By PERRY HOOPER
I am still in shock. Larry and Gaynell Dixon have been great friends of the Hooper family for as long as I can remember.
Larry, although not a Montgomery native, loved his adopted hometown as much as anyone. He devoted his life to service to this great city. He was a great legislator, a man of great moral character, and a devoted and loving husband and father. Before his election to the Alabama Legislature, Larry served as a member of the Montgomery City Council where he championed increased funding for the Montgomery Police Department and economic development.
He served as one of my mentors when I was elected to the Alabama Legislature. Sen. Dixon was the most fiscally responsible legislator I served with in my 20 years in the House. He sponsored the legislation that created the Contract Review Committee which he later chaired. This committee was able to review and make public for the first time no-bid personal services contract. I served with Larry on this committee. He looked at every single contract as if he were spending his own money.
Larry served as executive director of the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners for 35 years. Upon his retirement from the board, the building that houses the board was renamed the Dixon-Parker Building in recognition of his outstanding service to the medical community. In retirement, he continued his life of service through his volunteer work with the Respite Ministry of the First United Methodist Church of Montgomery. This ministry provides care and services for adults living with memory loss diseases such as Alzheimer’s. dementia, Parkinson’s or stroke.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Gaynell and the entire Dixon family. He will be sorely missed but never forgotten.
Perry O. Hooper Jr. is a former State Representative, is on the Republican State Executive Committee and is a Trump Victory National Finance Committee Member.