Ray E. Dickson of Spur, Dickens County, Texas, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry J. Dickson was born in Claude, TX, June 1, 1889. Soon after his birth the family moved to Greenville, TX.
Ray attended the Greenville schools, graduating in 1907, and was a student at Burleson College for one year. In 1909 he entered Texas A & M College, majoring in Agriculture and received his degree in 1912. He taught Vocational Agriculture in Cooper, Texas for one year. In May, 1914 he was made Superintendent of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station at Spur.
On February 18, 1915, Mr. Dickson was married to Miss Lillian Grace, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. J.H. Grace of Spur. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Dickson, Ray E. Dickson, Jr. and Lillian Grace.
Ray was that rare occurrence of the ample direct man of science, wholly free from "grand-standing to high-hatting". He took his work in stride and was never happier than when a problem was highly baffling. Basically, he was wholly practical at all times. He realized that in the end all ideas, no matter how brilliant, must meet the test of useful application by those whom they were intended to serve. Over many years our acquaintance opened into an enduring, warm friendship. During the numerous trips Ray and I shared on both the Rolling Redlands and the high country above the Cap Rock, I learned the fundamentals of that harsh, dry but always interesting region. Ray´s patient crop-breeding had given dry land farmers a stabilized, short-stemmed grain row cropfeterita, of exceptionally high feeding value. To his periodical field days to demonstrate the station´s discoveries of adapted forge and silage crops came thousand of farmers and ranchers from all West Texas. Dickson was one of the few researchers who looked at all crop problems in terms of their environment. He had been reared in the famous Blacklands near Greenville, with their rather dependable sufficient rainfall. To be suddenly transferred to a territory which at times approached near desert conditions was a might challenge to Ray Dickson. He quickly dropped all pre-conceived notions and learned the long hard way of practical experience. "I believe in working as closely to nature as possible" was one of the Dickson´s favorite statements.
Dickson will be remembered chiefly for his basic discoveries in capturing maximum water during periodical rains and putting it to crop use. By closing the end of contoured furrows on sloping land he prevented the water from rushing down to be lost. This method achieved two distinct results-soil conservation along with efficient use of moisture. His practice demonstration eventually convinced thousands of farmers to adopt his system throughout West Texas. It attracted the attention of Dr. Hugh Bennett, head of the Soil Conservation service, who came to Spur to witness the astonishing results and became a staunch advocate.
Mr. Dickson´s experiments in water conservation and terracing which began in 1925 has changed the thinking of soil scientists everywhere. Today these practices are accepted as ordinary good farming methods and the work of Mr. Dickson is credited with being the basis for the formation of the Soil Conservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. The pioneering of this man and of those who worked with him has changed the farming methods of a generation in America.
Mr. Dickson did not claim to be anything but a "plain dirt farmer", who liked to play in the water, but his contributions in the field of agriculture will never be forgotten.
His death occurred June 26, 1950.
R. E. Dickson, who long has been closely identified with the agricultural progress of West Texas, and who has been superintendent of the Spur Experiment substation since 1914, died at 3:45 p.m. Monday June 26 in West Texas Hospital in Lubbock. He was 61.Dickson´s death was attributed to coronary thrombosis. He entered the hospital in Lubbock last Thursday after having been stricken Wednesday at his home on the grounds of the experiment substation here.
Funeral services were conducted at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning at the First Christian Church. Rev. R. C. Brown of Seymour, former pastor of First Christian Church of Spur, officiated the service. Campbell´s Funeral Chapel had charge of all arrangements. Interment was in Spur Cemetery.
Pallbearers were Dale Young, Paul Marion, Charles Fisher, Lester English, Alvis Bilberry, Marshal Formby, Lloyd Hindman and B. C. Langley.
Honorary pallbearers were: W. L. Stangel, dean of the division of Agriculture, Texas Tech; Don L. Jones, superintendent of the Lubbock Experiment station; R. E. Karper, research director of the station; Dr. Clifford B. Jones, president emeritus of Tech, all of Lubbock; Dr. R. D. Lewis, Gibb Gilchrist, Fred Hale, D. W. Williams, J. M. and L. H. Jones, College Station; Sterling C. Evans, Houston; W. F. Turner, Austin; Claude McAnally, Trinidad, CO; Basil Cairnes, Clairemont; A. B. Conner, Marlin; E. W. Harrison, South Bend; Tom Reed Poole, Greenville; and Dr. P. C. Nichols, Roy Stovall, Fred Jennings, Oscar McGinty, George S. Link, Jr., L. R. McNeill, L. D. Ratliff, and Bob Conner, all of Spur.
Dickson was born in Greenville, Texas June 1, 1889. He graduated from Greenville High School in 1907 and from Burleson College at Greenville in 1909. In 1912 he was the first to graduate from Texas A & M College in the course for vocational agriculture teachers.
After teaching agriculture for a year in the high school at Cooper in Delta county, Dickson was made foreman of the main experiment station farm at College Station on June 1, 1913. From that position he went to Spur May 1, 1914 as superintendent of the substation.
To most farmers and stockmen of the rolling plains, Dickson was the personification of agriculture research in Texas. He was the author or co-author of many reports announcing research findings that are now commonplace in agricultural economy. His outstanding work brought him numerous citations and awards.
Water and soil conversation were his special fields, as well as converting plant material that can be grown on the plains across of West Texas into the type of meat animals best suited to that section.
Discoveries at Spur led to the creation of the present Soil Conservation service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The first of a bill was creating this service was written at the Spur station and was used as the basis for two bills introduced by the late Rep. Buchacan of Texas in Congress.
Survivors include his wife, and one daughter, Mrs. Wm. Hilley of Spur; 1 sister, Mrs. W. A. Holly of Greenville. A son preceded him in death several years ago. He has 4 grandchildren.
©The Texas Spur, Thursday, June 29, 1950
From the records of Lillian Grace Nay (his daughter)
Funeral services for Mrs. R. E. Dickson, 79, were held Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the First Methodist Church. Rev. John Floyd, Kermit, officiated, assisted by Rev. Howard Marcom, Spur.Mrs. Dickson died Sept. 5. She was a member of the First Christian Church and had made her home in Dickens County since 1911.
She is survived by one daughter, Mrs. John Nay, Spur; two sisters, Mrs. Helen Grace Williams, Spur and Miss Nina Grace, also of Spur; four grandchildren, Eddie Hilley, Jasper; Martha Hilley Pegrim, Little Rick, AR; Roy Dickson Snyder, Houston; Marcia Dickson Eppstein, Livermore, CA; a daughter-in-law, Trudy Polanovich, Ft. Worth and two foster-grandchildren: DeeAnn and Steve Polanovich, Ft. Worth.
Pallbearers included Jack Beeson, Ben Spradling, David Marion, W. M. Hunter, Bernice Bilberry, Loyd Hindman, C.E. Fisher and Norton Barrett.
Interment was in Spur Cemetery.
©The Texas Spur, September 9, 1971
From the records of Lillian Grace Nay
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