"The Mayor Of Westville:" New Haven Mourns, Remembers Semi Semi-Dikoko

September 14, 2022, by Lucy Gellman-"Maybe he offered you a glass of red wine as he floated through the studio, and pulled you into an embrace. Maybe you tended the apple trees together at Edgewood Park, or listened to poetry in the warm half-light of Lyric Hall. Maybe you saw the beret across a crowded room, and knew that for a moment, all was well with the world. His door was always open. He almost certainly called you darling, with a rolling that you could reach out and touch. He may have pushed you to dream bigger than you thought possible. If you were lucky, you shared a tango and a tray of Brussels sprouts with him. Semi Semi-Dikoko, a tireless advocate for the arts who blessed New Haven with three decades of a gentle and generous spirit, died at Smilow Cancer Hospital last Thursday, with the artist Amie Ziner at his side. The cause was prostate cancer, which Semi-Dikoko had been fighting bravely and often quietly for four years. In the past decade, he also battled lymphoma, which was until recently in remission. He was 69 years old..." Click HERE to read full article.

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