FREDERIC H. AND CLYO (CLIO) RUSSELL DICKSON

by Clio Russell Dickson July 1, 1992

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Clio (Clyo) Edith Russell Dickson was born in Macleay, Marion County, Oregon, on December 18, 1918, to the parents Theron Milo and Gertrude McLain Russell, at the Feller place. The home still standing today and in good repair, is a lovely two-storied house.

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Clio moved with her parents and two brothers to Salem, Oregon, living on Mill Street, at the age of approximately two years. Her first memory, at the age of 2 ½ years, was playing in the yard at the Salem home with her brothers, Jesse and Doran. Her next recollection was the birth of her sister Ellen; she was with her maternal grandparents, Re. and Mrs. W.H. McLain at their home in Shelburn, Oregon, when they received the news of the birth.

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When she was about four years old, Clio moved from Salem with her family to a small farm at the Shelburn, Linn Co., Oregon. The family lived there only a short time before moving to Coos Bay. The family lived in a small cabin that Theron had built at Marshfield, near Coos By, Oregon. After about one year, at Shelburn (a one-room school house) when she was just under six years of age. Her first grade teacher was a Miss Downing. She and a little girl by the name of Helen Brown were the only first graders in the school The three older Russell children, Jesse, Doran and Clio, walked about 1 ½ miles down a railroad track to school each school day, as there was no regular road directly to the farm place.

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At the age of nine years, Clio moved with her family to Albany and lived in a rented home on what is now Queen Avenue. She entered Central School in the third grade. The rented house soon sold, so the family moved to North Albany and rented the Miller place on Highway 20 next to the home of the Hubert Schmidt family. She then attended the third grade at North Albany Elementary School. It was a two-room school; her teacher through the fourth grade was a Mrs. Robinson. She and her brothers Jesse, and Doran and sister Ellen all walked the railroad tracks to school as it was the most direct route. School buses were unheard of at that time. In a year or so, the Miller place was sold so the family bought a home on Cottage Avenue (now names Creswell Lane) not far from the Miller place and bordering property owned by Hubert Schmidt.

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July 22, 1929, another sister was born; she was named after mother, Gertrude Elizabeth Russell. Again Sister Ellen and I were staying out at the grandparents in Shelburn when our father brought news to us of the birth of this new little sister.

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Clio graduated from North Albany Elementary School, one of three in her class. She entered the ninth grade in mid-term (as she skipped ½ year at Central School. She finished her ninth grade the following mid-year at Madison School in Albany). It contained the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. The family sold the home on Cottage Avenue and purchased with Justin Ransom, the Bridgeway Service Station and cabins. This took place just before Clio entered the 10th grade. Before she graduated from Senior High School, the family moved again, after selling out the Russell interest in the service station and cabins to Mr. Ransom. The Russell’s bought Tower Grove Service Station and cabins early in 1036 and lived there about a year when again they sold their property they moved to a home on First Street in Albany early in 1938.

 

Clio graduated from Albany High School with honors in June 1936. She received a scholarship to Linfield College for partial tuition fees, but she was unable to enter Linfield because of lack of funds, so she entered Albany College (It was the last year in Albany before the college moved to Portland). She attended the college ½ year, but was unable to get the business courses she wanted. She had an opportunity to attend Pasadena Junior College in Pasadena, California, so finished her year there. While there, she lived with the A. Bohrnstedt family, working for her room and board and also working as a secretary in Mr. Bohrnstedt’s real estate office. After finishing her first year, she returned to the home of her parents on First Street in Albany, Oregon.

Soon after her return to Albany, Clio was hired by Shook Produce Company where she worked in the office for a year or so, she accepted a better position with the Alco Adjusting Collection and Credit Reporting Agency as manager of the credit reporting division. (Mr. Henry Bryant owned the business.) She worked for this company until she left Albany, December 1940.

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One of Clio’s girlfriends was Thelma Dickson. She and Thelma had gone through Albany High School together being partners in Home Economic, etc. Clio had known the Dickson family since shortly after moving to Albany, as both families attended the United Methodist Church. Clio had dated several young fellows along the way, but decided Thelma’s brother, Frederic was a very nice looking intelligent fellow. He was junior at Oregon State College (Oregon State University now) at that time. He was majoring in electrical engineering, had his own car (a plus), was an ROTC student at college and a member of the Oregon National Guard. He looked great in his uniform! Well, Clio’s father Theron invited Fred to have dinner with the family one evening. Fred and his dad had painted the Russell house. Pretty soon Clio wasn’t going around with Thelma, but was being escorted by her brother Fred. It must have been mutual, as the young couple fell in love after some time and Fred gave Clio her engagement ring about a week before her father passed away. Both wanted his approval. Both Mother and Daddy like Fred very much, so approved of the couple’s engagement.

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Sister Ellen was married September 10, 1939, to Raymond H. Schmidt. Father, Theron passed away September 14, 1939; this was a very sad time for the family and especially so to Clio as she and her father were very close.

Clio and Frederic had not planned just when they would marry as he was teaching and also working on his Master’s degree at OSC. After the loss of Clio’s father, her mother moved to Portland with younger sister Gertrude. Clio had always been used to having family around and all at once she was left alone in the home on First Street; she started to lose weight, etc. Finally after discussions with her mother and Frederic, she and Frederic decided to marry during his Christmas vacation. They were married December 24, 1939, by her maternal grandfather, Rev. S.H. McLain. It was a small wedding with just close relatives attending. In the Fireplace Room of the United Methodist Church which then stood at 3rd and Elsworth Street in Albany, Oregon. The newlyweds took a wedding trip up north in the state of Washington.

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Clio continued to work at the Alco Collection and Adjusting Agency and Frederic continued to teach at OSC. During the summer of 1940, Fred worked for KGW/KEX Radio stations as an engineer in Portland, so again Clio was left alone much of the time, as Fred was able to go home one day a week. The couple moved from the First St home (Mother sold it) to a rental home on West 8th Street in Albany and lived there until Fred accepted a Civil Service job at Scott Field, Illinois. Clio and Fred left Albany in December 1940, for Belleville, Illinois.

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When the US entered WWII, Fred was transferred to West Palm Beach, Florida. He was still in Civil Service teaching at that time, (the hush-hush) radar. In May of 1942 he was called to active duty with the Signal Corp, having a commission as a 2nd Lt in the Engineers from his ROTC training a OSC. He was ordered to report at Fort Monmouth, N.M. May 28, 1942. They moved to Hong Branch, N.J., and took an apartment (furnished) in the bottom of an old house along the Atlantic shore. Fred was at Fort Monmouth a short time as he received orders that he would be going overseas. He was headed for England and Eisenhower’s outfit. Clio left him at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on July 4, 1942; he headed for New York to catch a ship for England and Clio headed for Oregon. This was a very difficult and sad parting, both not knowing if or when they would see one another again. Clio was faced with driving the little Chevrolet business coup across the country to Oregon. Gas rationing had just been activated, but enough ration stamps were given her for the fuel she needed to reach Albany. Mother and Howard (Mother’s new husband and my step-father) invited Clio to live with them while Fred was overseas. They put Clio’s youngest sister, Gertrude, on the train; they met in Chicago so that she would have company on this last long leg of the trip to Oregon. It was terribly hot and Clio was sure that her foot got so hot on that gasoline peddle that she would have pressed a crease a pair of trousers. The girls made it finem, however, with no problems.

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Clio’s next home was with her mother and step-father, on West 11th Avenue in Albany, Oregon. She had a job waiting for her when she arrived in Albany. Judge Victor Oliver needed a secretary for a few weeks as his regular one, Lou Seaton, needed a leave. This office was next door to the Alco Collection and Credit Reporting Agency; she knew the girls working there which was nice. When this job terminate, Clio took a Civil Service job in Corvallis. She work on the second floor of the old Benton Hotel. She hated this job. From day to day, she typed on six carbon copies perfectly—no mistakes or erasure, the land descriptions of all the lands that the government had taken over for Camp Adair Cantonement. What a boring job! She was paid well, so stuck with the job until it was finished. The government wanted her to move with the crew to Canada, but she was able with the help of Uncle Rufus Russell, to get out of it without prejudice. Her next job was with her stepfather’s firm, Silver Wheel Motor Freight, Albany Oregon. She like the work as she was able to do a variety types of office work. Clio worked at Silver Wheel until Frederic returned in April of 1945.

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During this almost three years that Frederic was gone, Clio lived half the time with her mother and Howard Rowlee and the remainder of the time with her sister, Ellen Schmidt, and her family. The Schmidt’s had just recently purchased their farm. She loved living out on the farm with their family, their two little ones, Larry and baby Dianne. Dianne was born while she was living with them. What a beautiful baby girl!

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Upon Frederic’s return from the war in Europe (Germany was not fallen at that time---they returned him to the states because he had been gone so long), they were sent to Camp Holibird, Baltimore, Maryland. Fred came home a Captain in the Signal Corp. They lived in the Dundalk area of Baltimore, not far from Camp Holibird and were able to get housing in a government-owned housing area. Fred was transferred to the Pentagon, Wn DC, in 1946. He finally was able to get out of uniform and back as a Civil Service employee.

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After six years of marriage first child, Frederic Howard Dickson was born in Baltimore, MD, January 6, 1946. The young Dickson family bought their first home on Rosemary Lane, Falls Church, FA after Fred was stationed in WN DC. The house was a darling small cape cod. Daughter, Ellen Louise Dickson, was born in WN DC, December 22, 1949; she completed the family.

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After 7 ½ Years, the Dicksons were transferred to Fort Monmouth, N.J., located about fifty miles south of New York City, N.Y. Frederic had become Director of the Radio Propagation Agency under the War Department. He did a lot of travelling all around the world in this capacity. The family bought a large two-story colonial home on Heights Terrace, Fair Haven, N.J., a very nice area and not very far from Fort Monmouth and Fred’s office. The children were educated in the schools in New Jersey—elementary and high school. These were fine schools.

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Fred kept his military status active as a Reserve Officer, going on active duty two weeks each year. He retired a Lt. Colonel in the 1960’s. He retired from Civil Service April 1973, when we moved back to Albany, Oregon. Clio and Fred had a home built (their present home) 38566 NE Parkside Rd., Albany, Oregon.

Upon writing this brief biographical sketch, Clio is 73 ½ years old; she has enjoyed a full and happy life.