Dyckman Vermilye

Dyckman Ware Vermilye, 94, passed away on March 25th, 2017 at the Taos Retirement Village following complications from a recent fall. Born July 8, 1922 and raised in Staten Island, New York, the son of Joseph Ware Vermilye and Alice Louise (Love) Vermilye, he lived mainly in Florida, the Washington, DC area, Harare Zimbabwe and Cape Town, South Africa before settling down in New Mexico. Upon graduation from William & Mary College “Dyck” joined the US Army as an officer serving in WWII in the Pacific theatre in non-combat administrative roles. He married his William & Mary classmate Sara Jane (Snyder) Vermilye in 1944. They had four children: Peter Dyckman, Gretchen, Elisabeth and John Ware. His marriage to Sara Jane ended in divorce in 1980. After the war he studied for his Master’s in Education from the University of Minnesota followed by his Doctor’s in Education from Columbia in New York City. This was followed by a long career in education. Mr. Vermilye joined the Administration of the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1950. In 1957 he was appointed Dean of Men at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida followed by a term as Associate Provost at Washington University in St. Louis from 1964-1966. Moving on to Washington, Mr. Vermilye joined the American Personal and Guidance Association in 1966 as Associate Executive Director and then in 1968 as Executive Director of the American Association for Higher Education. Leaving the academic and association world behind, Mr. Vermilye started his spiritual quest and opening several new paths. Dyck attended Pendle Hill, the Quaker study and retreat center in Wallingford, PA. In 1980 he travelled to Harare Zimbabwe to put into practice his conviction that meaningful presence can make a difference. In the aftermath of the “Rhodesian Bush War” or “Zimbabwe War of Liberation”, Dyck counseled white Rhodesians who had lost the war and supported the Jesuit Mission at Silveira House in the transformation and empowerment of the black Zimbabweans. Returning to Pendle Hill as Dean in 1983, Dyck met and married Avis Crowe. In time they felt called to go to South Africa, where they lived for two years. They were welcomed into the Quaker Meeting there and volunteered in different capacities, where needed. Dyck and Avis together have chronicled their experiences in several publications. When they returned to the United States, they lived first in Corrales, New Mexico before moving to Taos. He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Avis (Crowe) Vermilye, his four children, eight grandchildren, four great-grandsons, and many close friends in the Taos community.