Clay Dickerson’s childhood was on a farm in southwestern Oregon. His daily chores were those common to farm-life, and his outdoor lifestyle included hunting and fishing with much free time spent in the woods. After high school graduation, he began a lifetime of physically challenging forest work, including the annual fight against summer wildfires common to the area. Income from that job initially was used to finance his college education, and later to support his young family.
His abilities and college degree led to relocation and nine years of supervising reforestation activities in the Clatsop and Elliott State Forests – both located in the rugged Oregon Coast Range Mountain chain. During those years, Dickerson continued wildland fire suppression as assigned in all parts of Oregon, as well as northern California and southeastern Washington.
A job transfer allowed the Dickerson family to return to the old family farm north of Grants Pass. Management of his mother’s farm was added to Clay Dickerson’s responsibilities, where raising hay and beef cattle occurred. He was named the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwestern Oregon Management Unit Forester in 1978, holding that position until his retirement in 1999.
In 2003, a derelict ranch about twenty miles further north was purchased. Dickerson and his wife moved their herd of cattle and began a busy retirement of rebuilding and renewal on the rundown property. Always involved in their community and the education of youth, individually and as a couple, Dickerson and his wife continued to be connected to school activities and the local rural fire department..
Only after years of inducements, reminders, and a lot of urging, in 2017 Clay Dickerson spent three months at a computer. He produced his book, Fire At My Feet. It is a memoir of his life-long career as Professional Forester and Wildland Firefighter. Soon after publication, the author worried about the length and decided to divide the book into two parts.
FIRE AT MY FEET (Book 1)
The first of the two smaller books, Fire At My Feet: Five Years on the Fire Line, is a selection of stories from the summers when he had just finished high school and stumbled into wildland firefighting.
NEEDLES IN MY HAIR (Book 2)
Book Two, Needles In My Hair: A Lifetime Caring For Oregon Wildlands, continues the series. A multitude of adventures and experiences were his daily experience in Professional Forest Science. Many choices were available for description. Rescues. reforestation, rehabilitation, many fires both intentional and wild, and several other outdoor activities are included in the collection of tales.
Dickerson was as surprised as anyone by what his writing produced. His childhood had been on a modest sized farm about twelve miles north of Grants Pass Oregon. He had liked to read, but had a personally lukewarm attitude toward school in general. Hard work and chores were common to his farm life. He was most comfortable when outdoors, seeking peace in the woods,
After retirement from professional work of nearly forty years, the author continued a very active life-style. Going back to his childhood ways, he and his wife took up ranching near Azalea Oregon and were deeply involved in the community.
With a calendar filled with up-coming volunteer activities and speaking events, Dickerson died unexpectedly in September 2019.
In the words of many friends and co-workers…“His life was well-lived. Thanks Clay, for your service.”
Contact Information
Website: www.fireatmyfeet.com
Facebook: fireatmyfeet@FireAtMyFeet44
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