[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 183 (Tuesday, December 8, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12700-S12701]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING ALBERT E. DIX

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, all of the Commonwealth of Kentucky has 
suffered a great loss with the recent death of Albert E. Dix. A fourth-
generation journalist, Al Dix moved to Frankfort, Kentucky's State 
capital, to become publisher of The State Journal in 1962, a post he 
would keep until his retirement in 1996. Known for being a mentor to 
aspiring journalists, Al Dix helped train scores of individuals who 
went on to work at papers with much larger circulations. But he was 
more than just one of Kentucky's finest journalists. As one of his 
former press foremen put it, ``He treated all employees really well, 
just like they were his family. He was a really good person all 
around.''
  Indeed, Al Dix leaves behind a legacy as not only a superb publisher 
but as a pillar of his community. While I could say much more about my 
friend Al Dix, I think it appropriate for me to share with my 
colleagues a recent account of Al's life, which was published by The 
State Journal on December 3, 2009. I ask unanimous consent that the 
full article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                 [From the State-Journal, Dec. 2, 2009]

          Former Publisher Al Dix Remembered as Caring Leader

                           (By Charlie Pearl)

       Journalists, bankers, politicians, educators and others 
     today paid tribute to Al Dix as a sensitive and caring 
     publisher who was dedicated to improving the community but 
     kept his good works private.
       Dix died at his home in Frankfort Tuesday morning of 
     pancreatic cancer. He was 80. Services will be 2 p.m. Friday 
     at South Frankfort Presbyterian Church with visitation at 
     noon. Burial will follow at Frankfort Cemetery.
       Richard Wilson, who retired from The (Louisville) Courier-
     Journal as its higher education reporter, got his first job 
     in newspapers with The State Journal under Dix in 1963 and 
     1964.
       ``That helped me immensely during a nearly 40-year career 
     in journalism,'' Wilson said. ``Much of the reason for that 
     was Al, who was unquestionably a reporter's publisher. He was 
     encouraging, respected quality work and openly shared his 
     enthusiasm for its appearance in the newspaper.
       ``While he may have held strong views on many subjects, he 
     never permitted them to permeate The State Journal's news 
     columns and he respected those who believed otherwise. He 
     also frequently took a personal interest in his employees and 
     their well-being, both professionally and personally.''
       Bruce Brooks, retired executive vice president at Farmers 
     Bank, said he always considered Dix ``a dear friend. He was a 
     little bit of a mentor to me.
       ``He was always willing to be a listening board for any 
     situation. He was free with his advice and usually it was 
     pretty sound and analytical.''
       Brooks said Dix was master of ceremonies at various 
     functions, ``and was really, really skilled at it. And he 
     always had an open checkbook for a worthy cause. He would 
     walk the walk and talk the talk.''
       Former City Commissioner Pat Layton said Dix encouraged her 
     to start her real estate career.
       ``He had a lot of insight of what was going on in the 
     community,'' Layton said. ``It wasn't because he was 
     publisher of a newspaper but because he really loved his 
     community.
       ``He was truly a leader. But a lot of people didn't know 
     about the many things he did for Frankfort because he was 
     very private about it. He was a silent supporter. When there 
     was a need, he was there and stepped right up front. He was a 
     special guy.''
       State Sen. Julian Carroll, who was governor while Dix was 
     publisher, said, ``Al was a great community-minded leader. 
     Although he was a Republican and I'm a Democrat, he was 
     always very nice and cordial to me. I considered him to be 
     one of our outstanding citizens.''
       Bob Roach, a retired school teacher and former city 
     commissioner and county judge-executive, said Dix ``was 
     certainly interested in young people and education, and he 
     believed in excellence. He was a prince of a fellow.''
       While teaching at Franklin County High School, Roach said 
     he took groups of students to Washington, D.C., for 25 years 
     to participate in a North American Invitational Model United 
     Nations program, ``and we could always count on him for a 
     donation.''
       By sponsoring an annual State Journal All-Academic Banquet, 
     Dix encouraged students to excel in the classroom, Roach 
     said, ``and he encouraged teachers by recognizing them as 
     well.''
       Dix could also be a confidant, Roach said.
       ``You could go talk to him about an issue and you knew it 
     would always be in confidence,'' Roach said. ``And I knew his 
     advice would be on target.''
       Attorney Bill Kirkland, a former Paul Sawyier Public 
     Library president, said Dix was on a special gifts committee 
     during fundraising for the new library and he came faithfully 
     to every meeting.
       ``He had numerous contacts in the community and personally 
     added immeasurably to the quality of the library through the 
     gifts he solicited.
       ``He was a person of intellect, humor, good personality and 
     good judgment. There was never a kinder soul and more 
     generous person in the community.''
       Kirkland said their friendship spanned four decades.
       ``About 40 years ago, we played one-wall handball at the 
     old YMCA on Bridge Street. I knew him first through his 
     connection with South Frankfort Presbyterian Church, and 
     through a few Republican endeavors. He certainly was a 
     conservative after my own heart.
       ``He had extraordinary compassion and was interested in 
     literacy, education, good government and ethical behavior.''
       Bruce Dungan, retired president of Farmers Capital Bank 
     Corporation, said when Dix first came to Frankfort from Ohio, 
     ``I could tell he was here to be a friend of Frankfort. He 
     was very thoughtful of people.
       ``He was here to help people, charities, government and his 
     church. He worked so hard at charities. He would call me and 
     say what I had given last year, and then say, `Don't you 
     think you ought to raise it a little this time?'
       ``If it hadn't been for Al, the YMCA (on Broadway) may 
     never have happened. He kept pushing everybody. He did 
     whatever he could to improve Frankfort. He was one of the 
     greatest guys in Frankfort that I know of. We're going to 
     miss him. I sure will.''
       Irvine Gershman, a retired downtown merchant, said Dix 
     ``coming here from Ohio was probably one of the best things 
     to happen to Frankfort. He was always willing to do things 
     for other people.
       ``He and his family have contributed so much to this 
     community. When I would call on him for a little help (to 
     various charities), he would just say, `How much do you 
     need?' ''
       Gershman's wife, Priscilla, said Dix ``was a precious 
     jewel. He will be sorely missed by everyone.''
       Russ McClure, a former vice president of Morehead State 
     University, said he was ``under the gun a lot of times'' 
     while serving as Finance Cabinet secretary to Carroll and 
     assistant budget director to Bert Combs when they were 
     governors.
       ``One thing I could always count on was Al being straight 
     up and fair,'' McClure said. ``He was always straightforward 
     with his questions and always accurate in his reporting of my 
     answers and the facts.''
       The Rev. John Hunt, retired pastor of South Frankfort 
     Presbyterian Church, said he has fond memories of getting to 
     cover one of the launches of the Gemini space program in the 
     early 1960s for The State Journal because of Dix.
       ``He knew of my interest in science and he credentialed 
     me,'' Hunt recalled.
       When Hunt got to Cape Canaveral, bad weather caused the 
     flight to be postponed, so he figured he would have to miss 
     the experience because he would need to get back to Frankfort 
     for Sunday church services.

[[Page S12701]]

       But Dix encouraged him to stay in Florida, saying he would 
     give the sermon on Sunday, Hunt said.
       ``He filled the pulpit for me and did an excellent job,'' 
     Hunt said. ``He got rave reviews and supplied the pulpit on 
     my absences after that. I was about ready to swap places with 
     him.''
       Scottie Willard, who retired in September as press foreman 
     after 44 years at The State Journal, remembers when Dix 
     became publisher in 1962.
       ``He made a lot of improvements as far as press equipment 
     when he took over,'' Willard said. ``He treated all employees 
     really well, just like they were his family. He was a really 
     good person all around.''
       Ronnie Martin, retired composing foreman who worked at the 
     newspaper 43 years, agrees.
       ``He was super to work for,'' Martin said. ``He gave me all 
     sorts of opportunities and challenges at the same time, but 
     they all worked out. He was a great guy. He treated everybody 
     fairly.''
       Ann Maenza, Dix's daughter, now publisher of The State 
     Journal, said her father ``never cut corners. He always made 
     sure things were done right. He was old school, fair and 
     honest.''
       Amy Dix Rock, senior director of regulatory and scientific 
     affairs at Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Nashville, 
     Tenn., said her father was ``always thinking of others. We 
     don't know how many things he's done for others because he 
     didn't talk about it.
       ``That's the way he was. He was soft-spoken but when he did 
     speak you listened.''
       Al Smith, who rose to prominence in the state as a weekly 
     newspaper publisher and as the longtime host of KET's 
     ``Comment on Kentucky,'' said Dix was a newspaper publisher 
     of the old school, ``but the opposite of the domineering 
     egotistic bosses who bullied employees and squeezed the news 
     to match their biases.
       `` `Old school' means that we always knew that with Al at 
     The State Journal, it was like the grocery slogan of years 
     ago, `the owner is in the store.' He didn't have to call a 
     distant headquarters to know what to say or do.
       ``He had strong views, conservative Republican in a 
     `company town' (state government) of readers who are mostly 
     Democratic, but he ran the paper on principles of fairness in 
     the news columns and gave his editorial writers, who were 
     mostly more liberal than he, free rein on the opinion page.''
       Smith noted how The State Journal under Dix supported a 
     constitutional amendment that overhauled the state's judicial 
     system and created what is today the Supreme Court. Smith 
     also noted the newspaper's spotlight on corruption in 
     government and how Dix shunned personal publicity.
       ``Once I wrote him a private note about something very 
     generous he had done to help someone in trouble,'' Smith 
     said. ``I heard nary a word in reply. But I didn't expect it. 
     I am sure he was embarrassed that I even knew.''
       Born Aug. 18, 1929, in Ravenna, Ohio, Albert E. Dix majored 
     in political science and was a 1951 graduate of Denison 
     University in Granville, Ohio.
       He served in the U.S. Army Intelligence from 1953-1955.
       A fourth-generation journalist, Dix first worked at The 
     Times-Leader in Bellaire, Ohio, where his father was 
     publisher. He moved to Frankfort in October 1962 to become 
     publisher of The State Journal. He retired in 1996 as 
     publisher and president of Wooster Republican Printing Co., 
     the parent company of The State Journal, which now owns seven 
     newspapers.
       The Kentucky Book Fair was founded by The State Journal in 
     1981.
       Dix also was a member of the board of directors of First 
     Capital Bank of Kentucky, the Frankfort/Franklin County 
     Industrial Development Authority and the local Kiwanis Club; 
     and served two terms as chairman of the American Saddlebred 
     Museum at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.
       He loved fishing and making fishing rods, electric trains 
     and saddlebred horses.
       Other survivors include his wife of 56 years, Edna Dix; a 
     son, Troy Dix, publisher of the Ashland Times-Gazette in 
     Ohio; and four grandchildren, Evan, Stewart and Melissa Dix 
     and Lauren Maenza.

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