Earney L. Dickson was a prominent businessman in Randolph County from the 1920s until his death in 1974. During his lifetime, he was engaged in banking and farming, but was most widely known as the owner and operator of Dickerson Oil Co. He also owned interests in oil-related businesses in Missouri and Alaska. He and his wife, Violetta Gerhart Dickson, traveled extensively throughout the United States and were avid collectors. They were the parents of six children: Anna Dickson Presley, Edna Dickson, Carl Dickson, Norma Dickson Parks, Ernest Dickson, and Eugenia (Jean) Dickson Parker.