chatWITH… Bob Dixon
A chatWITH… Bob Dixon
This picture is worth far more than a thousand words as it is the summary of Bob Dixon’s life — the foundation on which everything else has been built. I know this, not merely from a recent conversation but because he and his wife, Suzanne Dixon, welcomed me into their home and allowed me to live in their upstairs apartment space for two years. Throughout that time, I witnessed the start of his day, the pattern of his morning — with him at their kitchen table as he bent over his Bible. Many people read and speak of a life of faith. Mr. Bob genuinely lives one with resolution.
Bob Dixon is the son of Betty Thaggard Dixon, from Claxton, Georgia, and Bobby R. Dixon of Vidalia. He has two sisters – the eldest, Kathy Dixon Usher; and the younger, Lynn Dixon Dean. His father’s family moved from Perry, Florida, to Vidalia to work for a lumber company and eventually opened up one of their own, Hugh M. Dixon Lumber Company. Later, the family opened the car dealership, Dixon White Motors, renamed Dixon Pontiac Buick Oldsmobile GMC Trucks. This is where Bob began his working life in Vidalia, “in the parts department counting parts and then as a grease monkey and a car-washer.” At sixteen, through the high school’s work-study program, he went to work for the Georgia Machine Manufacturing Company as a shearer, cutting sheet metal and later a spot welder. When he wasn’t working, he was playing sports. His father was chairman of the Vidalia Recreation Department for quite some time, and Bob was very involved in the athletic activities offered there.
Raised in Vidalia, he speaks fondly of his childhood. “We were the ‘Church Street Gang,” he said. “We played football, baseball, and every other sport in Polly Rushton’s front yard.” As he biked from neighborhood to neighborhood with friends, his boyhood was classically American. This isn’t to say that it was perfect. “My parents had their struggles back in the day, before God got a hold of my Dad.” This was his father’s testimony — a testimony of visible transformation that would prove pivotal in his son’s life. “If you’re going to tell my story, you have to tell this part of it,” Bob said. “When I was fifteen years old, my Dad came to know Christ. Before that, he was a mess…hard and gruff. His life was changed. After that, we got involved in the First Baptist Church Ministry, and there, Don Moye was pivotal in my coming to know Christ. Because of the decision on my dad’s part and because of Don Moye, my life changed completely and I was given a purpose. I’m the man I am today because of those decisions,” he said. He is a man driven to serve his God and serve others. After high school, Bob went to Georgia Southern College, graduating in 1984 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Accounting. In order to save enough money to finish out his degree, at the end of his sophomore year, he took a break from school for six months and worked as a meter reader for Georgia Power. He returned to Georgia Southern for the summer term of his junior year, where he met the woman who would be his partner in ministry — Suzanne Foster. “If I hadn’t returned to school that summer, things might have been very different,” he said of their meeting. A week after graduating from college, the two married on June 16, 1984, and chose to begin their life in his hometown.
Suzanne, too, spoke fondly of Vidalia. She described the city as “friendly, caring, and accepting. It reminds me a lot of my hometown, Fitzgerald.” After they married, she taught third grade in Vidalia. Though the school systems have changed a few times, third graders in Toombs County have been under her instruction for quite some time. Once they started a family, Suzanne worked for First Baptist Vidalia’s preschool, Time for Tots for twelve years. Bob and Suzanne have four children: John, Elizabeth, Abigail, and Paul; and two grandchildren, with a third on the way. “Vidalia was a great place to raise our kids,” the Dixons said. “All of our children have friends they met here, and even though they’ve moved away, they are still connected to a lot of the friends they made growing up in Vidalia.” continued from page
Vidalia Heritage Academy is a significant piece of the Dixon family’s story, as they were a part of the school’s conception in 1998 and have actively supported its growth since. “Melanie Raiford had the vision to start Heritage and asked us to pray about being a part of it,” Suzanne said. “We were one of about eight families that decided to start the school, and Vidalia Heritage Academy was formed out of that.” Bob served as a chairman on the school’s board and has continued to do so since; Suzanne returned to a third-grade classroom and began teaching at VHA in 2003; and all four of their children studied at Heritage during their grade school years. Through their service at Vidalia Heritage, the importance of the Dixon’s influence and ministry extends far beyond Toombs County. Bob is a member of the Kiwanis Club and has served as a board member for the Vidalia Recreation Department, the Paul Anderson Youth Home, and his parent’s counseling ministry, Christian Concepts for Living. Since his mid-twenties, he served as a deacon at First Baptist Church Vidalia. Bob and Suzanne began attending at Connection Church, where they are now a part of the church’s welcoming committee and host a weekly small-group. His grandfather Hugh Dixon was mayor of Vidalia for eight years; his uncle Wendell Dixon is a County Commissioner; and his uncle Ronnie Dixon was on the City Council before running for mayor. In November of 2019, Bob Dixon was elected to City Council, which he described as “an opportunity to serve and give back to the community that has given [him] so much.” He said, “I like to help people, and I thought [serving on the City Council] would be a good way to do that. So I decided to run and was blessed that enough people voted for me to be able to participate.” In making this decision, he said, “I had anticipated serving with my Uncle Ronnie, in January and February [of 2020].” However long-term Mayor Ronnie Dixon became ill in March and passed away April 1 — the first Toombs County citizen to die of COVID-19.
When asked about his hopes for the future of Vidalia, as a councilman and as a citizen, Bob’s answer came in the form of a long, thoughtful list. To name a few developments he discussed the importance of the airport, a significant “asset to the community.” He also expressed a hopeful and active valuing of community safety: “The safety of our citizens is very important, and our Police Commissioner has done a fantastic job getting our staffing up, as well as training and bringing a healthy culture to our police force.” Bob also described closely working with the DVA [Department of Veterans’ Affairs], the Chamber of Commerce, and the Development Authority to help create new opportunities [and] work to enhance the businesses that are already in Vidalia and the greater Vidalia area. He also talked of efforts “to activate our Downtown Development Authority to help us find opportunities and funding mechanisms to enhance our downtown area.”
“I have learned a lot about our city,” Bob said. “Two of the biggest [things I’ve learned] are that we have great, caring people who work hard daily to keep our city moving, [and] that it takes a lot of money to provide services for our citizens.” How fortunate is our community to not only have an accountant at the table, considering the fiscal responsibilities of those who lead, but also a man who begins each day, humbly bent over his source of guidance and truth.
FOR THE LOVE OF FAMILY — When asked why he chose to return to Vidalia after college, Bob described his love of home and family. The close relationship he shares with his mother, Betty Dixon, is something he treasures.
TWO BECOME ONE — Fresh out of college and about to begin their careers, Bob and Suzanne married on June 16, 1984. Thirty-seven years later, they are still a great team.
SMILE — From this first-grade photo to today, Bob is still smiling. More than that, when around him, one can’t help but do the same.
DIXONS AND MORE — In a shot from their annual beach vacation, pictured above on the top row, from left to right, are: daughter, Elizabeth Dixon Madison; wife, Suzanne Dixon; daughter, Abigail Dixon; daughter-in-law, Lizzy Dixon; granddaughter, Ansley Dixon. In the second row, from left to right, are: son-in-law, Michael Madison; Bob Dixon; son, Paul Dixon; and treasured friend of the family, Jermaine Morris. In the bottom row, left to right, are: grandson, David Dixon; and son, John Dixon.
BOB AT COLLEGE — Snapped in the middle of a study session, Bob is preparing for his future career as an accountant — a career that has proven long and successful.
WELCOME TO OUR HOME — The big “Welcome” sign on the Dixon’s patio extends a warm invitation to all who come to their home. Although his bark is ferocious, their dog, Deuce, is eager to welcome guests as well.
MOM AND DAD — Here is a cherished picture of Mrs. Betty and Mr. Bobby Dixon dancing at Elizabeth’s (granddaughter) wedding in 2013.
