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Rudolph H. “Rudy” Dickinson

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Birth	:	31 Jan 1892 Thor, Humboldt County, Iowa, USA
Death	:	3 Nov 1975 Story City, Story County, Iowa, USA
Burial	:	Nevada Municipal Cemetery, Nevada, Story County, USA
Coordinate	:	42.0215683, -93.4610672
Plot	:	Block 20, Row 5, Plot 18 Lot 27
Inscription	:	PARENTS OF DORIS, LYLE, EDWARD
Description	:	From Nevada Evening Journal November 4, 1975 RUDY DICKINSON Funeral services will be held from the Ryan Funeral Home Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. with Rev. Marvin Hulse officiating for R.H. (Rudy) Dickinson, former Nevada Chief of Police, who died Sunday evening at the Bethany Manor in Story City. He had been in Story City for the past several months. He was 82. Born January 31, 1892 in Thor, Iowa, he was the son of Rudolph and Hattie Dickinson. He was Chief of Police in Nevada from 1935-57 and was a 50-year Charter member of... Read More	From Nevada Evening Journal November 4, 1975 RUDY DICKINSON Funeral services will be held from the Ryan Funeral Home Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. with Rev. Marvin Hulse officiating for R.H. (Rudy) Dickinson, former Nevada Chief of Police, who died Sunday evening at the Bethany Manor in Story City. He had been in Story City for the past several months. He was 82. Born January 31, 1892 in Thor, Iowa, he was the son of Rudolph and Hattie Dickinson. He was Chief of Police in Nevada from 1935-57 and was a 50-year Charter member of the Nevada American Legion. He was married to Clara May Womack on October 27, 1920 in Gilbert. He had been a resident of Nevada for the past 50 years. He is survived by his wife, Clara; two sons, Edward of Ankeny and Lyle of Iowa City; one daughter, Mrs. Harvey (Doris) Maahs of Universal City, Texas; seven grandchildren; one brother, Frank of Ames; and three sisters, Mrs. Bertha Sawyer of Jewell, Mrs. Frances Adams of Carlsbad, New Mexico and Mrs. Owen Eason of Concord, California. Burial will be in the Nevada Cemetery. From Nevada Journal August 19, 1967 (page 1) Rudy Dickinson: He Was Nevada's One-Man Law By Frank Ledbetter Rudy Dickinson, 75, just home after three weeks in the Veterans Hospital, was Nevada's only policeman for several years back in 1035. Dickinson took the job at $90 per month working seven days a week from noon until after midnight. Dickinson had operated an oil truck at the time. Collections for sale of oil came in all sorts of ways. He took in corn which was burned as fuel, as many older people know, and took nearly anything - chickens, butter, milk or what have you on those accounts. Did any of those who owed you pay you when times changed and they had money? "Not a one," said Dickinson, "and some of them got so they could have paid with ease." Carl Stone was mayor then, Rudy said. The merchants hired another man to check doors at night and watch for fires. Dickinson was the "Town's Lawman." It was long hours and good deal of footwork. The city paid him some milage and he used his own car. In time, a second policeman was added. Sometimes one or the other worked round the clock, 24 hours, so one could have a day off to attend something pressing. It was still 12 hour, seven day work. When he ended his last full year, 1956, and working part time in 1957, the salary was $265 per month and the force had three policemen with a fourth as relief man. Dickinson's home became something of a base station-- people telephoned there for police and expected Mrs. Dickinson to relay the message. Merchants contributed money to buy the first police radio for Dickinson's car. The red light signal on a building was for the police to call. There were many memories of things which happened in days gone. Dickinson kept his own notes and records. He followed his arrests through and kept track of the fines and if paid or not his record had to go with at least one Mayor having to pay up on fines. But because his records contained a great many things involving people, he burned them after he left the force. The man who dragged his wife out of the house by the hair of her head, is recalled. Rather prominent, too. Some involved people seen in certain places and with certain people -- might not be good to read in later years -- so they were burned. Rudy worked under many mayors in these years. He recalls with some pleasure "Babe" Tarman as a very good mayor under whom he served. He spoke of the man who killed the Sheriff McGriff and was killed in turn. Dangerous times? Well, Dickinson did not think of it as dangerous. He recalls the time he was called to a home on a domestic dispute -- the wife was being beaten. When Rudy opened the door at the home, he was met by a man with a shotgun who said he would shoot. "I never hesitated," Rudy said. "I told him he did not date shoot, grabbed the muzzle, pushed it down and stepped on it and then I clapped handcuffs on him and took him to jail." "You know," Rudy said, "I never did open that gun to see if it were loaded or if he was bluffing. And, you know, that wife was calling next morning to get her husband out of jail so he could go to work." He recalls driving by when a fight started on the sidewalk in town. He got out of his car and waded into it. One of the men pulled a switchblade knife. "I used by nightstick right across his jaw and neck and dropped him. The I loaded up and took him to jail," he went on to say. "The next day I told him to get out of town and to stay out as he was a transient." "Years later I was not the street when a man walked up to me and said, 'Remember me?'" I said I did not but it seemed that the face was familiar. Then he told me that he was the man who got arrested and told to get out of town. He said that he made his way out to California, got work, straightened up, was married, had a home, a wife and family, and some property. "I want to thank you for shaking me up. It changed me," the man said. Dickinson left the police force to two years and went to Atomic Energy Plant. Then the city asked for him to come back and he returned. He recalls the days before there were any traffic lights. He had to keep his eye on 6th and Lincoln, particularly about 8 and 9 p.m. to unsnarl jams. He turned on the street lights and then turned them off at midnight. Store lights were turned off. The traffic on Saturday night was sometimes a real headache. Many times he left hoe in the middle of supper to turn on street lights when the weather became cloudier. Now they go on by the action of light-- sensitive switches. Dickinson served under six or eight mayors or more Stone, Tarman, Charles Smith, Lookingbill, Padellford, and Ambrose were some of them. Dickinson said he never called on the Sheriff for help in those years, taking care of the job as city marshal. He also was a deputy sheriff, and many times he was asked to go take care of some trouble since he was up and on duty. Now those days are all past. Mr. and Mrs. Dickinson live quietly at their home. He spent considerable time in the hospital in 1957, 1958 and 1959 and his wife also had had her days with hospitals. Rudy is home now after a recent heart attack. He also has diabetes and careful in living. They raised a family of three children. The two boys are with the Iowa Patrol, one is captain living in Iowa City and one a sergeant at Osceola. They have a daughter and they also have seven grandchildren. It is a long time from the depression days when the city paid $90 per month for one lone officer who did a 12 hour stint every day -- seven days per week, and sometimes 14 hours and then again, on over to 18 hours. There was no one to help and little relief. It was happier day when it came around to two police officers and relief officer -- Callihan and Gear for police officers and Shickell as relief officer. But from general report, from reputation and from records as an efficient and capable officer, who checked juveniles, handled domestic affairs, traffic and street lights, aided sheriffs, checked the case through mayor's court and kept a record on disposition and fines, never backed off from tough cases and established up and down the street a reputation as a fearless and yet quite human officer. He did a good job and enjoys the respect of many older people who live or have lived in Nevada.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Rudolph H. “Rudy” Dickinson's memorial?
Rudolph H. “Rudy” Dickinson's memorial is located at: Nevada Municipal Cemetery, Nevada, Story County, USA.
When did Rudolph H. “Rudy” Dickinson death?
Rudolph H. “Rudy” Dickinson death on 3 Nov 1975 in Story City, Story County, Iowa, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Rudolph H. “Rudy” Dickinson's memorial?
Latitude: 42.0215683
Longitude: -93.4610672

Family Members:

Parent

Spouse

Clara May Womack Dickinson

(1898 - 1980)

Siblings

Knute Algernon Dickinson

(1884 - 1948)

Andrew Leonard “Doc” Dickinson

(1896 - 1970)

Frank Joseph Dickinson

(1899 - 1975)

Children

Lyle Herman Dickinson

(1924 - 2000)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Nevada Municipal Cemetery
Nevada, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0215683, -93.4610672

2. Saint Patricks Cemetery
Nevada, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0233803, -93.4629364

3. Evergreen Memory Gardens
Nevada, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0424995, -93.4682999

4. Knoll Cemetery
Nevada, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0489006, -93.4869003

5. Pleasant Run Cemetery
Nevada, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9864006, -93.4060974

6. Mound Cemetery
Nevada, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9899520, -93.3691480

7. Murphy Cemetery
Richland Township, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0569000, -93.3672028

8. Bloomington Cemetery
Ames, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0466573, -93.5852182

9. Woodland Cemetery
Iowa Center, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9324989, -93.4064026

10. Oak Hill Cemetery
Richland Township, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0891991, -93.3550034

11. Ames Municipal Cemetery
Ames, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0301208, -93.6061249

12. Pleasant Grove Cemetery
Ames, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.1063740, -93.5614370

13. Saint James Cemetery
Colo, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0088997, -93.3099976

14. Colo Cemetery
Colo, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0181808, -93.3083420

15. Story Memorial Gardens
Ames, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9933014, -93.6112976

16. McMichael Cemetery
Ames, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0852203, -93.5915833

17. Arrasmith Cemetery
Franklin Township, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0855600, -93.5913900

18. First Christian Church Columbarium
Ames, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0270500, -93.6174100

19. Walnut Grove Cemetery
Ames, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9468994, -93.5903015

20. Cambridge Cemetery
Cambridge, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9067600, -93.5424400

21. Maxwell Cemetery
Maxwell, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8950500, -93.3996900

22. Sheffield Cemetery
Howard Township, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.1369020, -93.5585790

23. Saint Thomas Aquinas Columbarium
Ames, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0224370, -93.6450840

24. Saint Johns Episcopal Church Columbarium
Ames, Story County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0224100, -93.6481040