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.
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