Ray Dixson was a special person who touched many lives. We suspect that
he stands in the Long Gray Line, still with a mischievous grin.

If you knew Ray Dixson for long, you never forgot him. He made every day an adventure, loved life, and spread his zest for living to everyone he met.

Born in Lawton, OK, Ray was the son of an Army captain stationed at Ft. Sill. He lived in Lawton for the first 12 years of his life. As a 7th grader, he entered Columbia Military Academy in Columbia, TN, and was promoted to cadet captain by the time he graduated. Even then, he showed the energy, keen temperament, eye-to-eye leadership, and good marksmanship that would serve him well at West Point and in the Air Force.

Ray joined the Class of ’57 with a congressional appointment from Oklahoma. Cadet life presented few problems to Ray, academically or with the Tactical Department. Ray could prepare for inspections in a few minutes, while his less experienced plebe roommates polished brass and agonized over achieving mirror-like shines on their shoes. The Commandant's side of being a cadet was something of a game for Ray, who knew every trick for fooling the TACs.

In the classroom, Ray also had an advantage over some of his classmates. He seemed to absorb the intricacies of math and engineering subjects effortlessly. In those days, cadets used a slide rule, and Ray's roommates suspected his was magical. Not haying to "spec" formulas and engineering techniques, he seemed to have a natural sense of how to solve a problem. He seemed to achieve academic success effortlessly, except with the Social Sciences Department. Numbers were his strength, but there were some differences of opinion concerning his political science views!

We remember Ray's red hair, Tennessee accent, and hot temper, yet his classmates knew Ray as fun-loving, game-playing, and one who loved his Alma Mater. His energy was boundless, even during Gloom Period, when he shuffled through the snow to lead the rifle team.

Ray was commissioned into the Air Force. He threw himself into flying. New jet aircraft were coming on-line, and Ray’s engineering talents merged with the capabilities of the supersonic fighters. Earning his wings on the trainers, he made the big time with the F-86, which he called a "gorgeous airplane" and the last plane in the world that really wanted to fly itself It was the plane he most enjoyed flying. "Turn her loose and go to sleep." (And that, younger readers, was before computers took over the controls!) Ray then moved to the world's latest supersonic fighter, the F-104, at Victorville-George Air Force Base in California. A plane that flew to 92,000 feet and hit Mach 2.4 was astonishing in 1961.

Ray’s career began to move in a different direction after he was assigned as an instructor pilot at Vance AFB. His engineering talents soon were recognized, and, arriving at Wright-Patterson AFB for a ground assignment, he plunged into developmental engineering work with lasers. Blazing new trails with lasers for the Air Force, he worked with an intensity admired by his fellow officers. Everyone who knew him knew he longed to be back at the controls of jet fighters. Then health problems threw a devastating monkey wrench into the promising development of this young pilot. He was grounded and resigned from the Air Force in 1966.

A disappointed Ray Dixson tried various engineering positions in his native Oklahoma, designing and installing large commercial air-conditioning units. He threw himself into every project with an intense energy His fun-loving nature returned, and he began to look for greater professional challenges.

He moved to California to work as an engineering consultant in Los Angeles. By 1975, computer mainframe installations were being installed in banks and merchandising companies. Ray saw his opportunity to set up his own company, Dixson and Associates, in Mission Viejo. The business was one of very few trusted by major financial firms and their insurance companies to establish the engineering environment and fail-safe systems necessary to ensure continuous mainframe computer operations for huge databases, credit card operations, and airline operations. Clients included American Express, ARCO, Singapore Airlines, Shearson Lehman, and other corporate giants. It was not only his engineering talent, but his integrity and absolute personal reliability, that resulted in his great success in this demanding business.

His energy and fun-loving nature were enriched with generosity, a sense of humor, and selflessness. A member of the Republican Presidential Roundtable, Columbia Military Academy Alumni Association and a generous son of West Point, Ray was a loving father and grandfather.

His family, business success, and generosity filled his later years and he delighted in supporting events of the Class of '57. However, Ray’s health abandoned him, and he died unexpectedly in 1996. Many family, friends, employees, and classmates gathered to honor his memory.

Ray left behind Jimmie, his wife of 30 years; daughters Tammy and Peggy; son Greg; two grandchildren; his mother Jeannette Dixson; and brother I.J. Dixson III.

His family and classmates remember a cadet, an airman, a husband, a son, a brother, and a father with a fun-loving attitude toward life, great talents, and a loving, generous nature. He lived life to the fullest. Ray Dixson was a special person who touched many lives. We suspect that he stands in the Long Gray Line, still with a mischievous grin.