John and Susan Dickson—and their children and grandchildren—love to spend time in nature. John was excited to include GPC in his will to help make sure the lands and waters they love near their home in Gig Harbor are there for their grandchildren and great grandchildren to explore and cherish.
“My infatuation with the wild places of our country started very early in life. Each summer, my family would pack our station wagon, leave Indianapolis and travel north to the top of Michigan. I spent youthful days on the lovely, secluded shores of northern Lake Michigan. There were rivers, ponds and estuaries around every bend. Wildlife was abundant. Both of my parents loved the natural beauty of our country and encouraged me and my siblings to become good stewards of the land.
Going away to college in Colorado brought mountains and open spaces into my life. After graduate school, I spent two years teaching at a university in New Zealand. The mountains, rivers, seashores and fjords of New Zealand’s are like Washington State’s but on steroids. This led to my moving to Washington in 1975 so that I could enjoy a similar natural landscape.
When my late wife and I moved to Gig Harbor, we immediately fell in love with our physical environment. Wanting to help preserve the beauty of what we saw, we became involved in the Peninsula Heritage Land Trust which later became part of Great Peninsula Conservancy. I had the good fortune to serve on GPC’s board during the early years of its consolidation. During that time, the concept of a Legacy Society was set up. Because of my late wife’s and my commitment to the concept of providing wild lands for future generations, we wrote our wills to include GPC. This love of our region’s natural habitats and wild places are shared by my wife, Susan, and our children. We know the Dickson Family legacy will help ensure such places are protected in perpetuity for future generations. Our grandchildren all love to hike, swim, and take advantage of mother nature’s bounty. Hopefully, the Dickson Family legacy will add protected lands which can be enjoyed by all.” —John Dickson
Great Peninsula Conservancy has three spots left in our $20,000 Legacy Challenge. For every pledge submitted, a generous match of $1,000 will be donated, thereby supporting community conservation now AND in the future. Submit your pledge online or contact Development Manager Katherine Tacke with questions at katherine@greatpeninsula.org or 360-373-3500 x 107. Learn more about the types of legacy gifts and how we recognize our legacy members here.