- Date Of Birth: May 7, 1919
- Date Of Death: August 11, 2015
- State: Indiana
Charles H. Dickmann, 96, of Anderson, died on August 11, 2015 at the Edgewater Woods Nursing Home. Mr. Dickmann was a well known and respected attorney, philanthropist, entrepreneur, community service leader, decorated WWII veteran, world traveler, avid sportsman and reader, a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
Charlie was born on a farm in Hancock County, IN and raised in Greenfield, IN. He was the second of six children born to lawyer George F. Dickmann and school teacher Thelma A. Dickmann. He graduated from Greenfield High School in 1937 and from Sanderson Business College in Indianapolis in 1938. He resigned as office manager of the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Distribution Center in Indianapolis on December 1, 1941, upon receiving notice from his local draft board.
He was drafted as a $21.00 per month private in the US Army at Ft. Benjamin Harrison just days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He served 4 years and 3 months during WWII including three years overseas in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Sicily and Italy. He was promoted through the ranks to Captain in the Medical Administrative Corps. He served as Detachment Commander and senior administrative officer of a 250 bed mobile Army hospital.
Decorations and citations include the Tunisian Campaign Medal with bronze combat star and Meritorious Service Unit award. He received his B.S. Degree in Business in 1947 and J. D. Degree in 1950 from Indiana University Bloomington. In 1950 he moved to Anderson to practice law where he met Hazel (nee Winkel) and on December 8, 1956 they were married in the First Methodist Church by Dr. Wesley H. Bransford. For more than 63 years he devoted his time, talents and financial resources to charitable and non-profit organizations.
These organizations include First United Methodist Church, YMCA, United Way, Fine Arts Center, Madison County Bar Association, Chamber of Commerce, Anderson Rotary Club, Anderson University, Madison County Community Foundation, Paramount Theater, Anderson Symphony Orchestra, Wilson Boys & Girls Club and Christian Center. He was a past president, officer and director of most of these organizations. He was the key fundraiser of numerous major charitable capital funds campaigns.
He was chairman of the First United Methodist Church capital funds campaign to raise money to construct the new sanctuary after the fire on December 23, 1960. In 1985 he chaired a YMCA campaign, raising nearly 50% more than the stated goal of $1,100,000.00.
He received many high honors and recognitions during his long career. Some of those include,: Herald Bulletin “Movers and Shakers”, and “Man of the Year”; Junior Achievement “Business Leaders Hall of Fame”; Rotary Club, “Ideal of Service” and “Community Image”; United Way “Spirit of Compassion”; First United Methodist Church “Living Your Faith”; Madison County Bar Association “Raising The Bar Since 1950”; Indiana State Bar Association “Presidential Citation for Exceptional Contributions and Leadership” and “The Heart of a Giver – Lawyers are Great People”; Metro North Business “The Dickmann Way”; Indiana Governor “Distinguished Citizen”; Kentucky Governor “Kentucky Colonel”; Anderson University “Community Partnership” with wife, Hazel and “Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters”, City of Anderson, Indiana “Dickmann Town Center Plaza” and Anderson Noon Exchange “Book of Golden Deeds Award”. Other organizations include Phi Kappa Psi Social fraternity; Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity; Madison County and Indiana Bar Associations; Greenfield Masonic Lodge: Scottish Rite Valley of Indianapolis and Anderson County Club.
He and Hazel established 13 permanent endowment funds within the Madison County Community Foundation providing perpetual financial support for those organizations most closest to them. He and Hazel traveled extensively in all 50 United States and 72 foreign countries. After 63 continuous years of practicing law, he retired on January 1, 2013, but still continued daily office visits.
He was preceded in death by his parents, George F. and Thelma Dickmann, brothers and sisters-in-law Eugene Dickmann, George (Harriet) Dickmann and John (Carol) Dickmann, sisters and brothers-in-law, Bess (Robert) Quillman and Dorothy (Carl) Quillman. He is survived by his wife, Hazel and their two children, Judy (Jim) Brenner and Amy Jo (Doug) Zeigler, grandsons Frank and John (Jackie) Brenner and Hugh and George Zeigler, great-grandson Bradley Brenner, sister-in-law Ruth (Gene) Dickmann and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
