There are very few people in Story County I respect less, regardless of financial position. I get along well with several of the other Jensens around (his brothers' families and the next generation etc).
Dickson has screwed over many people and aggressively tries to block city and school district plans with the sole purpose of benefitting himself through developments. I understand ISU needs donors but he’s truly a horrible person.
I wholeheartedly second both of these sentiments....not to mention his open willingness to take countless amounts of government subsidies by relocating low income mothers from Chicago & conveniently transplanting them into his empty apartment complexes throughout the county, as he has suggested was part of his Christian duty to help these poor, single mothers. Not saying this has led directly to the increase in crime but it certainly hasn't helped the situation as the generally troubled fathers have inevitably followed.
On a personal note, when the man continuously comes knocking on my parents door as my father is in the final months of his life & stating that they can either sell their acreage to him now at his 'extremely generous' offer or he'll get it for next to nothing when the old man finally dies, it tells me all I need to know about his morals & ethics. Again & again, he was politely asked to leave the property & cease with his overtures until finally the local police kindly asked Dickson to end the 'harassing' - guess it helps to have lived in the same town for nearly 50 years. Now that my brother has taken over the farm/acreage, Dickson has only made a few attempts to swoop in but either way, the man had already done a wonderful job of 'expanding' the Huxley community by, as FarminCy noted, aggressively blocking or circumventing legal parameters but has added no real value to the community whatsoever. Seems like he's more than happy to be a greedy scourge rather than actually doing productive things to help a town grow.
Some may appreciate the money (inheritance & 'development) he drops on Iowa State but I would be more than happy if he squandered the remainder & got served a steaming plate of karma.