I was graduated with my Doctor of Ministry degree from the Graduate Theological Union‘s Berkeley School of Theology on 17 May 2025 – Hooray! I was surprised and honored at the graduation to be awarded BST’s Keith A. Russell Award for Prophetic Leadership in Community Ministry. My husband John, brothers Mark and Peter my Sister-in-Law Julie, daughter Jessica, Son-in-Law Matthew, grandson Alex, Son Paul, and friends Laura and Barbara were able to join the celebrations. It was a delight to have a cheering team. We graduates enjoyed taking pictures with our advisors and each other (especially the BST Student Council for which I have been the Vice Moderator for the last two years). I am continuing to take classes with GTU’s Center for Islamic Studies.
Images (c) Copyright 2025 by Katy Dickinson. If you want to receive Katysblog posted by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! field (upper right on Katysblog home page).
Katy Dickinson, Lee Satterfield, TechWomen 10 Year Honor, 20 October 2022
As 2022 is ending, I have been reflecting on how busy these last few months have been. In October, I mentored the remarkable and inspiring TechWomen Team Tunisia, and was one of the 21 mentors honored by the U.S. State Department – Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for ten years’ service to the TechWomen program. (I was the TechWomen Process Architect 2010-2011, and have been a mentor each year since.) Also that month, my husband John Plocher said a fond goodbye to Apple, and started a new job at Ford Greenfield Labs.
Katy Dickinson, TechWomen 10 Year Honor, 20 October 2022Katy Dickinson, TechWomen Honor, 20 October 2022Katy Dickinson, Tunisia TechWomen, 16 October 2022John Plocher with Ford Mach-E
If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right on Katysblog home). Images Copyright 2022 by Katy Dickinson.
John Plocher, Katy Dickinson, Loon Lake, Wisconsin June 2022
Our family went on two short trips this summer. John and visited the Plocher family at Loon Lake, Wisconsin, in June. At the end of August, John and I and our kids took a road trip through Northern-Northern California, including a ride on the Skunk Train from Willets. John and Paul and I were in one car and Jessica and Matthew were in another.
Loon Lake, Wisconsin
Plocher family, Loon Lake, Wisconsin June 2022Loon Lake, Wisconsin June 2022Loon family, Loon Lake, Wisconsin June 2022John Plocher, Katy Dickinson, Loon Lake, Wisconsin June 2022Plocher boating on Loon Lake, Wisconsin June 2022Dragon fly, Loon Lake, Wisconsin June 2022Osprey fish eagles, Loon Lake, Wisconsin June 2022John and Naomi Plocher, Loon Lake, Wisconsin June 2022John and Naomi Plocher, Loon Lake, Wisconsin June 2022
California Road Trip
Dickinson family, Willits, California, August 2022Wild Turkey, Red Bluff, California, August 2022deer, Northern California, August 2022Road Trip, Northern California, August 2022Road Trip, Northern California, August 2022John Plocher, Katy Dickinson, Paul D. Goodman, Road Trip, Northern California, August 2022Road Trip through redwoods, Northern California, August 2022Skunk Train tunnel, Willits, California, August 2022Skunk Train, Willits, California, August 2022John Plocher on Skunk Train, Willits, California, August 2022Skunk Train, Willits, California, August 2022John Plocher, Paul D. Goodman, Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, California, August 2022John Plocher, Paul D. Goodman, Katy Dickinson, Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, California, August 2022
If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right on Katysblog home). Images Copyright 2022 by Katy Dickinson.
Spring is graduation season and this year, I joyfully walked the stage in-person for my Graduate Theological Union – Master’s – Theology degree, as well as graduating three of my own student-mentees from the University of the South – School of Theology – Education for Ministry (EfM) extension program.
Co-Mentor Karen LeBlanc, with whom I have led EfM seminars together for over twelve years, celebrated with me the graduations of Joel Martinez (graduated 2020, diploma presented 2022) and Beth Hopf at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (Saratoga, CA), and Mark LeBlanc (Karen’s husband) at St. Jude’s Episcopal Church (Cupertino, CA). Joel, Beth, and Mark faithfully completed four years of EfM study and theological reflection on the Bible, church history, theology, and ethics.
Katy Dickinson GTU – Master’s diploma 2021, tassel 2022GTU Commencement 7 May 2022GTU Commencement 7 May 2022GTU Commencement 7 May 2022GTU Commencement 7 May 2022GTU Commencement 7 May 2022Education for Ministry graduation, 12 June 2022Education for Ministry graduation, 12 June 2022Education for Ministry graduation, 26 June 2022Education for Ministry graduation, 26 June 2022
If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right on Katysblog home). Images Copyright 2022 by Katy Dickinson, Jessica Dickinson Goodman, and Paul D. Goodman.
Jaguar and hummingbird rain forest carvings, Boruca, Costa Rica, August 2021
In August 2021, John Plocher,Paul D. Goodman and I enjoyed a lovely vacation at Cielo Lodge in Golfito, Costa Rica during which we were delighted to visit the indigenous artisans of Boruca in their mountain village. We brought home two carvings to celebrate the 10th wedding anniversary of our daughter and son-in-law, Jessica Dickinson Goodman and Matthew Holmes. In a prior blog, I wrote about the Boruca carvings in balsa wood of nature, particularly jaguars (symbolizing male power and protection of the tribe) and butterflies (symbolizing female power and beauty). The symbolism of a butterfly and a jaguar to celebrate a wedding anniversary seemed right.
This is to consider another aspect of these carvings, the faces in the rainforest. In both the butterfly carving by Gabriel Leira (above) and the one by Markos Boruca (below), you can see a brown face with yellow, green, blue, white, and other colored lines highlighting the features. Our indigenous guide told us that these faces represent the Boruca people who are also part of the forest.
Janguar and hummingbird rain forest carvings – reverse, Boruca, Costa Rica, August 2021
Hummingbird and butterfly rain forest carving by Markos Boruca, Boruca, Costa Rica, August 2021
If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right on Katysblog home). Images Copyright 2021 by Katy Dickinson.
John and I are looking forward to our 20th wedding anniversary this weekend. Thinking back on some of our adventures and looking forward to many more. It is fun to be married to your best friend!
2020 virtual family dinner 2020 Mother’s Day 2018 family vacation 2018 Paul SJSU graduation 2018 St Andrew’s 2017 Reno 2016 Ashland 2016 Ashland 2016 Dunsmuir 2016 Klamath River 2015 Amtrak trip 2015 St Andrew’s 2014 Lalibela Ethiopia 2012 St Andrew’s 2012 Natural Bridges 2012 Jessica CMU graduation 2011 Jessica + Matthew 2011 Jessica + Matthew 2010 Lair of the Golden Bear camp Lair of the Golden Bear camp 2010 2010 Teatro Zinzanni 2010 Teatro Zinzanni 2010 Teatro Zinzanni 2010 Egypt 2010 Cairo, Egypt 2008 Flying to Baja Mexico 2008 Baja 2007 India 2007 India 2007 WP668 Caboose move 2007 WP668 move 2006 Dead Sea, Israel 2006 Dead Sea, Israel 2006 St. Peterburg, Russia 2006 Russia 2005 Beijing, China 2005 China 2000 2000 wedding 2000 wedding
If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right on Katysblog home).
I just redesigned the WP668 caboose website. I am still reviewing and posting old photos but the basic structure is done. It is restful during the coronavirus lockdown to make progress on a project I have been wanting to work on forever. After reviewing hundreds in our online family archive, I keep discovering wonderful photos I had forgotten. I have finished 2006 and am about half done with 2007 now. More about WP668 :
WP668 is a historic Western Pacific Railroad caboose being restored by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher, a private family in San Jose, California, USA. More information and pictures are added as WP668’s story evolves.
As always: Please tell me if you have pre-1960 photos of our WP668 caboose. Thanks to all who have already contributed historic caboose images – especially Don Marenzi.
Thanks to John Plocher and Jessica Dickinson Goodman for technical web support!
2006: SN1642 and WP668 cabooses, at the Golden Gate Railroad Museum in San Francisco 2006: WP668 caboose on truck 2006: WP668 on Highway 101 2006: WP668 in storage in San Jose 2007: WP668 in the air over the trees 2007: family on WP668 in their San Jose backyard 2007: WP668 on the front page! WP668 in 2020
Images Copyright 2006-2020 by Katy Dickinson, John Plocher, and Danek Duvall
If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right on Katysblog home).
KatysBlog 