Long time DS fan Dean Wilson died on October 19, 2002 in Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana at 10:10 p.m. The cause is believe to be heart-related. Dean had been hospitalized for some unspecified heart problems the Monday before. He was doing poorly upon admission but had much improved and at the time I spoke with him, two hours prior to his death, he sounded much and expected to be released into a physical rehabilitation facility. He spoke with others earlier that today and we all believed things were looking up. He was 40 years old. He leaves behind an older sister, Deanna, two nephews and his elderly parents with whom he lived and cared for.
Anyone wishing to send notes or cards to his parents please email me at
nckersey@aol.com for the address. His parents being elderly didn't have the wherewithal to get in contact with any of Dean's many long distance friends in fandom. ( I called his office today and found out the news after not being able to reach him. )
Dean Wilson came to his first DS convention in 1993 and attended many DS festivals and fan events afterwards his last being 2002. He brought Jonathan Frid into Crawfordsville, Indiana twice for fundraising performances and Dean, one of the ultimate DS collectors, managed to maximize the fundraising efforts by providing many collectibles for purchase. Dean might have had a weak heart but he had one hell of a big one. Dean's life work as the Court Referral Program Director for Montgomery County, Indiana centered around guiding those who were trapped in substance abuse hell and finding a way to recovery. Dean was forever taking classes to keep up on his knowledge and skills in all aspects of substance abuse issues; he taught classes, he counseled, he went to jails to visit clients, he went to jails to encourage people not to give up and was frequently rewarded, he told me, by their shaking his hand and thanking him for putting them there. It forced them to attend programs they otherwise would not have. It changed their lives. He didn't kid himself into thinking he could save everyone; he did what he could with each individual and was living proof that one person can indeed make a big, big difference in another's life.
Dean spent the last few years of his life pursuing another passion - ghost hunting. He joined a local group and investigated hauntings. He loved it. He embraced spirituality and read and experienced all that he could on the subject. I will miss him terribly and I know many others here will too.
Nancy (please see below)
Below is an editorial that appeared in the Crawfordsville Journal Review on October 22nd, 2004, two days after Dean died. It is posted here with permission from the Journal Review.
Dean Wilson leaves behind legacy of helping families
By Kelly Trusty
Six years ago I met a man who was a catalyst for amazing change in Montgomery County's substance abuse prevention. As I was beginning my work at the A.H.E.A.D. Coalition, which was, at the time, a handful of grassroots activists, I made a point of meeting and talking with each active member about their stake in preventing drug abuse. One of those members was Dean Wilson, the Court Referral program director.
As I grew to know Dean and acknowledge him as "Mr. Wilson," I learned about his passion for helping people, his awesome depth of knowledge of substance abuse assessment, his concern for the availability of effective, professional mental health services for every person, his unfailing support of our community working together to prevent drug use and his dry and hilarious sense of humor.
I also learned about his experiences as the director of a family-strengthening program while living in Chicago. The program was Positive Steps, and it was one, he explained, that would be a perfect fit for our community's need to provide skills and strategies for youth starting down troubled paths, as well as their families.
"Eighty percent non-recidivism rate. That's what the program developers claim," Wilson explained about the program. I had no idea what recidivism meant, which he guessed easily by my blank expression. "Only 20 percent of the graduates get back into the same trouble. I would have never believed it if I hadn't run the program. It works. We need it here. There's got to be a way to get it here."
I invited Wilson to share more information about this program at the next A.H.E.A.D. meeting, which he did, and it started a chain reaction of incredible events.
At this same time, the first Drug Free Communities Support Program Grant application from the federal government became available. I had a little bit of grant writing experience, the coalition encouraged me to write a proposal to bring Positive Steps here, and the county agreed to administer it.
Wilson coached me as I put the application together. I was sure it was way beyond my capabilities. "You can do this. Just convince them we need it." His was the first office I visited, award letter in hand six months later. He shook his head and laughed, "Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it." Six years and $4 million later, I hear that phrase every time I put a new grant application in the mail, now a bittersweet reminder of my mentor and friend.
Since then, Positive Steps has served more than 700 families and it has been joined by a complementary program for highly resistive teens called Parenting with Love & Limits. Together the programs average about a 10 percent recidivism rate. Only 10 percent of participants get back into the same trouble up to a year after graduating. It does work, as Wilson knew it would, and it remains as one small part of his legacy of helping families take steps in positive directions.
As Red Ribbon Week begins tomorrow and continues through Oct. 31, I will consider the comment made by Kiki Camerena, the DEA Agent who died in the line of duty for which the commemorative week was designated. Kiki told his apprehensive mother, as he accepted a job with the DEA to stop drug trafficking in Mexico, "I'm just one person, but I can make a difference."
Dean Wilson lived this ideal daily, to the benefit of all of us in Montgomery County. This week I'll be wearing my red ribbon in Wilson's honor.
Kelly Trusty is executive director of A.H.E.A.D. Coalition. Her column appears Fridays in the Journal Review.
