If there’s anything that Terry Dixon of Blakes carries close to his heart, it’s the conviction that all people need to love each other.
The 64-year-old Mathews native said children instinctively know this. “Put two kids in a room that don’t know anything about each other, and they’ll play together and get to know each other,” he said. “It’s something we all need to learn.”
Dixon grew up the youngest of the 11 children of Frank and Dorothy Dixon—the “Baby Boy.” His parents were members of First Baptist Church of Mathews, and Bible readings and discussions about God were always a part of his life.
The church and his parents instilled in Dixon an ethic that has stayed with him, informing his home life, his work life, and his volunteer activities.
For the last quarter century, Dixon has been a custodial supervisor at Mathews Elementary (formerly Lee-Jackson). He has seen thousands of children come and go, interacting with them regularly, sometimes serving as counselor of sorts for troubled kids.
“I’ve always loved being around children—seeing what they’re doing and interacting with them,” he said.
Before the school system, Dixon worked at the former Islander Restaurant, moving up from dishwasher to busboy to cook to manager of the wait staff. Sometime in between, he was the assistant manager for a grocery store.
All the while he was working these primary jobs, Dixon was holding down various side jobs—as a cook at a convalescent center, an attendant for a funeral home, a part-time fast-food cook.
“I thank God that he has placed me in places where I can work full-time at one job and part-time at another,” he said.
But his work life doesn’t define Dixon. He has always been the sort to volunteer, as well. At church, he has worked in the usher ministry, as a pastor’s aide and armor bearer, and in the choir and men’s ministries. He is currently a trustee.
“Whatever needs to be done,” he said.
Beyond his church life, Dixon is a member of the Mathews NAACP, serving as vice president in the past and programs coordinator currently.
In the broader community, Dixon has been on the Mathews Market Days Committee since 2000. His primary responsibility is arranging for the musical groups that perform on the main stage, but when the day of the festival arrives, he’s on hand to do anything that needs to be done, from set-up to breakdown, and all things in between.
“It’s always been fun, that’s why I stick at it,” he said. “It’s hard work, but when you see the proceeds, you’re glad you did it—to give back to the community.”
Dixon and his wife Alice have a daughter, Ashlynn, who is a nurse in King and Queen, and a granddaughter, Zareah Gresham, 9, a “straight A student.”
“She’s my heart,” he said.
Besides his family, Dixon said the biggest blessing in his life has been communicating with others and being around positive people and friends.
“When you can communicate with people, you can learn more about not just that person, but people in general,” he said. “We all have moments of darkness, but I don’t keep it. I keep on going and try to be around someone that can give me that uplift and bring me back.”
Ultimately, said Dixon, “We all need to stop and find out what the next person is about so we can love them.”
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