TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
Henry Austin Dillon Sr. and Magnolia Williams-Dillon. As a young boy, DB was an Eagle Scout. He also showed musical talent and performed at high school events and, as a teenager, opened for famed vibraphonist and bandleader Lionel Hampton in Kansas City, MO. Both Florida A&M University and Southern University offered music scholarship to young DB and he chose Southern. At Southern, he played percussions in the Dukes of Rhythm Jazz Band and the school’s symphonic band and played snare drum in the marching band. He was also was a member of ROTC at Southern. Upon graduation, DB was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army and later promoted to First Lieutenant, where he was at one time stationed in Germany. Upon honorable discharge, DB continued his studies at the University of Southern California where he participated in both the marching and symphonic bands and Northwestern University. His career in music education would then begin. He would serve as Head Band Director at Alcorn State University in 1957 and subsequently returned to Southern University as Assistant Band Director in 1963. He would become renowned and widely respected for leading Southern University’s famed drum section during that time. During this time, he would earn his master’s degree in music education from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, IL. DB spent over four decades teaching countless young men and women music, specifically percussions. He would be known as one of the architects of band formations and the institution of unique and tight drumlines that would be used by HBCUs throughout the country. These drumlines and their accompanying precision would later be employed by large majority institutions. He would develop the
cadences and assist in the creating never before seen marching formations that were showcased at the Super Bowl and beyond. He would then export this unique sound worldwide and help Southern University become a household name. DB was a pillar of Southern University and Scotlandville communities. While making history at Southern, DB believed in ownership. He started several businesses, including DJ’s Bar-B-Q on Scenic Highway. He would own and operate this Scotlandville institution for 35 years. Additionally, DB established and ran the well-known and regarded National Institute of Knowledge (“NIK”) where musicians from all over the country would descend onto his property for music, fun and food. Brother Don Dillon, Sr. is preceded in death by his parents, brother Melbourne G. Dillon (Gamma Psi 1952) and grandsons Kirk Becker Jr. and Christopher Buckles. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Barbara Lee- Dillon, sons Don B. (Rhonda) Dillon Jr. (New Brunswick (NJ) 1988) and Kirk (Trina) Becker; daughters Dawn (Mark) Malveaux, Jamie Dillon and Donna (Elver) Jean Neal; brother Henry A. (Agnes) Dillon Jr. (Alpha Sigma 1951); his sister Joyce (Tim) Holley; 8 grandchildren, 11 nieces, 9 nephews, and a host of relatives and friends.
and graduated from Kansas City’s Sumner High School in 1949. He
earned a scholarship to attend historic Fisk University in Nashville TN. He graduated from Fisk with a B. A. degree in business administration in 1953. He subsequently earned his law degree from the University of Kansas City, (now the University of Missouri-Kansas City) in 1958. Having received an academic deferment from the Korean War, he reported for duty in the United States Army after graduating from Fisk. He was stationed at the Alameda Naval Base in California. After law school, he worked both in private practice and for the U.S. Federal Government. He was District Director of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the Memphis, TN District Office, before returning to private practice in Kansas City, KS. He spent his retirement in the Atlanta, GA area. Dixon joined the Methodist Church as a teen, and he took seriously his pledge to support the Church through his talents and tithes. He was a member of several congregations of the United Methodist Church. Over the years he served as a Sunday School teacher, choir member, and lay leader. At Centenary United Methodist Church in Memphis, TN, he served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Most recently, he was a member of Cascade United Methodist Church in Atlanta, GA. He was a proud Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi ® and served as the 20 th Polemarch of the Memphis (TN) Alumni Chapter in 1979. Brother Charles A. Dixon Sr. was predeceased by his sister, Thelma DePriest; son, Charles II (Alpha Delta 1975), and grandson, Arimus Dixon. He is survived by: his wife of 65 years, Barbara (née Beasley) Dixon; daughters, Amelia Dixon VanWinkle and Edna S. Dixon; his son, Robert B. Dixon (Tashwanda); and his grandchildren and
Charles A. Dixon, Sr., Esq. 1930–2019 Attorney, U.S. Army
Charles A. Dixon, Sr. (Alpha Delta 1950) entered the Chapter Invisible on May 20, 2019 at the age of 89. Charles Alfred Dixon was born May 8, 1930 to Alfred
and Bertie Walls Dixon, in Pine Bluff, AR. He grew up in Kansas City, KS
96 | FALL-WINTER 2020 ♦ THE JOURNAL
Publishing achievement for more than 105 years
Made with FlippingBook Publishing Software