Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr.
| Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 14, 1923 Winter Harbor, Maine United States |
| Died | August 2, 2006 (aged 82) Abington, Pennsylvania |
| Resting place | St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania |
| Education | Episcopal Academy, Harvard University |
| Occupation | Educator, sportsman, philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) | Edith B. Robb |
| Children | Edith Eleanor "Ellin" Dixon George Widener Dixon |
| Parent(s) | Fitz Eugene Dixon Sr. Eleanor Widener |
Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr. (August 14, 1923 – August 2, 2006) was an American educator, sportsman, and philanthropist.
He was the son of banker Fitz Eugene Dixon Sr. and wife Eleanor Widener, a member of the wealthy Philadelphia Widener family. His grandfather, George D. Widener, and uncle, Harry Elkins Widener, died in the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic. The Dixons built "Ronaele Manor" ("Eleanor" spelled backward), an Elizabethan mansion, in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, where Fitz Jr. grew up.
Fitz Jr. graduated from Philadelphia's Episcopal Academy, then Harvard University, after which he returned to Episcopal to teach English, French, and Health; he also coached the school's squash, tennis, and 120-pound football teams and served as director of athletics and assistant to the headmaster.
In 1952 he married Edith B. Robb, and they had two children: George Widener Dixon and "Ellin" Dixon (Miller).
On the 1971 death of his mother's surviving brother, George Dunton Widener Jr., Fitz Jr. inherited the childless uncle's entire estate, including the 500-acre (2.0 km2) Erdenheim Farm in Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania, and took over the running of the Widener Foundation. The Widener fortune, amassed in the meat-packing and streetcar businesses, saw Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr. listed in Forbes Magazine's 400 Richest Americans in 1985, 1991, and 1995.
One of his best-known civic accomplishments was the 1976 purchase of the iconic Love sculpture that now stands at the head of John F. Kennedy Plaza in Center City Philadelphia. Dixon purchased the statue from the Robert Indiana studio after the artist had removed it from the city when it failed to come up with the $45,000 he had sought for its purchase. Dixon bought the sculpture for $35,000 and donated it to the city. The plaza has since come to be known popularly as LOVE Park.
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