A Life Story

Dickson Stewart was known to friends and even casual acquaintances as a generous and extremely funny soul. You could not stay at Dickson's home and have a single item for your comfort missing. He stocked the cupboards with your favorite food and drinks; the bathrooms with myriad mini bottles of shampoos, soaps and lotions from his years of hotel stays for work travel. He even had a second-floor kitchenette built for the convenience of his guests so they wouldn't have to traipse downstairs for refreshments at night. Those who experienced his built-in home cinema will never forget it, with its bright, clear, 15-foot screen and surround-sound that shook the seats. Dickson was, by career and personal choice, a wizard in state-of-the-art audio-visual technology, installing large screen television and sound systems in federal courthouses throughout the US. As with the rest of his home, his theater catered to your every whim, stocked full of favorite movie-goer candy and soft drinks, plus, a professional movie popcorn maker and a rack of fine wines. The shelves surrounding the plush, reclining seats were filled with his beloved movie memorabilia.In his earlier career, Dickson was a technician for the pioneering South Carolina ETV series Studio See. His many colleagues recall his innovation and energy.Dickson was also an unapologetic cat-lover and had many memorable felines, from Howard, to Baby Cat, to Steve. He is survived by his daughter, Susanne Williams; aunt, Sandra Woods (John), the 'first wife' Kate, stepdaughter Madeline, and three step grandsons. He passed away quietly on October 19, from cancer. Any verbal exchange with Dickson was an adventure in hilarity. He had a dry, sharp wit and a font of references to often obscure lines from books and movies. When it came to films, he was an avid, even rabid, fan, with a penchant for science fiction and comedy, and an inexplicable fondness for the movie "What's Up Doc?" Just days before he left this earthly realm, Dickson texted an image to a friend, with no further explanation. It was a photo of his hospital room whiteboard, with the usual names of nurses, and visitors (his cat, Steve, and his friend, Mo). But more cryptically, were the words: "So long and thanks for all the fish." In true Dickson-ian form, he had left his friends with a humorous but poignant final message. Those words were the last utterances of the dolphins who departed the doomed earth for a better place in the classic science fiction novel and movie franchise, The Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy. Look it up, and you'll have some idea of what this considerate, funny, cryptic, but endearing man was all about.