BALTIMORE — In East Baltimore, inside American Legion Post 285, you’ll find a man who doesn’t just tell history… he is history.
John C. Dicks is 99 years old, just days away from turning 100. Known affectionately as “Sunny Boy” and “Bubba,” Dicks is the longest-living member of Post 285 and a living witness to nearly a century of American change.
“I’m 99 years old,” said Dicks.
Born February 16, 1926, in Sumter, South Carolina, Dicks joined the United States Army in 1946. He was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and later Fort Hamilton in New York. While he didn’t deploy overseas, his service came during a time when wearing the uniform did not guarantee equal treatment.
“When I got off the train,” Dicks recalled, “I didn’t see nobody like me.”
He described arriving in Gap, Pennsylvania, in 1949 and seeing a large gate marked with a sign that read “Do Not Enter.” He remembers being warned not to cross it, a reminder that even as a veteran, segregation followed him wherever he went.
Dicks lived through the Jim Crow era, when racial segregation was law and respect was conditional. During our interview, he told Voice for Veterans reporter Cyera Williams about the time he couldn’t shop downtown until 4 p.m. whiich is after white residents had finished their business for the day.
“That’s what we called Jim Crow,” he said.
In 1950, Dicks made a decision that would change everything. He moved to Baltimore. From there, he went to work and never stopped.
After his Army service, Dicks became a Merchant Seaman with the United States Coast Guard at Curtis Bay. He later broke barriers as the first Black bridge crane operator the Coast Guard ever had.
For nearly 30 years, he worked as a piston ring maker, helping manufacture machinery parts used in heavy equipment and aviation.
“I got a job,” Dicks said. “And I enjoyed it because I did my work,” he added, “If you don’t mind working,” he said, “you are respectful.”
Even after retiring, Dicks wasn’t finished giving back.
At age 84, he began volunteering at the Loch Raven Veterans Hospital, assisting the physical therapy and rehabilitation teams. For a decade, he helped fellow veterans regain strength and mobility while staying active himself.
Through the hospital’s Golden Ages program, Dicks traveled to competitions across the country, earning dozens of medals in events like bowling, shuffleboard, pool, and horseshoes. His competitiveness and work ethic never slowed him down.
“I ain’t never been out of a job,” he said. “The Lord been good to me.”
Dicks joined American Legion Post 285 in the early 1970s and has been a fixture there ever since. He volunteers, works, dances, laughs, and gathers with friends.
“What makes this post so great?” he was asked.
“Good times,” he replied.
Those good times continue. In just days, John C. Dicks will celebrate 100 years of life.
His advice is simple, and he doesn’t sugarcoat it.
“People don’t want to do nothing,” he said. “I wouldn’t do nothing — just draw a pat.”
Instead, Dicks chose to keep moving, keep working, and never wait for anything to be handed to him.