Members are asked to spend a moment reflecting on the passing of ACW author Christopher Dickey. We know him from his talk to us on “Our man in Charleston” based on his ACW book. He was the son of author James Dickey who wrote Deliverance. Many sons of famous fathers strive to exceed the mantle of their fathers. To Chris’ credit he did it. He trained as a journalist and found himself travelling the world as a correspondent for the Washington Post, Newsweek and The Daily Beast. He wrote several books.
It was in his last capacity that we met him. He had settled in Paris and from there was able to join us for a memorable talk about his book and growing up in Tennessee with his father around the ACW centenary events.
I followed him on Twitter, and he spent his time tweeting about the failings of Trump and his enjoyment of Paris cafes and boulevards, two things which I have great empathy with. I did notice that his postings had stopped but in my small busy world I didn’t reach out to find out why.
He died of heart failure on 16 July 2020 aged 68.
Greg Bayne Jan 2021