Evening star., 1939-08-20
John B. Dickmon, ST., Marks
8Oth Birthday Today
Also Will Observe 50
Years of Association
With Printing Industry

John B. Dickman, sr., today is
observing simultaneously his 80th
birthday anniversary and SO years
of association with the printing in
dustry.
Long prominent labor leader
and civic worker, Mr.. Dickman, who
was retired IN 1924 from the Govern
ment Printing ONCE after many
years service there, has continued
active in other fields in which he
is interested.
Hale and hearty, he was planning
to observe quietly his birthday an
niversary at his home, 1928 Veazey
street NV, with his son, John B.
Dickman, jr., patent attorney; two
grandchildren, John Dickman, Sd,
and Joseph Dickman, and friends.
He then was planning to attend the
monthly meeting of the Columbia
Typographical Union, No. 10l, which
he Joined in 1880 and has served
three times as president.
Mr.. Dickman first was president
of the union in 1888, when the term
ran one year. He again served as its
president in l9l2-l4 and again from
1887 to June of this year, being in
Office 81 years after his first service.
Declaring he is in better condi-
ton now than he was Is years ago,
Mr. Dickman said he has no recipe
for health and long life, except to
Just simply look the world pleasantly
in the face" believing that cheer
full disposition is more conducive to
long life than anything else.
Besides his service as president of
Columbia typographical Union, Mr..
Dickman mas served it and other
labor organizations in various i'm
portant capacities. Four times he
was president of the Central Labor
Union here and served as it's dele
gate to the American Federation of
Labor convention in New Orleans in
1902. In 1927 he was president of the
Maryland State and District of Co.
lumbia Federation of Labor.
In 1886 he was the Columbia
typographical Unions delegate to
the International typographical
Convention in Pittsburgh, its dele
gate to Providence, R. l., in 1914
and in 1896 its delegate to the con-
vention at Colorado Spring, Colo.-
so years after his first service as
delegate.
Always interested in printers and
their welfare, Mr.. Dickman was one
of the first to secure an agree
ment between the Typographical
Union and the Government Print
ing Office through which the lat
ter agreed to meet certain union
standards in hiring printers.
In the old days when gas was
used to melt the lead used in limo
type machines, carbon monoxide
gas escaped from them. Mr.. Dick
man, believing the fumes seriously
impaired the health of printers,
introduced resolution at the Prov
idence International Convention in
1914 to request that hoods be placed
over the heaters and that pipes
be placed to carry away the gases.
This was done.
AS a civic worker Mr.. Dickman
long has been an active member of
the Citizens Joint Committee on
National Representation for the
District of Columbia. He also has
the distinction of having served
on the Board of Directors of the
first Fairgrounds Association here.
which organization years ago fought
for better playground facilities for
the children of Washington.
Also, in the 80s he was one of the
sponsors of bill to provide free
text books for public school children.
A native of Dayton, Ohio, Mr..
Dickman began service in the Gov
ernment Printing Office in 1880 as
! a compositor He continued service