A Tragic Loss

Moscow City Councilman John Dickinson Missing, Presumed Dead

By Joan Opyr, 1-10-07

Moscow City Councilman John Dickinson is missing, presumed dead, after an accident that occurred Sunday night on Interstate 84 in Oregon. Councilman Dickinson, 62, had stopped his car to assist another motorist when a third car crashed into the scene. Dickinson either fell or jumped from the bridge over the John Day River where it meets the Columbia. The waters at this intersection are swift and cold, and the drop from the bridge is some thirty feet. It is unlikely that Dickinson could have survived the fall or the 40-degree water temperatures. What began as a rescue effort was, by Monday afternoon, being described as a recovery.

John Dickinson was a friend and a political ally. He was a retired University of Idaho Professor and the founder of Sirius Idaho Theatre. John was a strong advocate for smart growth, the environment, and the people of Moscow. I will miss him personally. The community will miss him even more. We have a lost a compassionate and caring man, and an important and outspoken voice for justice and equity in Idaho.

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