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California Educational Research Association
California Educational Research Association
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you came to the right place!
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Please join CERA in remembering Don Dixon
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I first met and got to know Don 20 years ago, when he advised the California Department of Education on guidelines for looking at the performance of schools that serve high-risk students. In our work together on the Alternative Schools Accountability Model (ASAM), Don made certain that the discussion and the Department’s recommendations to the State Board reflected the perspective of the teachers and administrators working in alternative schools.
I was fortunate, some years later, to count him as a colleague at WestEd. However, we worked most closely together still later, on the Board of CERA. I asked Don if he would consider serving the organization as treasurer. To my delight, he said yes, and served for five years. And to my great surprise, he still spoke to me, despite my request! Then as now, treasurer was a demanding job; but Don, always committed to service, never complained about the long hours of volunteering. During Don’s years as treasurer, CERA modernized in moving to an electronic program for the annual meeting and having a social media presence.
Don enjoying a glass of red wine and telling stories of California politics during the ’70s is how I remember him best. He was an animated storyteller who loved people and the inside baseball of California politics. I will miss you, my friend.
I was fortunate, some years later, to count him as a colleague at WestEd. However, we worked most closely together still later, on the Board of CERA. I asked Don if he would consider serving the organization as treasurer. To my delight, he said yes, and served for five years. And to my great surprise, he still spoke to me, despite my request! Then as now, treasurer was a demanding job; but Don, always committed to service, never complained about the long hours of volunteering. During Don’s years as treasurer, CERA modernized in moving to an electronic program for the annual meeting and having a social media presence.
Don enjoying a glass of red wine and telling stories of California politics during the ’70s is how I remember him best. He was an animated storyteller who loved people and the inside baseball of California politics. I will miss you, my friend.
Eric Crane, CERA President 2012
CERA President, 2012 / Company
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For the past 20 years, Don Dixon was my friend, collaborator and fellow native son of California. I think we connected most deeply in our mutual love for our home state. We were both products of the California public schools when they were in their heyday, and both received our PhDs from the UC system, albeit 27 years apart! Don remained devoted for all the years I knew him to the improvement of our California schools. Don was as interested in my upbringing in my small hometown in Southern California as I was in hearing about his growing up in a small town in Northern California. Don was a gentleman farmer and master tinkerer who seemed to be able to grow, build or repair anything he set his mind to. My kids (now young adults) still fondly recall their visit as children to the fairytale-like Frogmoor for Victoria and Don’s lovely wedding. We often discussed, in earnest, plans for ¼ scale garden railroads in each other's backyards. When I got a lead on a ¼ live steam engine for sale in National City (about 550 miles South of Sebastopol!), we planned how Don could come down to check it out and how we might transport it back to his place! I learned many things from Don, including how to translate sample error estimates into plain English, how to espalier fruit trees, and how to properly order Scotch. The proper Scotch order, by the way, is neat with a water back. As Don explained, this way you get the full, complex flavor of the whiskey without it being watered down by ice, and if you want the water it’s still there to sip on. I look forward to raising a glass to you, Don, neat as ever.
Wendell Callahan, CERA President 2013
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I remember when I was first elected to the CERA Board. I really considered it an accomplishment—a feather in my hat. Then I met Don Dixon, who taught me how to serve people. Don had a gentle way of reminding me of what matters, of what’s important. He advised me that CERA is an organization that serves others, and when I understand that, I will understand how to lead it.
Don was probably best known as a political scientist. I will miss our conversations about the ever evolving landscape of California politics, which Don taught for 50 years at Sonoma State. He brought his knowledge and views to our work at CERA, how CERA should operate as an organization, who we should partner with, and so on. I trusted his vision beyond measure. There is no one I would have rather had as CERA’s treasurer than Don Dixon. Certainly, such a job was not the pinnacle of his career, but Don treated his responsibilities of treasurer as he treated everything—with the highest integrity.
While best known as a political scientist, I will miss Don most for being a giver. Don was always seeking to find connections between and among people. I have numerous correspondences from Don that start with…”Wanted to let you know that I shared your name with…” That was what Don did. He engaged with people purely for the benefit of others.
It is true that we lose people every day in this world. Some go more noticed than others. With Don’s passing, there is something appreciably different about the world. His guidance, his wisdom, and his giving nature is a void that is difficult, if not impossible, to fill. It is comforting to know that so many of us carry a little bit of him around and keep his legacy alive.
Don was probably best known as a political scientist. I will miss our conversations about the ever evolving landscape of California politics, which Don taught for 50 years at Sonoma State. He brought his knowledge and views to our work at CERA, how CERA should operate as an organization, who we should partner with, and so on. I trusted his vision beyond measure. There is no one I would have rather had as CERA’s treasurer than Don Dixon. Certainly, such a job was not the pinnacle of his career, but Don treated his responsibilities of treasurer as he treated everything—with the highest integrity.
While best known as a political scientist, I will miss Don most for being a giver. Don was always seeking to find connections between and among people. I have numerous correspondences from Don that start with…”Wanted to let you know that I shared your name with…” That was what Don did. He engaged with people purely for the benefit of others.
It is true that we lose people every day in this world. Some go more noticed than others. With Don’s passing, there is something appreciably different about the world. His guidance, his wisdom, and his giving nature is a void that is difficult, if not impossible, to fill. It is comforting to know that so many of us carry a little bit of him around and keep his legacy alive.
Shannon Coulter, CERA President 2014
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I feel very fortunate to have crossed paths with Don Dixon, during my four-year tenure on the CERA Executive Board. I am grateful that Don was a dedicated Treasurer, who knew how to keep members informed, ensure that we were compliant and stayed true to our values. He was mission driven and he was always very intent on being inclusive of all our members. He always reminded us how each member could be empowered, and each person could be celebrated for what they bring to the organization. He was willing and open to try new approaches, provided they kept to the budget (always a Treasurer!) and happy to report about the financial status of CERA each year at the annual meeting. Don was a wonderful mentor and I found his light-hearted ways and kind nature very appealing, which made it very easy to call him a friend. I will miss Don and know that his contributions will continue to live on in the legacy at CERA and the many other institutions in which he had a huge impact. Don will be sorely missed by many - his stories, his smile and the blessings he poured out to so many.
Diana Wilmot, CERA President 2015
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Like Eric Crane, I first met Don Dixon when I worked for the California Department of Education and he was consulting with the Department on issues related to the development of an accountability model for alternative schools. Always the consummate professional, Don provided sound guidance not only on the accountability system but on all matters on which he was consulted. I was lucky to serve as CERA President with Don in the Treasurer seat. Don helped me to understand the financial in’s and out’s of an organization like CERA and provide options with carefully considered advantages and disadvantages. I consider myself lucky to have been able to learn alongside Don Dixon.
One of my favorite memories is when Don invited me and other CERA colleagues to his home for a meeting. Don enjoyed gardening and the plants and flowers in their yard flourished under their nurturing care. He had created a peaceful oasis. Don was so proud to show off different parts of his home and garden and talk about the story behind each new set of windows, a painted wall, or a garden bed. Don shared what he loved with others including some of the best local wineries. One of the last times I saw Don he and his lovely wife Victoria took another colleague and me to one of their favorite wineries. I could have spent hours listening to his stories. Thank you Don for the impact you made on my life. The world was better for having you in it and for the contributions you made to me and so many others. Cheers my friend!
One of my favorite memories is when Don invited me and other CERA colleagues to his home for a meeting. Don enjoyed gardening and the plants and flowers in their yard flourished under their nurturing care. He had created a peaceful oasis. Don was so proud to show off different parts of his home and garden and talk about the story behind each new set of windows, a painted wall, or a garden bed. Don shared what he loved with others including some of the best local wineries. One of the last times I saw Don he and his lovely wife Victoria took another colleague and me to one of their favorite wineries. I could have spent hours listening to his stories. Thank you Don for the impact you made on my life. The world was better for having you in it and for the contributions you made to me and so many others. Cheers my friend!
Rachel Perry, CERA President 2016
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