Prof. Derrick Dickens (1938-2015) passed away in Hermanus on August 1 2015, aged 77. An Old Boy of the class of 1956, he was described by his son Peter Dickens as a man “armed with two great arsenals – a love of the creative world and art and a love of the learned world. It forged him into the myriad of things he was to become – artist, author, historian, businessman, marketer, custodian, politician and professor”.
Pretoria-born, he was a major figure in the advertising world but just as well known for his work as an author of books on military aircraft and for his role in forming and managed the PACT Symphony Orchestra.
During his time as executive director of the Association of Marketers he is credited with turning the annual Loerie Awards into the the high profile symbol of success it has become for those involved in advertising and marketing.
“A man with a large appetite for life, a large presence and an admirable, inspiring and ever-growing things-to-do list,” wrote the Hermanus Times in their obituary of him.
Mark Gleeson