Warren Frederick Buxton, Ph.D., CDP

After graduating from high school in Arlington, Massachusetts, Dr. Buxton served in the United States Air Force as a meteorologist and climatologist. Among other assignments, he served a thirteen month tour in a remote outpost in the Canadian Arctic, three years at Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany and one year establishing the Climatological Centre for NATO Southern Headquarters Naples, Italy. After leaving the service, he joined TransWorld Airlines as a High Altitude wind and Route Forecast Specialist.

Returning to college, he received his BS (Mathematics) and MS (Business and Educational Administration) from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Just prior to receiving his baccalaureate degree in 1961, he established and was appointed the first Director of Data Processing for that University.

Moving to Phoenix, Arizona in 1963, he was the first director and teacher in the United States for Manpower and Training Act Program (1963). The federal training act program was for the retraining of select individuals into the new occupation of computer programmer. Dr. Buxton then served in the dual capacity of instructor of data processing at Phoenix College and Founding Director of Educational Data Processing for the Maricopa County Colleges as well as establishing the District's first Data Processing Center.

When Maricopa Technical College (now GateWay Community College) was founded in 1968, Dr. Buxton was appointed founding Chair of Computer Technology. On sabbatical leave in 1972, he received his Ph.D. in the Administration of Higher Education from Arizona State University.

With the opening of yet another new campus within the Maricopa County Colleges in 1986, Paradise Valley Community College, Dr. Buxton moved to that location as head of the Computer Information Science and Business-Personal Computer programs within the Division of Business and Computer Information Systems on that campus.

He has been active in the Data Processing Management Association since he joined that organization in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1961. Dr. Buxton received his CDP in 1966 as has served as President of the Phoenix Chapter twice, first in 1966 and again in 1978. He holds the Diamond Award for service to that organization.

A gathering of friends and family will take place Friday, December 21, 2018 at Shadow Mountain Mortuary, 2350 E. Greenway Rd. Phoenix, Arizona 85022 at 12:00pm. A committal ceremony will follow at National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, 23029 N. Cave Creek Rd. Phoenix, Arizona 85024 at 2:00pm.

Please share stories of Dr. Buxton at www.shadowmountainmortuary.com