Michael Dickinson is welcoming and instantly likeable, suffused with energy as he bounces around Tapeta Farm on the Chesapeake Bay in North East, Maryland. “I don't say I'm good or great but I'm not boring, he promises. Along that vein, the burning question is, why do people call him ''The Mad Genius' as coined by an American turf writer? Dickinson’s standard reply is that the nickname is "only half right" without declaring which half. No relentless line of questioning will drag it out of him. "Who do you think you are, Barbara Walters?" he deadpans. "Or the guy with on CNN with the braces [suspenders]. Larry King." What does his wife, Joan Wakefield, think? ";Don't answer that. Keep quiet! Could be divorce proceedings here!" teases her husband. She says only, "I know which half is right!" & Draw your own conclusion. If he’s mad, or if he's a genius, or if he's both - he embraces it.
Frances J. Karon (10 July 2008 - Issue Number: 9)
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