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Dr. E. Rolland Dickson obituary

Dr. E. Rolland Dickson was born in Hackensack, New Jersey on June 10, 1933, to Edgar Rolland Dickson, Sr. and Mary Jane (Smucker) Dickson and passed away peacefully at home on July 21, 2024. As a young boy, his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he attended Rocky River High School and excelled in multiple sports. After his high school graduation, he pursued an undergraduate degree at Ohio Wesleyan University and then received his M.D. degree from The Ohio State University. He married Rhea Collier while in medical school. After medical school he and his lifelong friend, Ed Rosenow, moved to Rochester, Minnesota with their families. What was supposed to be a year turned into many, with successful careers at The Mayo Clinic while raising their families.  Despite his busy career, he always had time for his sons with great stories of adventures and games that they will always remember.
His career accomplishments were many. He was internationally recognized as an expert in liver disease and received federal funding for many years to support this work. He started the liver transplant program at Mayo and served as its first director. He was the Director of the International Activities Committee and served as the Director of Development for ten years. His work as Director of Development shaped the future of the Mayo Clinic. He was a member of the Board of Trustees at Mayo Foundation from 1999 until 2003.
Professional recognitions include the Distinguished Achievement Award in Clinical Research and Liver Disease presented by the American Gastroenterological Association in 1994 and Mayo Clinical Department of Medicine Research Achievement Award in 1998. Doctor Dickson was honored in 2005 by receiving an honorary designation as Master in the American College of Physicians and in October of 2014 received Mayo Clinic’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Doctor Dickson was the recipient of the Doctors Mayo Society Lifetime Achievement Award in October of 2015. He remained active at the Mayo Clinic following his retirement and also used his time to serve on a number of boards including Axcan Pharmaceutical, Baxter International, Dole Foods, and Bay City Capital. He was Chairman of the A.J. and Sigismunda Palumbo Charitable Foundation and Chairman of Mayo Clinic Stiftung.
Despite his many achievements, he will be most remembered for his enthusiasm, tireless energy, humor, and his ability to connect with people. He felt his greatest professional accomplishments where the successes of those he mentioned. He is survived by the love of his life, Susan Schleeter Laging, who he married in 2003, his sons, Rolland C. and Mark, Mark’s wife, Cindy, his grandchildren Morgan, Mark, Graham, Anna, and Jackson, and his two great-grandchildren, Rayne and Piper.
He dearly loved his family, friends, and patients, and he will be greatly missed.
A private memorial service will be held.

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ISSN 2994-1059 (print)  ISSN 2994-1067 (online)