Dwight Dibble
November 1, 1951--January 23, 1967
Sorry takes many shapes. There is a the long and lingering shadow which hovers over us interminably. Or sometimes there is a sudden shock, much like plunging into an icy mountain pool. Occasionally sorrow is an inevitable jolt, akin to a boxer's right cross which you see coming but are unable to halt.
I confess that Dwight's death was a little bit of everything to me. The sickness he had experienced two years ago lingered in our minds, and we all knew a return was possible. After his uncomfortable time just as he entered the hospital, this became more of a threat. And yet, there was the jolt waiting for us all on that Monday morning in January.
My memory flitted back to those awful days in 1963 when the President of the United States was assassinated. Granted, this was not the murder of a chief of state. But the impact on the students and staff was not unlike the sombre hours of Kennedy's death.
Perhaps the big difference was that Dwight was real to us. He drove our buses as well as they ever had been driven. He was a friend to all who rode on those buses. He kept our entire fleet of buses as clean as the proverbial whistle, and took great pride in so doing.
Also interesting to note was the impact Dwight's death had on the community he served. Not only the boys and girls from the schools were deeply moved, but the men and women who had known him in the fire department, bowling leagues, and other places in the village were touched and saddened by the news.
My comments are not intended as a morbid dwelling on events of the past. Instead I am attempting to demonstrate the remarkable effect that a very warm and personable human being had upon all our lives. I almost would venture to say that these remarks need never be set in print, because an indelible impression has been given to the memories of us all. We have been lucky enough to have known a wonderful and rarely genuine man; few have that luck in an entire lifetime of friends.
And that may be the only answer which can truly comfort us all. The Class of 1967 does Dwight Dibble honor by dedicating this page to his memory, which is only fair because he did all of you honor by honest service in your behalf.
1967•82
The 1967 Almedian - South Kortright Central School Yearbooks - SKCS 1967 Almedian
