Capitola Dickerson

Who was Capitola Dickerson?

Capitola Leodra Dickerson, also known as Cappie Dickerson, was an American piano instructor in Summit, New Jersey and graduate of the Juilliard School in Manhattan who was notable for teaching several generations of students. She was revered by local authorities for her volunteer service and civil rights contributions and community leadership. Some of her pupils have become renowned such as Tom Varner and Lawton C. Johnson, and she was friends with renowned jazz singer Bill Robinson. In 2011, she was presented with a Key to the City by Summit mayor Jordan Glatt. According to business executive Frank Bolden, she was a "quiet, unselfish person" who lived by the Golden Rule of treating others as one wished to be treated oneself.