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Public: Recent News

The Charles D. Dixon Restricted Justice Fund was formally dedicated Thursday, Jan. 24, during a special NCBA Foundation Justice Fund ceremony at the N.C. Bar Center.

Charles and Dorothy Dixon

Dixon and his wife, Dorothy, were recognized for their generosity during the winter meeting of the NCBA Board of Governors and the NCBA Foundation Board of Directors. It was an appropriate setting in that the initial announcement of Dixon’s donation to the Legal Aid of North Carolina Fund was made during the summer meeting of the NCBA boards.

The LANC Fund was established by the NCBA Board of Governors in January 2007 as a named fund within the NCBA Foundation Endowment restricted to Legal Aid of North Carolina. Expansion of the fund is a major objective of the 4ALL campaign to expand the provision of civil legal services to the poor this year under the leadership of President Janet Ward Black who conducted the dedication ceremony.

Charles Dixon receives standing ovation.

Longtime law partner Stephen M. Thomas provided special remarks.

“In the past 38 years I have probably spent more time with Charlie than anyone outside of my own family, and have probably gotten to know him better than anyone outside his own family,” Thomas said. “In that time he has been variously my employer, teacher, mentor, role model, co-worker, partner, companion, and most of all, my friend.”

Thomas said it has been a “rare privilege” to work with Dixon.

Dixon receives congratulatory hug from granddaughter Rebecca.

“Having such a person in our midst over the years at Patrick, Harper & Dixon has been enriching to all of us, in both the figurative and literal sense,” Thomas said. “It is for all these reasons that I, and we, feel this recognition today is well-deserved.

“As a fellow member of our bar once said of Charles D. Dixon, ‘He is everything a lawyer is supposed to be.’ ”

A Justice Fund is a named endowment that honors those North Carolina lawyers, past and present, whose careers have demonstrated dedication to the pursuit of justice and outstanding service to the profession and the public. One or more contributors may establish a Justice Fund to honor a colleague, family member or friend through a combined gift of $35,000.

Restricted funds such as the Dixon gift are fulfilled upon attainment of a $100,000 threshold.

Lawyers designated and honored by the creators of a Justice Fund receive special recognition in the form of a permanent plaque and biographical sketch maintained at the N.C. Bar Center.

The NCBA Foundation Endowment was established in 1987 to enable the foundation to fund programs and activities to better serve the public and the legal profession. As of January 2008, the endowment had awarded grants totaling $2,911,119 for 396 projects.

The LANC Fund was in its infancy when Dixon communicated to Tom Hull, director of development for the NCBA Foundation, his interest in making his gift through the tax provisions of the Pension Protection Act of 2006.

As President Black noted during the dedication ceremony, the initial goal of $100,000 was still a dream when Dixon made his gift. The LANC Fund is approaching the $500,000 mark toward its ultimate goal of $1 million.

Born on Dec. 12, 1926, in York County, S.C., Dixon began his law practice in 1952 as an associate in the Hickory firm of Patrick & Harper; he was named partner of Patrick, Harper & Dixon in 1957. After decades of service as its managing partner, he became of counsel with the firm in 2003.

A 1943 graduate of Belmont High School, Dixon proceeded to North Carolina State University (then College) where he attended classes for two years. He joined the U.S. Army in 1945 and attended Japanese language school at Yale University where he was trained as a counterintelligence investigator.

Upon his honorable discharge in 1947, he earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He attended Harvard Law School as a National Scholarship Student, earning his law degree in 1952.

A past president of the Catawba County Bar Association and the 25th Judicial District Bar, Dixon is married to the former Dorothy Lindsay. He has four children and 11 grandchildren.

Dixon was inducted into the NCBA General Practice Hall of Fame in 2003.