Dimorier Project

One of the books found in William E. Dimorier’s personal library was The Meaning of Service, by Harry Emerson Fosdick, published in 1921. It, perhaps, more than any other of William’s books, illustrates his life of service. Fosdick graduated from Colgate University in 1900, three years before William, so they had probably met one another there. After…

Ten years ago, when I met with the Academy High School class of 1935 in Erie, PA, and asked them about their former assistant principal, William Dimorier, using the French pronunciation, Di-more-ee-ay, they didn’t know who I was talking about. Then I tried pronouncing it as it is spelled, and still no recognition registered with the…

Poet and educator William E. Dimorier played a major role in the building of Veterans Memorial Stadium in Erie, PA. Although the newspaper accounts from the stadium’s dedication in 1924 do not mention his name, Dimorier worked behind the scenes from the landmark’s conception to completion.   Remembering Erie’s Veterans Memorial Stadium Dedication Veterans Day 2014 will mark 90 years…

A century ago, William E. Dimorier, an Erie educator and Colgate University alumnus, wrote a letter about Erie, PA, to the editors of Colgate’s school newspaper, the Madisonensis. Dimorier was a transplant from Afton, NY, to Erie, and this letter shows how great his love for Erie had grown in just a decade’s time. Dimorier would reside in Erie for nearly…

Note 2026: What follows is a draft of the prologue that appears in the book, William E. Dimorier: Servant Leader, self-published by Ann Silverthorn in 2022. Prologue Brilliant reflections of the early sun pierced the century-old glass of my office window, in a room once slept in by house servants. On the third floor of…

Sometimes, when I’m deep into my research on the life of W.E. Dimorier, I make discoveries that are compelling enough to have me take a slight detour. I reason that these are relevant to the project, because it’s become evident that Dimorier’s influence reached far away to China and far through the ages to situations like…

As I progress through my research on William E. Dimorier (known as Demmy), the Erie educator without whom Ainsworth Field, Veterans Memorial Stadium, District-10 sports, and Academy High School’s music programs would not have been the same, I pause and wish to share something with you. Today, while transcribing a note Dimorier wrote from his…

Progress is being made on William E. Dimorier’s biography. As I was organizing my notes the other day, I came across an article in The American City, from 1917, which describes an interesting approach to recruiting for high school after eighth-grade graduation. The campaign approach works on more than elections, it seems. In addition, I can envision many applications…

In 1916, the subject of my research, William E. Dimorier, an educator and poet, wrote an article called, “Significance of Poetry” for the Journal of Education. He begins his piece, The memorizing of choice passages of poetry is a popular and well established practice in high schools. In this materialistic age it is well that such is…

Last weekend, Husband Jim and I made the six-hour trip to Afton, NY, the home of William E. Dimorier (1871-1951), the poet and educator I have been researching for nearly a decade. Now that the project is ready to wrap up, I didn’t think I could call it complete without physically visiting his birthplace. After spending…