Capitola Dickerson

Capitola Leodra Dickerson (September 21, 1913June 15, 2012) was an American piano instructor in Summit, New Jersey and graduate of the Juilliard School in Manhattan who taught several generations of students. She was honored by local authorities for her volunteer service and civil rights contributions and community leadership. She taught New Jersey preschoolers in Cranford and Millburn and she taught music to the hearing impaired. She taught preschoolers at the Westfield Day Care Center from 1978 to 2000, teaching rhythm, movement, songs and music appreciation to thousands of children.
Notable students
Dickerson local resident Lawton C. Johnson of Summit who became a church organist as well as a locally recognized educational administrator. She taught Graeme Cowen and composer Carolyn Schmidt, who became director of the musical group named the Hickory Tree Singers. who formed the Tom Varner Quartet.
Honors and recognition
Dickerson played on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2008. She played piano and sang along with the protégé performers in honor of one of the Tuskegee airmen George Watson, in a program of remembrance, sponsored by Summit Supports Our Troops. She received a Keeper of the Dream Award from the city of Summit, New Jersey. In 2011, she was honored by the City of Summit; in a speech before the Common Council, Mayor Glatt described how Dickerson, who was in a shelter during a power outage, made a phone call from the shelter to ask if her neighbors needed help. In mid-century, she was one of the first African-American women employed at Bell Laboratories.<ref nametws2Q212/> She encouraged women to "develop and use their gifts and talents in every aspect of society", according to a report in the Star-Ledger.<ref nametws2Q212/>

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