Jean Beth Dixon

Jean Beth was born in Chicago to Walter E. and Carol Stauffer. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from National-Louis University College of Education (Evanston, Ill.), where she was awarded a full scholarship in music and voice. Mrs. Dixon received her Master's Degree from Hofstra University (Hempstead, N.Y.).

A beloved and innovative educator, she was involved with the “Winnetka Plan” educational experiment, which led to shifts in curriculum across the United States. Additionally, Mrs. Dixon and her colleagues George Robinson and Agnes Hazzard were featured in the New York Times for their development of the “Team Teaching” system in Huntington, New York.

Jean Beth's lifelong love of God and music led to her meeting and marrying (in 1945) James T. Dixon (deceased, 1988), music director of the North Ridge Church choir in which she sang and soloed.

Mrs. Dixon was a resident of Huntington Station, N.Y., for more than three decades. Her bright smile and positive outlook influenced the lives of nearly 1,000 children and their families.

She was an active, longtime member of First Presbyterian Church (Huntington, New York), where she volunteered in the food pantry and participated in a wide range of activities. Among her most interesting accomplishments, Jean Beth and her two sisters performed on Chicago radio in the 1930s billed as the “Three Sisters.” Jean Beth also wrote the winning jingle in a 1956 Coca-Cola contest and was awarded a 1957 Ford Thunderbird (promptly traded in for a family-appropriate station wagon).

She is mourned but celebrated by her three children, Walter T. Dixon (Blanca); James T. Dixon (Louna); and Luann Lewis (Brian), as well as eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A private memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on July 27, 2013, in Glenview, Ill. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Association.