landings during the war. When the war ended, he became part of the first wave of troops sent to Japan to join the Allied occupation. He survived a devastating typhoon while onboard ship off the coast of Okinawa, and would go on to spend one year in Sasebo before returning to the United States. At the tender age of 19 with his military career over, Larry left for the University of Florida in a dilapidated car loaned to him by his father. He was halfway to Gainesville when the vehicle broke down. This unfortunate turn of events forced him to sit out the academic year, but as fate would have it, during that time Florida State College for Women voted to open its doors to men. The next fall, Larry happily headed to F.S.U., joining the inaugural men’s class and spending four enjoyable years on the majority female campus. He was a star on F.S.U.’s first men’s tennis and basketball teams, and for a time led the country in free throw shooting. After graduating with a degree in clinical psychology, he returned to Tampa, which was his home for the balance of his life. It was here that he met and married his beloved wife Nancy--their happy marriage spanning more than 65 years. They made a formidable team, tackling many complicated projects together including the design and construction of their beautiful New England summer house on the coast of Stonington, CT. They shared the love of travel, museums, antiques, great food, and together they sought out new experiences, restaurants, and adventures every week. In his last days, he discovered the Shell Key Preserve in Pinellas County where he delighted in observing the migratory habits of white pelicans and regular sightings of his favorite bird, the Great Blue Heron. In their first years of married life, Larry worked numerous jobs to make ends meet. He eventually settled into the insurance industry, running his own successful brokerage for many years. However, it was the profession of real estate investment and development that brought him the deepest enjoyment and satisfaction. He and Nancy began investing in properties shortly after their marriage, even before they owned their own home. His enthusiasm for the pursuit of a great venture never waned, and he was actively engaged in projects and on the hunt for new ones until the end of his life. He served as a member of several advisory bank boards as well as The Salvation Army, and as one of the directors and founding members of the Westshore Alliance that laid the groundwork for the development of the Westshore area of Tampa. In business he had many guiding principles, but most vital to him were the imperatives to “Leave money on the table for the next person so it’s a good deal for both sides,” and “You never want to profit from other people’s misery.” Larry was a compassionate and patient father to his two children, Mark and Carol. He saw the uniqueness in each of them, and by doing so brought out the best in them. While teaching them to drive, when a pothole was inadvertently hit he would exclaim, “It takes a good driver to hit all the bumps!”. He enthusiastically supported all they endeavored to do in life and championed them every step of the way. Larry imparted his lifelong passion for the game of tennis to Mark, serving as his mentor and coach on the ATP tour, and traveling to cheer him on in tournaments far and wide including Wimbledon, the French and U.S. Opens, and countless others. He instilled in Mark his belief that sportsmanship and character were far more important qualities than winning. He shared his daughter Carol’s love for art history, accompanying her to museum and fine art exhibitions throughout the U.S. and Europe. Their most recent outing was to an origami exhibition at the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts where he patiently sat and folded a paper crane. Through the years, Larry served his church as a choir member, deacon, and Sunday School teacher, but perhaps his favorite role was that of usher. His family has suspicions that his devotion to ushering stemmed from the fact that he could greet and hug all of the ladies, while not required to slide into a pew until the service was half over. Larry was a man of deep and abiding faith, and he lived that faith every single day of his life. He dearly loved “The Beatitudes” from the book of Matthew, as he believed that his life was truly and completely blessed. As grandchildren began to arrive, Larry was asked what he wanted to be called. He immediately said “The Coach.” Some of Coach’s greatest joys late in life were time spent with his four wonderful grandchildren and in the welcoming of his beautiful great-grandchildren. He was also a tender and devoted father-in-law to Karen, and served as a wise colleague and friend to his son-in-law Nic. Larry began and ended most days with a healthy dose of chocolate. When selecting an entrée at a restaurant, he would often ask to view the dessert menu first so that he could make an informed decision. When he walked into a room, he lit it up with his presence. He breathed life into our days, and never failed to lift our spirits. He truly made Tampa and the world a better, friendlier place. During these unsettled times we can all aspire to sustain Larry’s legacy of friendship, kindness, and compassion by caring for others in need. We are grateful for each and every one of his wonderful friends, that you have cared about him so deeply, and that you have shared your lives with him and with our family. Larry is survived by his wife Nancy Greco Dickson; two children, Mark Dickson (Karen) of Coral Gables, FL, Carol Jahnke (Nic) of Middleburg, VA and Tampa, FL; four grandchildren, Kristi Cowling (Slade), Kevin Dickson, Madeleine Jahnke and Nicholas Jahnke; two great-grandchildren, Harper and Gavin Cowling.
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| Conference Awards |
| Tennis |
Year Award
1951 Dixie Conference - No. 1 Singles Flight Champion
Dixie Conference - No. 1 Doubles Flight Champion
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| FSU Statistics |
| Basketball |
--3 Point--- ----REBOUNDS-----
Year GP GS Min FGM FGA PCT FGM FGA PCT FTM FTA PCT PTS AVG OFF DEF TOT AVG PF DQ AST TO BLK STL
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47-48 17 4 33 .000 .000 30 .000 96 5.6 0.0 2
48-49 9 8 .000 .000 4 .000 20 2.2 0.0
49-50 22 4 36 .000 .000 28 41 .683 100 4.5 0.0 44
50-51 23 37 .000 .000 30 .000 104 4.5 0.0
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Tot 71 8 0 114 0 .000 0 0 .000 92 41 .*** 320 4.5 0 0 0 0.0 44 2 0 0 0 0
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| Basketball |
Game Statistics 1947-48 3 Point --REBOUNDS-- Date Opponent GP GS Min FGM FGA FGM FGA FTM FTA PTS OFF DEF TOT PF AST TO BLK STL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dec 10 Spring Hill College 1 f 3 1 1 7 2 Dec 12 Troy State 1 f 5 6 10 16 2 Jan 10 Wofford College 1 f 3 0 1 6 3 Jan 13 Stetson 1 5 3 5 13 5 Jan 15 Georgia Teachers 1 3 1 2 7 5 Jan 17 Georgia-Savannah 1 2 2 6 3 Jan 23 Mercer 1 1 1 1 3 3 Jan 30 Troy State 1 c 0 2 2 1 Feb 3 Mercer 1 2 2 4 6 4 Feb 5 Erskine College 1 5 5 5 15 2 Feb 6 Wofford College 1 0 0 0 0 0 Feb 12 Georgia-Savannah 1 1 5 7 4 Feb 13 Southern College 1 1 1 8 3 3 Feb 19 Georgia Teachers 1 0 0 0 3 Feb 21 Southern College 1 1 0 2 1 Feb 24 Stetson 1 0 0 0 0 1 Feb 28 Erskine College 1 1 1 4 3 2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals 17 4 0 33 0 0 0 30 41 96 0 0 0 44 0 0 0 0 1948-49 3 Point --REBOUNDS-- Date Opponent GP GS Min FGM FGA FGM FGA FTM FTA PTS OFF DEF TOT PF AST TO BLK STL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dec 7 Mississippi College 1 1 2 3 4 1 Dec 11 Southern College 1 1 1 2 3 3 Dec 28 Lambuth College 1 0 0 0 Dec 30 Southwestern-Memphis 1 2 0 2 4 5 Jan 14 Stetson 1 1 1 1 3 1 Jan 15 Tampa 1 1 0 1 2 Jan 18 Mercer 1 1 0 0 2 1 Jan 21 Troy State 1 0 0 0 0 5 Feb 4 Mississippi College 1 1 0 2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals 9 0 0 8 0 0 0 4 9 20 0 0 0 16 0 0 0 0 1949-50 3 Point --REBOUNDS-- Date Opponent GP GS Min FGM FGA FGM FGA FTM FTA PTS OFF DEF TOT PF AST TO BLK STL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dec 5 Mississippi College 1 0 0 0 0 0 Dec 10 Troy State 1 4 0 0 8 2 Dec 15 Coll of Charleston 1 4 1 9 Dec 19 Central College 1 0 0 0 0 2 Dec 21 SW Missouri State 1 1 2 2 4 0 Jan 12 Tampa 1 1 1 3 Jan 13 Florida Southern Col 1 0 0 0 Jan 14 Florida Southern Col 1 4 7 15 1 Jan 17 Mercer 1 3 1 7 1 Jan 20 Howard 1 1 1 3 Jan 21 Birmingham So Coll 1 1 0 2 Jan 26 Millsaps College 1 2 4 8 Jan 28 Stetson 1 0 0 0 Feb 1 Mercer 1 0 0 0 Feb 10 David Lipscomb Coll 1 f 0 1 1 Feb 11 Tampa 1 1 1 1 3 Feb 15 Troy State 1 2 0 4 2 Feb 17 Sewanee 1 g 2 3 7 Feb 18 Sewanee 1 g 7 3 17 Feb 23 Stetson 1 0 0 0 Feb 28 Florida Southern Col 1 3 2 8 Mar 1 Mississippi College 1 f 0 1 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals 22 4 0 36 0 0 0 28 3 100 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 1950-51 3 Point --REBOUNDS-- Date Opponent GP GS Min FGM FGA FGM FGA FTM FTA PTS OFF DEF TOT PF AST TO BLK STL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dec 9 Coll of Charleston 1 2 3 7 Dec 11 Mercer 1 1 2 4 Dec 14 CT State Teachers 1 3 3 9 Dec 15 Howard 1 4 2 10 Dec 16 Florida Southern Col 1 3 2 2 8 Dec 19 Miami 1 0 2 3 2 1 Jan 5 David Lipscomb Coll 1 5 1 11 Jan 9 Mississippi 1 4 0 8 Jan 12 Stetson 1 2 6 6 10 5 Jan 13 Florida Southern Col 1 3 0 1 6 Jan 17 Tampa 1 1 3 9 5 Jan 19 Howard 1 3 0 6 Jan 27 Stetson 1 1 3 6 5 Feb 1 Rollins College 1 0 0 0 0 Feb 9 Loyola-New Orleans 1 0 0 1 0 Feb 14 Mississippi 1 0 0 0 Feb 17 Mercer 1 1 2 4 4 Feb 23 Rollins College 1 1 0 0 2 Feb 28 Mercer 1 0 0 0 0 Mar 2 Stetson 1 2 1 5 1 Mar 3 Georgia Teachers 1 0 0 1 0 1 Mar 12 South Dakota State 1 0 0 0 0 Mar 15 Millikin 1 1 0 2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals 23 0 0 37 0 0 0 30 33 104 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 |
| Tennis |
Singles Results
Highest vs 3 Fall/Spring
Year Rank Rank ACC Sets Tournaments 1 2 3 4 5 6 NCAA Total
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1948 1-4 0-1 5-1 0-2 3-1 8-5
1949 8-1 0-2 1-1 2-1 8-2 11-4
1950 5-0 0-1 2-2 6-1 1-2 1-0 10-5
1951 4-3 3-0 5-1 1-3 0-1 3-0 12-5
Tot 13-1 5-10 4-1 9-5 20-7 1-5 6-1 1-0 41-19
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Lawrence Franklin Dickson, 93, of Tampa, FL passed away unexpectedly on
Monday, March 23, 2020. Because there can be no service at this time, the
following is his family’s loving tribute to his memory. Larry was born in
Tampa on October 22, 1926 to Virginia Busbee Calhoun and Bascom Lane
Dickson and was the youngest of their three sons. He grew up during the
Great Depression and loved to laugh and reminisce about eating ketchup
sandwiches, walking to school barefoot, wearing a red cape while playing in
the B.C. Graham Elementary Harmonica Band, and engaging in every sport he
could find or make up with his cherished brothers, Edwin and Calhoun. Early
life lessons of resilience and reliance on community for both survival and
enjoyment informed his optimistic outlook and shaped his engaging
personality.