Beloved Senior Center member leaves large legacy

AVIVA GOELMAN

It was in January of 2002 -- while occupying my desk at work on the

Costa Mesa Senior Annual Campaign -- that a package arrived from a

local law firm. Now when you receive mail from a law firm, it can

either be good news or bad news.

My brief episode of anxiety, however, was quickly washed away by a

wonderful surprise. The Costa Mesa Senior Center had been left a

large bequest, to be received after Albert Dixon’s wife Katherine’s

passing, the amount of which we would not learn at that time.

Nonetheless, it was the first bequest the Senior Center had ever

received.

Then there was some guilt. To receive notice of a bequest is to

also receive news of a death. Sadness came over me. We had lost

Albert Dixon, a longtime Senior Center member who was well loved, and

whom I had known too briefly, perhaps only a year.

You couldn’t help but love Albert. He was a daily fixture at the

Senior Center for a decade, dutifully and happily handing out milk to

our members during the lunch hour. He had an authoritarian bent to

him, making sure that no one received milk unless they produced their

meal ticket. But Albert, as most remember him, was more of a beacon.

A smiling, gentle soul. And he was treasured.

We learned, upon hearing that Albert bequeathed $650,000 to the

Senior Center, that he clearly loved this place and its people. This

sentiment was reflected in his generous gift.

In the weeks prior to my announcement of Albert’s passing and his

bequest, I was eager to learn more about Albert and his life, and why

he felt compelled to gift part of his estate to the Costa Mesa Senior

Center. And so I met with his best friend, Peter Barrett, who kindly

shared the story of Albert’s life to the best of his recollection.

Albert Dixon was a native of this area, born in Newport Beach on

May 21, 1917. He grew up in the shadows of the Newport Beach Pier.

His grandfather, I learned, was the first postmaster in Newport

Beach.

His father, Joe Dixon, loved horses and employed them to pull the

nets in off the beach after a day’s fishing. During World War II,

Newport Harbor was the lone harbor open to sport fishing, since it

was not navigable by naval vessels. So Joe toiled hard and developed

his fishing business, eventually owning a small fleet of five day

boats and 25 charter boats at a time when there were but a handful of

landings in the harbor.

In his youth, while attending Newport Harbor High School, Albert

labored in his father’s business, loving to fish for sardines,

mackerel and anchovies, which is why all of Albert’s life he

considered himself a fisherman.

After the war, Albert built his own boat to haul bait. He named

her Erycl, after his beloved wife. He worked too, as a janitor at

Newport Harbor High School. Business was good. So in 1945, Albert

bought a modest three-bedroom home from the city for $1,500. A savvy

entrepreneur, he purchased three adjoining lots, each with a small

house.

For much of his adult life, Albert did not realize his net worth,

nor did he share the nature of his finances with anyone, and he did

not believe in a will or trust. But that changed after his wife’s

passing when his friend, Peter Barrett, insisted he get his financial

affairs in order. Albert decided to leave his estate to the two

organizations that meant so much to him: the Seafaring Lodge and the

Costa Mesa Senior Center.

The later years of Albert’s life were made bright by Katherine

Fink. The two met at the Senior Center while enjoying lunch, which

they did every day at the same table surrounded by their friends. A

few months after they met, they married. When I spoke with Louise

Kanold, Naomi Watts and Carol Neufeld -- Albert and Katherine’s lunch

companions at the Senior Center -- they shared the collective thought

of how wonderful it is when a couple can find each other and have

companionship late in life, not having to spend their last years

alone.

When Albert passed away, he left all of the trust income to his

beloved wife Katherine. Sadly, Katherine left us in October of last

year.

Peter shared with me that he had visited and talked to Katherine

every week after Albert’s passing. She would muse, “Albert didn’t

understand much about money. He had no idea of the value of his lots

and rentals, and he never wanted to talk about money.”

This last Wednesday, as the Irish celebrated St. Patrick’s Day,

the celebration reminded me a little of Albert, as the leprechauns

had an affinity for gold.

There is an ancient tradition in Irish lore that leprechauns are

the self-appointed guardians of ancient gold treasure left by the

Danes, who had devastated England and Ireland 11 centuries ago.

Albert left the Senior Center with a pot of gold that will establish

an endowment for the seniors and will benefit the center’s activities

for many years.

It is a wonderful gift, but its value will never replace Albert

Dixon.

On Wednesday, April 28, from 6 to 9 p.m., we will hold our annual

California Wine Event at the Automotive Road of Dreams Museum,

located at Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. Please attend and

enjoy wandering the exhibits of antique, rare and classic cars. Wine

tasting will be offered by Martin Family Vineyards, Domaine Chandon,

BV Vineyards and Stimson Lane.

The Edward Cole Trio will provide jazz entertainment, and hors

d’oeuvres and desserts will be served. A live and silent auction will

benefit the center. Admission is $25 per person, advanced purchase.

Tickets at the door are $35 per person. Please call the Costa Mesa

Senior Center at (949) 645-2356, ext. 16 or download order forms at

https://www.automotiveroadof

dreams.com.

* AVIVA GOELMAN is the executive director of the Costa Mesa Senior

Center and will write occasional columns about the center, its

members and senior issues.