SEPTEMBER 2015
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From Kathy Griffin to Gore Vidal, from Yogi Berra to Roy Lichtenstein, many famous celebrities, authors, artists and politicians have attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys across the country and around the world. Join us throughout the month for a showcase of famous graduates. |
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September 1: Kathy Griffin
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In a day and age when women weren’t educated, Kathy Griffin’s progressive parents sent her to the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Manhattan as “Cory” Griffin. Pictured at the far left top: Kathy Griffin Pictured at the far left bottom: Kathy Griffin's yearbook as "Cory Griffin" from the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Manhattan Pictured at the left: Kathy Griffin look-alike, Les Chetwynd III, memorialized as a wax figure of Kathy Griffin in the National Celebrity Look-Alike Wax Museum in Washerst, PA -- the birthplace of Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). |
Pictured below left: The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Manhattan. Pictured below right: The Qwerty Jean Dickinson Theatre (named for Emmett Lee Dickinson's daughter) at the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Manhattan. When Kathy Griffin attended the school, she starred at the theatre as Alan Strang in Peter Shaffer's play Equus.
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September 2: Althena the Cow
Prior to entering Princeton, where she earned a Doctorate in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Herbology, Althena the Cow attended the Emmett Lee School for Boys in East Vandergrift, Pennsylvania. She credited her own, Downing Lappe, Jr., and the rigorous curriculum at the ELD School for Boys for her success.
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Pictured at the far left: Celebrated cow psychologist Dr. Parthenia Oddlin, who researched self-esteem in cows to determine why some cows produce whole milk and others yield 2% or skim milk
Pictured at the left: Downing Lappe, Jr., a graduate assistant working for Dr. Parthenia Oddlin at Harvard University, was able to teach his cow Athena to read. He had hoped that Athena would be accepted into Harvard, but that was not to be. Instead, Athena graduated from Princeton in 1994 with a Doctorate in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Herbology. |
Pictured below at the left: The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in East Vandergrift, PA. Pictured below at the right: Althena Hall, named for Althena the Cow, at the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in East Vandergrift. The walls of Althena Hall are lined with pictures of Dickinson & his family.
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September 3: Gore Vidal
Author Gore Vidal, who wrote one of the most famous trilogies about Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request), attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Manhattan (see the entry above dated September 1). Below right: Vidal is shown in the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys yearbook.
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September 4: Kato Kaelin
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Kato Kaelin, who gained notoriety as a minor witness in the murder trial of O. J. Simpson, was once a theater major at the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Greendale, Wisconsin -- although he did not graduate from the school. He had starring roles in both "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" and "Witness for the Prosecution" in the Dickinson Theatre at the school. After harsh reviews for his performances, he dropped out of the school, although he remained on property in a guest house for more than two more semesters.
Pictured at the left: Kato Kaelin Below left: The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Greendale, Wisconsin Below right: Dickinson Theatre at the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Greendale, Wisconsin |
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September 5: Eminem
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Pictured at the left: The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Detroit Michigan Pictured at the right: Eminem, with a tattoo of Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) on his chest. For more information on Eminem and Emmett Lee Dickinson, click HERE -- and scroll down to the entry dated July 30. |
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September 6: Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper, a prominent American painter shown below on the left in a self-portrait, attended the Emmett lee Dickinson School for Boys in Upper Nyack, New York. He painted a likeness of the school in a painting that hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Often referred to as "View from Williamsburg Bridge" (below on the right), Hopper paid homage to his school by including its likeness in the painting. Look closely in the shadow at the top of the red brick building on the right.
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"The only real influence I've ever had was Emmett Lee Dickinson," said Hopper, and he placed Dickinson-esque motifs in many of his paintings. He even painted a likeness of Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) in his most famous painted, "Nighthawks" (pictured at the left). Dickinson is the single man at the counter on the left. |
September 7: Andy Warhol
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Pictured below: Andy Warhol was significantly influenced by Emmett Lee Dickinson. When Jamie Wyeth offed to paint Warhol, Warhol insisted that he paint him in the classic Dickinson pose. "It's who I am," said Warhol.
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Pictured below: The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Pittsburgh -- Andy Warhol's alma mater.
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For more information on the Warhol-Dickinson connection, click HERE (and scroll down to the entry on The Andy Warhol Training Center for Reality and Public Appearances) and click HERE (scroll down to the entry on Warhol).
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Pictured at the left: The student cafeteria at the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Pittsburgh, PA. Warhol had very fond memories of his days at the ELDSB in Pittsburgh. In his autobiography "Fifteen Minutes of Fun," Warhol admitted that some of his favorite memories were of the school's student cafeteria. "I loved the soup," he said. "Actually, it was more than love. I adored the soup." His favorite was when the cafeteria served Emmett Lee Dickinson's recipe for corn chowder. |
September 8: Meryl Streep
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Kathy Griffin was not the only woman to attend or graduate from the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys (see the entry above dated September 1). Meryl Streep attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys and Military Academy in Bernardsville, New Jersey.
After Streep graduated from the internationally acclaimed Institute for the Study of Body Language, Mummery, and Mimery in 1967, she could not find gainful employment of any kind, so she enrolled in the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys and Military Academy. At the time she had decided upon a career in the military. Pictured at the right: The 1967 graduating class of the Institute for the Study of Body Language, Mummery, and Mimery -- known as the "Sixty-seven class from heaven." Members of the class of '67 included the following: |
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Bernadette Peters (3rd from the left), Meryl Streep (5th from the left), Andy Kaufman (6th from the left); Sissy Spacek (5th from the right), Garry Shandling (4th from the right), Brent Spiner (2nd from the right).
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Below: Streep's ELD School for Boys yearbook picture as "Merl" Streep.
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Above: The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys and Military Academy in Benardsville, NJ. "Merl" Streep attended for two years in hopes of becoming a gunner's mate on a submarine.
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Below: Streep credits her time at ELD for helping her develop the skill of adopting realistic dialects.
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September 9: Artie (the alternative universe Archie)
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Did you know that fictional characters also attended Emmett Lee Dickinson Schools for Boys? One of the earliest was Artie, a comic book character who attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Riverdale, Massachusetts. In later volumes cartoonists Bob Montana and Vic Bloom created an alternate or "bizarro" universe of characters, including Archie, the "bizarro" alternative to Artie (this was the inspiration for an episode in season eight of Seinfeld).
In the "bizarro" universe, Archie was the equivalent of Artie, Jughead equaled Jarhead, Veronica and Betty were Lamonica and Mable, and Reggie was Robbie --and the Dickinson School for Boys became Riverdale High School. 
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Above: An earlier edition of an "Artie" comic.
Left: The depiction of the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Riverdale. |
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Pictured at the left: The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in the Artie comics was inspired by the city hall in Haverhill, Massachusetts. |
September 10: The Staff from "The Office"
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Artie from the comics (see above) wasn't the only fictional character to attend an Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys. In the hit TV show the office, every male character on the show attended a Dickinson school from somewhere in Pennsylvania. Though the characters were fictional, the schools were, in fact, real schools in Pennsylvania:
Michael Scott (Steve Carell) attended the ELD School for Boys in Scranton. Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) attended the ELD School for Boys in Altoona. Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) attended the ELD School for Boys in Harrisburg Stanely Hudson (Leslie Daivd Baker) attended the ELD School for Boys in Uniontown Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) attended the ELD School for Boys in Johnstown When the show was developed, Steve Carell insisted that all of the characters be graduated from ELD schools -- because he had attended the school in Scranton in real life! He even demanded that the name of the office's paper company come from the names of his alma mater's principal (Hugo Dunder) and vice principal (Wilkins Mifflin). |
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Above: The company in "The Office" is named for the principal and vice principal of the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Scranton, PA:
Hugo Dunder and Wilkins Mifflin. |
September 11: Yogi Berra
Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra attended the Emmett Lee School for Boys in St. Louis, MO, and he said that he was greatly influenced by the life and poetry of Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). For information, click HERE (and scroll down to the entry on Yogi Berra).
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Berra took up baseball after he got kicked off the ELD School for Boys' Debate Team (pictured at the right in the lower left corner).
Debate proved to be too puzzling for him. "Debate is ninety percent mental," he said, "and the other half is cerebral." When he was dismissed from the team, he said he shouldn't have been because, "I never said most of the things I said." He just shrugged his shoulders, though, and said, "Even Napoleon had his Alamo." 
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September 12: Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Manhattan (pictured above in the entry dated Sept 1). It was Lichtenstein's fascination and interest in the poetry of Emmett Lee Dickinson that inspired his work. For information on the Lichtenstein-Dickinson connection click HERE and HERE.
Dickinson's poem "Of Squad I ask one waiver (below on the left) inspired Lichtenstein's painting by the same name pictured at the right. Dickinson's poem also inspired third cousin Emily to write "Of god we ask on favor" (below on the right). |
Emmett Lee Dickinson's poem "I've never won The Crown" (below on the left) inspired the Lichtenstein painting by the same name pictured at the left.
Dickinson's poem also inspired third cousin Emily's poem "I never saw a Moor" (below on the right).
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By Emmett Lee Dickinson:
Of Squad I ask one waiver – That I may be forgiven – For speed, his radar Zoomed to know – The Crime, from me, was Driven – Impeded by intense Blue Light With apprehension Risen – He reprimanded my Rapidness And then the Voucher given. |
By Emily Dickinson:
Of God we ask one favor – That we may be forgiven – For what, he is presumed to know – The Crime, from us, is hidden – Immured the whole of Life Within a magic Prison – We reprimand the Happiness That too competes with Heaven. |
September 13: Ben & Jerry (of Ben & Jerry's)
Brothers Benjamin "Ben" and Jerald "Jerry" Wooster attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Manhattan (see the entry above dated Sept 1).
As adults, they moved to Burlington, Vermont, where they opened Vermont's first Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys -- and then in 1978 they opened an ice cream business that includes 30+ flavors named after poems by Emily Dickinson and Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). Information on the Dickinsonian flavors of Ben & Jerry's ice cream is HERE.
As adults, they moved to Burlington, Vermont, where they opened Vermont's first Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys -- and then in 1978 they opened an ice cream business that includes 30+ flavors named after poems by Emily Dickinson and Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). Information on the Dickinsonian flavors of Ben & Jerry's ice cream is HERE.
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Pictured at the left: Yearbook pictures from the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys of Benjamin "Ben" Wooster and Jerald "Jerry" Wooster.
Pictured at the right: "Sundae School" was developed in tribute to Miss. Grissell, the school's beloved cafeteria lady (and also the boys' Sunday School teacher). It combines chocolate ice cream with beef-a-roni (a favorite at the ELD school for boys) and swirls of chocolate syrup. |
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Pictured at the right: The yearbook picture of Manhattan's ELD School for Boys' beloved cafeteria lady Minerva Grissell. Miss Grissell was also the school's boys' intramurals coach and Sunday School teacher. Miss. Grissell taught Ben & Jerry Wooster how to make ice cream, and later in life they combined their favorite ELD School for Boys' lunch (beef-a-roni) with chocolate ice cream to create the ever-popular Ben & Jerry's flavor "Sundae School," an ice cream tribute to their alma mater and Miss. Grissell. Below: Ben & Jerry's favorite poem by Emmett Lee Dickinson is "How lacking is the Rocky Road" (on the left). Dickinson's poem inspired third cousin Emily to write "How happy is the little Stone" (on the right). |
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By Emmett Lee Dickinson:
How lacking is the Rocky Road That sits atop the Cone alone, And begs a second luscious dip Pistachio or Chocolate Chip – The Cone submerged in Chocolate brown An apathetic clerk put on, And though the treat is shrewdly built I’ll savor and ignore my guilt, Fulfilling me with outright glee In spite of intense calorie – |
By Emily Dickinson:
How happy is the little Stone That rambles in the Road alone, And doesn’t care about Careers And Exigencies never fears – Whose Coat of elemental Brown A passing Universe put on, And independent as the Sun Associates or glows alone, Fulfilling absolute Decree In casual simplicity – |
September 14: Stiller and Meara
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Jerry Stiller attended the Emmett Lee School for Boys at Ridgewood & Lincoln Avenues in Brooklyn, NY. He met Anne Meara who attending the Qwerty Anne Dickinson School for Girls on the opposite corner from his school in Brooklyn. Qwerty Anne Dickinson was the oldest sister of Emmett Lee Dickinson. Pictured at the left: The yearbook picture of Jerry Stiller from the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Brooklyn. Pictured at the right: The yearbook picture of Anne Meara from the Qwerty Anne Dickinson School for Girls in Brooklyn. |
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After Stiller & Meara graduated from high school, both attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson Community College in Washerst, PA. Both majored in Philosophy, and both were cheerleaders for the Fighting Poets.
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September 15: Andy Richter
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Conan O'Brien's sidekick Andy Richter attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boy in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Richter barely graduated -- with a grade point average of 1.8. He confessed, though, that "The Dickinson School for Boys made me what I am today." Right: Andy Richter's yearbook picture from the ELD School for Boys in Grand Rapids. |
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September 16: Mel Blanc
American voice actor, Melvin "Mel" Blanc, who provided the voices for Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, and more, attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Portland, Oregon. While in school, Blanc was shy and quiet, but found an outlet in the school's Mime Club.
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Below: Mel Blanc -- who late in life served on the Board of Directors of the Dickinson Organization of Poetry Enthusiasts (DOPE).
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Below: At the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys, Melvin Blanc was in the Mime Club. He served as the group's Sargent at Arms.
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Below: While at the ELD School for Boys, Melvin also created the pantomime character named Gumbo the Fish Monger.
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September 17: E. E. Cummings
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Edward Estlin "E. E." Cummings attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His passion for the poetry of Dickinson is what guided him to a career in poetry -- that and his lack of aptitude in math!
Pictured at the left: E. E. Cummings Pictured at the right: The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Cambridge. |
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Cummings' favorite poem by Dickinson was "i suck at logic, stats, and trig" (below on the left). That poem inspired him to write "i sing of Olaf glad and big" (below on the right).
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By Emmett Lee Dickinson:
i suck at logic, stats and trig with hardest drills recalled a chore: entrenched as a stunned resist-or my wellintentioned tutor(grad MIT-er most distinctly trained) took erring logic in her site; but— teacher of an overwhelmed nincom (and knocking on my brain me)aimed at frozen brainwaves of that helplessness which others ignored by rushing completely assumed i grasped their muddy labored love while my faulty intellect stored absolute zero per blunt means-- Logic(being in all percents-- a cryptic and most puzzling math upon the reason God gave me) responds by acting all annoyed “Do not dismiss this function graph” straightway the baffling grid looked blurred (a well-known expletive was heard) but— through all kinds of countless drills (the serving tutor’s tried and true) my passive mind did curse and kick until one day a bell did ding and sum of what was said did stick i aced my first examining a long fought battle over time by means of skillfully reviews and late maneuvers over night Logic(a foe that was once sting) does almost ceaselessly perplex pi anxiety with side effects our last exam is late next week the odds i’m hopeful to defy i’ll study problems each unique so that my grade won’t up and die Christ(so i pray before each test) i ask a “C”; and logically it’s possible i’ll pass because unless statistics lie i will be average quite successfully |
By E. E. Cummings:
i sing of Olaf glad and big whose warmest heart recoiled at war: a conscientious objecto-or his wellbeloved colonel(trig westpointer most succinctly bred) took erring Olaf soon in hand; but--though an host of overjoyed noncoms(first knocking on the head him)do through icy waters roll that helplessness which others stroke with brushes recently employed anent this muddy toiletbowl, while kindred intellects evoke allegiance per blunt instruments-- Olaf(being to all intents a corpse and wanting any rag upon what God unto him gave) responds,without getting annoyed "I will not kiss your f---ing flag." straightway the silver bird looked grave (departing hurriedly to shave) but – though all kinds of officers (a yearning nation’s blueeyed pride) their passive prey did kick and curse until for wear their clarion voices and boots were much the worse, and egged the firstclassprivates on his rectum wickedly to tease by means of skilfully applied bayonets roasted hot with heat – Olaf(upon what were once knees) does almost ceaselessly repeat “there is some shit I will not eat” our president,being of which assertions duly notified threw the yellowsonofabitch into a dungeon where he died Christ(of His mercy infinite) i pray to see;and Olaf,too preponderatingly because unless statistics lie he was more brave than me:more blond than you. |
September 18: Jimmy Kimmel
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Jimmy Kimmel attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Las Vegas (pictured at the right). Below left: Jimmy Kimmel's 2nd grade class at the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys, Kimmel is the 3rd from the right in the front row. Below right: Jimmy Kimmel as a junior at the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys. |
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Jimmy Kimmel's favorite poem by Emmett Lee Dickinson was his ode to late night talk shows, "Some say goodnight -- at night" (below on the left). Dickinson's poem inspired third cousin Emily to write a poem with the same first line (below on the right).
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By Emmett Lee Dickinson:
Some say goodnight – at night – I say good day at night – Good-day – the Guest list I utter – Good-day, I still reply – For talking, that is night, And babbling, on and on – Itself, the meaning in the night Delivers us to morn. |
By Emily Dickinson:
Some say goodnight – at night – I say goodnight by day – Good-bye – the Going utter me – Goodnight, I still reply – For parting, that is night, And presence, simply dawn – Itself, the purple on the height Denominated morn. |
September 19: Jimmy Fallon
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Jimmy Fallon attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Saugerties, New York. He was a teacher favorite -- he always reminded the teachers if they forgot to announce the class' homework, and if ever a teacher had to leave a room, Jimmy would monitor his classes and write names of bad students on the chalkboard.
Below left: Jimmy Fallon at the Emmett Lee Dickinson School of Boys, Lower Level. Below right: The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys' Slide Rule Club which included Jimmy Fallon. At the time, Jimmy had aspired to become a math teacher. Click the images to enlarge. |
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September 20: Ray Kroc
Above: Ray Kroc: founder of McDonald's, inventor of the chicken nugget, and lover of E L Dickinson.
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Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald's and inventor of the chicken nugget and frozen fish patty, attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Oak Park, Illinois (which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright).
Kroc said he realized his goals due to his "3 Keys to Success": 1. Read poetry of Emmett Lee Dickinson daily. 2. Eat plenty of red meat. 3. Employ a clown as a company spokesman. |
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Kroc was an intern in the kitchen at the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Oak Park for several years. There, he worked for the Kitchen Manager, Ronald "Big Mac" McDonald. Kroc always attributed his success to the tutelage of "Big Mac" McDonald -- at to his "3 Keys to Success."
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Below: The main kitchen of the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Oak Park, Illinois.
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Below: The main dining room at the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Oak Park. Frank Lloyd Wright designed the building -- and the furniture!
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Pictured at the right: Ray Kroc's teacher and mentor, Ronald "Big Mac" McDonald.
Kroc named his company after McDonald; he named the company's signature sandwich after his nickname, "Big Mac"; and he named his company's clown after him, "Ronald." The "golden arches," though -- according to Kroc in his autobiography, Do You Want Fries With That -- were to suggest the "Em" in "Emmett." 
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September 21: John Cage
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American composer and music theorist John Cage attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Midtown Manhattan. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage attributed his passion and success to his love of the poetry of Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request).
Left: Composer John Cage Right: The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Midtown Manhattan |
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Below: Cage's seminal work for no hands on the piano, 4" 33," was inspired by and dedicated to the National Academy of Deaf Piano Tuners located in Washerst, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of Emmett Lee Dickinson.
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Below: Cage wrote "Tinnitus" for soprano sax years before he developed the malady.
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Below: "White Noise" was Cage's companion piece to his earlier "Tinnitus." It is written for the window air conditioner.
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Below: Two years after composing "White Noise," Cage wrote "Brown Noise" for bass recorder. The piece was the inspiration for an episode of "South Park."
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September 22: Conan O'Brien
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Conan O'Brien was a foreign exchange student at the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Brookline, Massachusetts. His father was a shamrock farmer in Kilkenneykonkarney in County Kildare, Ireland, but he moved his family to Massachusetts during Ireland's four-leaf clover blight.
Pictured at the left: Conan O'Brien and his sister Muirgheal (who suffered from a rare skin disease called Impotato, related to Impetigo). While at the ELD School for Boys, O'Brien was a member of the Irish Dance Club, the Future Irish Farmers of America (FIFA), and the Irish Poetry Club, and he was the president of the student chapter of the Irish Republican Army.
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September 23: Bob Fosse
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When Bob Fosse attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Chicago, he aspired to be a professional bowler -- and the school was one of the few high schools with a Olympic-sized bowling alley. Left: The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Chicago. Right: Bob Fosse: dancer, musical theatre choreographer, director, screenwriter, film director, actor, and bowler. |
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Below: Fosse (far right) was co-captain of the E L Dickinson School for Boys' bowling team, the Iambic PINtameters.
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Below: Fosse was recognized as a bowling prodigy by his bowling coach, Bela Karolyi.
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September 24: The Pantone Brothers
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All twelve of the Pantone brothers, from the family that developed Pantone colors, attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Carlstadt, New Jersey. Pictured at the right: The Pantone Brothers. Front row, left to right: Auburn, Gray, Sage, Redd, and Buff. Back row, left to right: Rusty, Slate, Sterling, Tanner, Teal and Jade. Not pictured: Greg. Pictured below: The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Carlstadt, New Jersey. |
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Pictured below: Some of the poetic and Dickinsonian Pantone paint colors developed by the Pantone family in Carlstadt, NJ. The colors are available exclusively at Delbert Dickinson's Cut-Price Hardware & Paint Store in Washerst, PA (the birthplace of Emmett Lee Dickinson, Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). (Delbert Dickinson is no relation to Emmett Lee Dickinson or Emily Dickinson.)
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September 25: Chris Christie
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Chris Christie attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Livingston, NJ. Although he was the senior class president, he was not allowed to take part in the school's graduation ceremony due to an elaborate prank where he blocked all of the local bridges with the school's class and cafeteria chairs.
Pictured at the left: Chris Christie Pictured at the right: The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys on the Hudson River in Livingston, New Jersey. |
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Below: Chris Christie's senior prank made news in all of the major newspapers, like this article from The New York Times.
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Chris Christie was also quite the Bridge player, though Bridge was not a popular game with youth -- especially boys. Therefore, he'd often dress up a Lady Christina Corncake Crofton, and he'd hit the Bridge tournaments in Camden, Trenton, Newark, and more. He made enough money hustling unsuspecting Bridge players to put himself through college. Pictured at the right: Chris Christie dressed as Lad Christina Corncake Crofton at the American Contract Bridge League's Tournament of Champions in the Camden tri-city area. |
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September 26: Dick Poop
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Dick Poop, an events planner for the Dickinson Organization of Poetry Enthusiasts (DOPE) and the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum (above the coin-op Laundromat on Dickinson Boulevard), had a rough start to this year.
Back in January, when the President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was announcing the nominations for the Academy Awards, she erringly called cinematographer Dick Pope "Dick Poop," and the world had a good laugh. Social media went crazy, and Late night comedians went hard -- all at the expense of Dick Poop. "People may laugh at my name and scoff at what I do," said Poop, "but what I do do on a regular basis is important." Poop graduated from the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Flushing, New York. He then earned his Certification in Recreation and Activities Planning at the South Hadley Institute of Technology. |
Above: Dick Poop, the number 2 man in the events planning department for the ELD Museum.
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Above left: The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Flushing, New York. Above right: Dick Poop
Below: The South Hadley Institute of Technology in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where Dick Poop earned his CRAP (Certification in Recreation and Activities Planning). Poop also met his wife at South Hadley, Betty Butkiss Poop.
Below: The South Hadley Institute of Technology in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where Dick Poop earned his CRAP (Certification in Recreation and Activities Planning). Poop also met his wife at South Hadley, Betty Butkiss Poop.
September 27: Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis)
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Long before he became Pope Francis, Jorge Mario Bergoglio attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Jorge joined the school's Bull Riding Team and became a championship rider. He lettered in the sport three years while at the school, and in his senior year, he won the national title in the sport. Pictured at the right: Jorge Mario Bergoglio (who late became Pope Francis) |
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Pictured above on the right: The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Pictured below: Young Jorge Mario Borgoglio when he first joined the ELD School for Boys' Bull Riding Team. THE POPE'S VISIT TO THE ELD MUSEUM:
Pope Francis, a great aficionado of Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request), visited the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum (above the coin-op Laundromat on Dickinson Boulevard) on September 26th before traveling to Philadelphia, the last stop on his visit to the United States. To read all about his visit to the museum, click HERE. |
September 28: Robert Frost
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Robert Frost attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
He LOVED the hip-hop poetry of Emmett Lee Dickinson -- a phase Dickinson went through in his teen years -- but Frost's teacher, Myrtle Shelduck, forbade such poetry in her classroom. Pictured at the left: Robert Frost Pictured at the right: Miss. Shelduck whips Robert Frost for reading the hip-hop poetry of Emmett Lee Dickinson in class. |
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Below: One of Frost's favorite poems by Emmett Lee Dickinson was "She's like hot sauce cuz she go with everything" (on the left). That poem inspired Frost to write a poem called "Fire and Ice" (on the right).
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By Emmett Lee Dickinson:
She's like hot sauce cuz she go with everything But she got the a/c on full blast and I'm effin cold. Now I'm not a playa but I crush a lot And generally attracted to the ones keep it hot all day Tho what woman's as hot as she think herself? It's the ones not all n2 themselves that End up far better than expected. Holla! Either way, she gone be dangerous. Wanna bet? |
By Robert Frost:
Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice. |
September 29: Oprah Winfrey
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No, Oprah Winfrey did not attend an Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys. However, it was a poem of Dickinson's that helped her shape the philosophy for Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.
Winfrey said that she patterned the school after Kathy Griffin's School of Improv, Comedy & Comedy Arts in Washerst, PA (the birthplace of Dickinson). However it was Dickinson's poem "The Class so little has to do" that led her to the decision to use trailers as classrooms. |
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Below: Emmett Lee Dickinson's poem "The Class so little has to do" (on the left) is what led to Oprah's decision to use trailers as classrooms. The philosophy of the Leadership Academy states that students should not have to deal "With only Teacher’s Talks to brood" where "Boredom quickly grows." With trailers as classrooms, the school allows and enourages teachers to drive off with students at any time to incorporate a field trip with any lesson. Dickinson's poem also inspired third cousin Emily to write "The Grass so little has to do" (on the right).
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By Emmett Lee Dickinson:
The Class so little has to do – A Square of simple Rows – With only Teacher’s Talks to brood And Boredom quickly grows – And sit all day to dreary Tones The Lectures fetch along – And hold our Breath to take a nap And droop to everything – And dread the Blues, all day, that Palls – And brings ourselves so down The Teachers are too common For such a noticing – And even when we try – to pass With Grades to top the line – Like Lowly children, lain to sleep – Or Drifters, wandering – And so, in Graveyard Rows we dwell – And dream the Days away. The Class so little has to do I wish I were at Play – |
By Emily Dickinson:
The Grass so little has to do -- A Sphere of simple Green -- With only Butterflies to brood And Bees to entertain -- And stir all day to pretty Tunes The Breezes fetch along -- And hold the Sunshine in its lap And bow to everything -- And thread the Dews, all night, like Pearls -- And make itself so fine A Duchess were too common For such a noticing -- And even when it dies -- to pass In Odors so divine -- Like Lowly spices, lain to sleep – Or Spikenards, perishing – And then, in Sovereign Barns to dwell – And dream the Days away, The Grass so little has to do I wish I were a Hay – |
September 30: Orville Redenbacher
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Orville Redenbacher did not attend an Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys -- he founded them!
In his youth, Emmett Lee Dickinson spent time at Camp Wattchulukinat (pronounced "what you lookin' at")for Troubled Youth (now "Camp Wattchulukinat for Creatively Disturbed Teens") in Fort Crook, Nebraska. There he met the Redenbacher brothers, Orville and Wilbur, and he forged a friendship that would last for years due to their one common passion: corn. Orville Redenbacher said that Emmett Lee Dickinson -- the man and his poetry -- changed his life! Therefore, after he made untold fortunes by revolutionizing the world of pop corn, he gave back to society by founding the premiere system of private schools in the world, the Emmett Lee Dickinson Schools for Boys. Pictured at the left: Orville Redenbacher, the founder of Emmett Lee Dickinson Schools for Boys |
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Pictured at the right: The first Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Fort Crook, Nebraska. Orville Redenbacher built the first school where he first met Emmett Lee Dickinson. Pictured left to right: The staff and students of the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Fort Crook, Nebraska: * Minnie Roach, Cafeteria Manager * Elferd Malooney, Principal and Dean of Students * Edna Fish, Teacher and School Nurse * Zebulon Peebles III, Chief Groundskeeper * Hargate Quirke, Student & Class President * Frobisher Spitz, Student On the roof: Gertie the Cow (Althena the Cow's third cousin, twice removed -- see the entry above dated September 2) |
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Below on the left: The second of Orville Redenbacher's Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Oelwein, Iowa. Below center: The original building of Redenbacher's third-built Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys stands on the grounds of the present ELD School in Eudora, Kansas. Below on the right: The fourth of Recenbacher's magnificent schools was the first two-room school-house in America. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
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