Cary Dixon
_
I realize that this happened about a year ago, but I have just stumbled upon this on facebook. Can you give me any information on what all was gathered. I have some information regarding Cary Dixon. He was my father.In September, Cary Dixon, 96, of Evansville rode his last train to Glory Land for all eternity. He first climbed onto a train in 1934, first as a fourth cook, third cook and second cook. Then, he became dining room chef, in today's parlance, executive chef. The railroads were the "way" to travel, from the wealthy to the not so wealthy. All these riders were able to experience the same, if not better, food than that offered at any of the best hotel restaurants. And that was due to men like Cary Dixon. He rode the rails from Chicago to Florida, New Orleans to Denver and nearly every place else that the train could take him. He prepared food for presidents on the campaign trail, athletes going from town to town and the ones he was most proud of, the soldiers of World War II. In the early 1960. he settled in Evansville where he was executive chef at the Evansville Country Club for 18 years, and The Kennel Club, along with various other well known restaurants at the time. In the early 1990s, he came to work part-time at the Green Convention Center with then-Executive Chef David Dean and a novice cook, Bob Casey, Through this meeting, both learned things about the food business that were simply amazing to know. We have lost a great fountain of knowledge and talent that was born to humble beginnings in Fulton, Ky., and rose to be a master of his craft. As his friend, retired chef Leroy Brown, said, "I learned more from Dixon than I ever did at the Culinary Institute and I got paid to learn it. From escargot to Southern Fried Ham Patties and every thing in between, Cary Dixon know how to cook it." Cary, you will be missed by the many people that you touched with knowledge and friendship. Happy journey, dear friend. © 2011 Evansville Courier & Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. I have included a picture when he was around the age of 24.Thank YouTiffany Murray
I realize that this happened about a year ago, but I have just stumbled upon this on facebook. Can you give me any information on what all was gathered. I have some information regarding Cary Dixon. He was my father.In September, Cary Dixon, 96, of Evansville rode his last train to Glory Land for all eternity. He first climbed onto a train in 1934, first as a fourth cook, third cook and second cook. Then, he became dining room chef, in today's parlance, executive chef. The railroads were the "way" to travel, from the wealthy to the not so wealthy. All these riders were able to experience the same, if not better, food than that offered at any of the best hotel restaurants. And that was due to men like Cary Dixon. He rode the rails from Chicago to Florida, New Orleans to Denver and nearly every place else that the train could take him. He prepared food for presidents on the campaign trail, athletes going from town to town and the ones he was most proud of, the soldiers of World War II. In the early 1960. he settled in Evansville where he was executive chef at the Evansville Country Club for 18 years, and The Kennel Club, along with various other well known restaurants at the time. In the early 1990s, he came to work part-time at the Green Convention Center with then-Executive Chef David Dean and a novice cook, Bob Casey, Through this meeting, both learned things about the food business that were simply amazing to know. We have lost a great fountain of knowledge and talent that was born to humble beginnings in Fulton, Ky., and rose to be a master of his craft. As his friend, retired chef Leroy Brown, said, "I learned more from Dixon than I ever did at the Culinary Institute and I got paid to learn it. From escargot to Southern Fried Ham Patties and every thing in between, Cary Dixon know how to cook it." Cary, you will be missed by the many people that you touched with knowledge and friendship. Happy journey, dear friend. © 2011 Evansville Courier & Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. I have included a picture when he was around the age of 24.Thank YouTiffany Murray
Correspondence with Mr. Dixon's Granddaughter...
_
Dr.B Mar 23 (1 day ago)to robert, helen, pete, janice Thanks fam. we did good. here's the link to the other internet article
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/jul/31/retired-cross-country-cook-discusses-life-along/
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dr.B <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, Mar 23, 2012 at 1:46 PM
Subject: Re: African American Illinois Central Workers of the Historic Fulton Ky, Railroad Station Project
To: Tiffany <[email protected]>
Great Tiffany.
Thanks so much for looking for the cookbook. if you find it we can copy it and return it to you and we will put our copy in the railroad museum with a little card that says" donated by Railman Cary Dixon's daughter Tiffany Murray" :-)
On Fri, Mar 23, 2012 at 9:28 AM, Tiffany <[email protected]> wrote:
Thank you soo very much!!, Van contacted me through email and his given me wonderful information!! I know that my father still had a cookbook from ICR, however, I don't know that I will be able to access it. But, I will definitely try. Thank You so much, what a blessing I've received!!!
From: Dr.B <[email protected]>
To: Tiffany <[email protected]>
Cc: janice hall <[email protected]>; pete <[email protected]>; helen <[email protected]>; robert <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 9:35 PM
Subject: Re: African American Illinois Central Workers of the Historic Fulton Ky, Railroad Station Project
Hi Tiffany, I just had a call from Mr. Robert Vanderford. and he had a considerable amount of information on your dad and said that I should send you his number. he will be up another 3 hours this evening if you'd like to talk. 731-479-1496.
Additionally Pete forwarded your email to our friend Helen and she replied: From: Helen Lee [email protected] 2:06 PM (7 hours ago) Granddaddy knew Cary nickname was “Squirrel” and granddaddy worked with him; it would be nice if we could come up the a cookbook!!!!
On Thu, Mar 22, 2012 at 3:02 PM, Tiffany <[email protected]> wrote:
Linda,
Yes, my father was from Fulton. Unfortunately, there is little else that I do know. I didn't actually meet my father until 1999. This is the reason I've been trying to do some research on his family, but I seem to be coming up empty handed. I do know that his mother's name was Ola B. Mccain, I am not sure of the spelling on the last name, when he had told me about her, he pronounced more like mccreary. I know that she passed away in 1972 or 1973and I believe in Fulton. I have searched cemeteries and yet still have not came up with anything. He said he was an only child and didn't have any family left other than a cousin in or around Fulton, but that was years ago, and I have since forgotten the cousin's name. He was married twice, the last time was in Springfield, TN in 1956, but they even have his last name as Dipon, not Dixon. When I met my father, he was already up in age and trying to take care of his wife who was ill, so, there really never was a "good" time to speak about the past. I refuse to believe that there is absolutely none of his family left, as I continue to search. Thank You for sharing the information you have, as I will continue to do so as well. From: Dr.B <[email protected]>
To: Tiffany <[email protected]>
Cc: janice hall <[email protected]>; pete <[email protected]>; helen <[email protected]>; robert <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 1:13 PM
Subject: Re: African American Illinois Central Workers of the Historic Fulton Ky, Railroad Station Project
Thanks again Tiffany. This is another great article. I remember seeing it on the internet last year. I'll add it to our site.
On your first email you mentioned that "... it all started in Fulton KY." My question to you is was Mr. Dixon born in Futon and/or did he ever live here . I know he travelled through Fulton in his work and our local railroad historian Mr. Percy Lee, chef, remembers working on the train with your dad (and my dad as well back in the 40-60s) but I'm still unclear as to if Mr. Dixon lived here or just travelled through.
Linda
On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 7:53 AM, Tiffany <[email protected]> wrote:
This was about him, in 2009. It states exactly when and where he worked.
Cary Dixon is pretty much a homebody these days. The 94-year-old man has prostate cancer, poor circulation and needs a cane to walk. He likes buying lottery tickets, but has cut back "because I need the dollars I'm scratching off." The widower lives alone in a small apartment on Evansville's East Side, spending afternoon hours reading cookbooks to see just how he wants to prepare the fried green tomatoes he's planning for supper. "If you're taking 12 pills a day, you're not gonna behave like you were shot out of a gun." Cary Dixon At 24, two years before he started working on the railroad. But once upon a time, Dixon traveled all over the country by train, where he quickly rose through the ranks of fourth cook, third cook and second cook until becoming dining room chef. "Midnight train, four-day train, the two-day bullet train from Chicago to Seattle — I rode 'em all. If it was a long haul, you served all three meals. Cooking wasn't an easy job." Dixon first climbed aboard in 1934 and stayed on the rails until 1980. Home for a good bit of that time was Chicago, but he also lived in Memphis, and New Orleans and Shreveport, La. "I started out at $65 a month on the old Illinois Central Railroad. I've still got the old book they handed out that held all my recipes." In the 1930s, cooks spent the night in cots that were placed in the dining cars after supper patrons went to their rooms. Later, the train crew slept in a dormitory in a coach at the front of the train. "We had beds that were welded to the wall, and that was a big step up from the folding cots. We had lockers, but you had to learn to pack light. There wasn't a lot of room." The secret to keeping order in the dining car, he says, was making sure every item was kept in the right place. "Even the bottles of hot sauce had their set location. That might sound funny, but if a train went 'round a curve and stuff started falling out, you had to know where everything went." Dixon worked for a time on the Panama Limited, a Pullman train that went from Chicago to New Orleans. "We'd feed the Pullman porters for half-price. They worked under a rule that said passengers in the morning were given coffee, a doughnut and the newspaper. I remember the company giving us our white coats, but we had to buy the shirts and the checkered pants." There was the accident in the 1950s that killed two railroad crewmen and several passengers. "The word got put out that I was one of the dead ones. I was hurt a little, but a long way from dead. My wife heard that news and 'bout had a fit." And the time in late 1941 when Dixon didn't get home for three weeks. "After Pearl Harbor, they put me on a troop train hauling soldiers from one part of the country to another. Just when I thought I might get to see my wife, I got sent out again." Dixon still remembers that it was the No. 12 train going to New Orleans from Memphis and the No. 15 for the return trip. "When I first came to Evansville, there were seven passenger trains coming through town each day. Then they tore down that lovely train station and ripped up all the tracks. It was sad to see." Cary Dixon was the chef at several Evansville restaurants after retiring from the railroad. "I still get a call sometimes if there's gonna be a 400-person party. I can help out a little, but I can't stand up long enough to do much." He gets up to check on his candied carrots. "People ask what I cook best. I tell 'em everything. Prime rib. Chicken and dumplings. Blueberry pie. You name it. If you got on that 91 train from Chicago to Evansville and I was in the dining car, well, you were gonna have a fine meal." © 2009 Evansville Courier & Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. RECIPES: These recipes were taken from Dixon's Illinois Central Dining Room Book: Ham patties, Southern style Six patties, three portions. 4 cups of ground ham 1/2 cup of ground onions 1/2 cup of ground green pepper 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper Mix ham, onions, green pepper, egg, salt and pepper thoroughly. Mold into six patties. Fry in hot fat until brown. Serve two patties to an order. Lobster a la Newburg One order 1/2 cup lobster meat, cut in small strips 1 tablespoon of margarine 1 tablespoon of sherry wine 3/4 cup of cream 2 egg yolks 1/2 teaspoon salt A dash of cayenne pepper Place margarine in sauce pan. Add lobster and wine. Simmer for five minutes. Combine cream and egg yolks and add to lobster. Add salt and cayenne pepper. Shuffle until thick, taking care to prevent scorching. From: Dr.B <[email protected]>
To: Tiffany <[email protected]>
Cc: janice hall <[email protected]>; pete <[email protected]>; robert <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 1:20 AM
Subject: Re: African American Illinois Central Workers of the Historic Fulton Ky, Railroad Station Project
Hi Tiffany,
I'm so happy to hear from you. Mr. Dixon's history is very impressive and he is very handsome.:-)
We're not really doing the oral history project anymore but have placed copies of our work (a soft cover book and ten interview dvds) in the Fulton Library and a few photos in the So. Fulton Railroad Museum; and we continue to have a website on which I've posted Mr. Dixon's information (with the assumption that you have already cleared the copyright permission noted on the bottom of the page you sent).
Please verify that the info below in blue is correct and please take a look at the other pages of the website to see the kinds of photos we collect and please send any additional family photos or mementos (letters, obituary or such) that you would like for us to add.
The website link is http://fultonkysafricanamericanrailroaders.weebly.com/
In May there will be a Rosenwald School Reunion Many of the children of the early railroad workers come home for that and the materials are usually displayed for that event. If you'd like more information on the reuion please contact Pete Algee- email address above.
Best always Linda Bradford
Mr. Cary Dixon
Position Held:
Cook, Chef and Executive Chef
Railroad Line Illinois Central
Trains:
City of Miami, City of New Orleans Panama Limited
Routes:
Fulton to Chicago, Chicago to Miami, New Orleans, Denver
Years Worked: 1934-1960
Lived in while working on the train: ??
Home Town: Fulton KY
On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 10:01 PM, Tiffany <[email protected]> wrote:
I realize that this happened about a year ago, but I have just stumbled upon this on facebook. Can you give me any information on what all was gathered. I have some information regarding Cary Dixon. He was my father. In September, Cary Dixon, 96, of Evansville rode his last train to Glory Land for all eternity. He first climbed onto a train in 1934, first as a fourth cook, third cook and second cook. Then, he became dining room chef, in today's parlance, executive chef. The railroads were the "way" to travel, from the wealthy to the not so wealthy. All these riders were able to experience the same, if not better, food than that offered at any of the best hotel restaurants. And that was due to men like Cary Dixon. He rode the rails from Chicago to Florida, New Orleans to Denver and nearly every place else that the train could take him. He prepared food for presidents on the campaign trail, athletes going from town to town and the ones he was most proud of, the soldiers of World War II. In the early 1960. he settled in Evansville where he was executive chef at the Evansville Country Club for 18 years, and The Kennel Club, along with various other well known restaurants at the time. In the early 1990s, he came to work part-time at the Green Convention Center with then-Executive Chef David Dean and a novice cook, Bob Casey, Through this meeting, both learned things about the food business that were simply amazing to know. We have lost a great fountain of knowledge and talent that was born to humble beginnings in Fulton, Ky., and rose to be a master of his craft. As his friend, retired chef Leroy Brown, said, "I learned more from Dixon than I ever did at the Culinary Institute and I got paid to learn it. From escargot to Southern Fried Ham Patties and every thing in between, Cary Dixon know how to cook it." Cary, you will be missed by the many people that you touched with knowledge and friendship. Happy journey, dear friend. © 2011 Evansville Courier & Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. I have included a picture when he was around the age of 24.Thank YouTiffany Murray
Dr.B Mar 23 (1 day ago)to robert, helen, pete, janice Thanks fam. we did good. here's the link to the other internet article
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/jul/31/retired-cross-country-cook-discusses-life-along/
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dr.B <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, Mar 23, 2012 at 1:46 PM
Subject: Re: African American Illinois Central Workers of the Historic Fulton Ky, Railroad Station Project
To: Tiffany <[email protected]>
Great Tiffany.
Thanks so much for looking for the cookbook. if you find it we can copy it and return it to you and we will put our copy in the railroad museum with a little card that says" donated by Railman Cary Dixon's daughter Tiffany Murray" :-)
On Fri, Mar 23, 2012 at 9:28 AM, Tiffany <[email protected]> wrote:
Thank you soo very much!!, Van contacted me through email and his given me wonderful information!! I know that my father still had a cookbook from ICR, however, I don't know that I will be able to access it. But, I will definitely try. Thank You so much, what a blessing I've received!!!
From: Dr.B <[email protected]>
To: Tiffany <[email protected]>
Cc: janice hall <[email protected]>; pete <[email protected]>; helen <[email protected]>; robert <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 9:35 PM
Subject: Re: African American Illinois Central Workers of the Historic Fulton Ky, Railroad Station Project
Hi Tiffany, I just had a call from Mr. Robert Vanderford. and he had a considerable amount of information on your dad and said that I should send you his number. he will be up another 3 hours this evening if you'd like to talk. 731-479-1496.
Additionally Pete forwarded your email to our friend Helen and she replied: From: Helen Lee [email protected] 2:06 PM (7 hours ago) Granddaddy knew Cary nickname was “Squirrel” and granddaddy worked with him; it would be nice if we could come up the a cookbook!!!!
On Thu, Mar 22, 2012 at 3:02 PM, Tiffany <[email protected]> wrote:
Linda,
Yes, my father was from Fulton. Unfortunately, there is little else that I do know. I didn't actually meet my father until 1999. This is the reason I've been trying to do some research on his family, but I seem to be coming up empty handed. I do know that his mother's name was Ola B. Mccain, I am not sure of the spelling on the last name, when he had told me about her, he pronounced more like mccreary. I know that she passed away in 1972 or 1973and I believe in Fulton. I have searched cemeteries and yet still have not came up with anything. He said he was an only child and didn't have any family left other than a cousin in or around Fulton, but that was years ago, and I have since forgotten the cousin's name. He was married twice, the last time was in Springfield, TN in 1956, but they even have his last name as Dipon, not Dixon. When I met my father, he was already up in age and trying to take care of his wife who was ill, so, there really never was a "good" time to speak about the past. I refuse to believe that there is absolutely none of his family left, as I continue to search. Thank You for sharing the information you have, as I will continue to do so as well. From: Dr.B <[email protected]>
To: Tiffany <[email protected]>
Cc: janice hall <[email protected]>; pete <[email protected]>; helen <[email protected]>; robert <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 1:13 PM
Subject: Re: African American Illinois Central Workers of the Historic Fulton Ky, Railroad Station Project
Thanks again Tiffany. This is another great article. I remember seeing it on the internet last year. I'll add it to our site.
On your first email you mentioned that "... it all started in Fulton KY." My question to you is was Mr. Dixon born in Futon and/or did he ever live here . I know he travelled through Fulton in his work and our local railroad historian Mr. Percy Lee, chef, remembers working on the train with your dad (and my dad as well back in the 40-60s) but I'm still unclear as to if Mr. Dixon lived here or just travelled through.
Linda
On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 7:53 AM, Tiffany <[email protected]> wrote:
This was about him, in 2009. It states exactly when and where he worked.
Cary Dixon is pretty much a homebody these days. The 94-year-old man has prostate cancer, poor circulation and needs a cane to walk. He likes buying lottery tickets, but has cut back "because I need the dollars I'm scratching off." The widower lives alone in a small apartment on Evansville's East Side, spending afternoon hours reading cookbooks to see just how he wants to prepare the fried green tomatoes he's planning for supper. "If you're taking 12 pills a day, you're not gonna behave like you were shot out of a gun." Cary Dixon At 24, two years before he started working on the railroad. But once upon a time, Dixon traveled all over the country by train, where he quickly rose through the ranks of fourth cook, third cook and second cook until becoming dining room chef. "Midnight train, four-day train, the two-day bullet train from Chicago to Seattle — I rode 'em all. If it was a long haul, you served all three meals. Cooking wasn't an easy job." Dixon first climbed aboard in 1934 and stayed on the rails until 1980. Home for a good bit of that time was Chicago, but he also lived in Memphis, and New Orleans and Shreveport, La. "I started out at $65 a month on the old Illinois Central Railroad. I've still got the old book they handed out that held all my recipes." In the 1930s, cooks spent the night in cots that were placed in the dining cars after supper patrons went to their rooms. Later, the train crew slept in a dormitory in a coach at the front of the train. "We had beds that were welded to the wall, and that was a big step up from the folding cots. We had lockers, but you had to learn to pack light. There wasn't a lot of room." The secret to keeping order in the dining car, he says, was making sure every item was kept in the right place. "Even the bottles of hot sauce had their set location. That might sound funny, but if a train went 'round a curve and stuff started falling out, you had to know where everything went." Dixon worked for a time on the Panama Limited, a Pullman train that went from Chicago to New Orleans. "We'd feed the Pullman porters for half-price. They worked under a rule that said passengers in the morning were given coffee, a doughnut and the newspaper. I remember the company giving us our white coats, but we had to buy the shirts and the checkered pants." There was the accident in the 1950s that killed two railroad crewmen and several passengers. "The word got put out that I was one of the dead ones. I was hurt a little, but a long way from dead. My wife heard that news and 'bout had a fit." And the time in late 1941 when Dixon didn't get home for three weeks. "After Pearl Harbor, they put me on a troop train hauling soldiers from one part of the country to another. Just when I thought I might get to see my wife, I got sent out again." Dixon still remembers that it was the No. 12 train going to New Orleans from Memphis and the No. 15 for the return trip. "When I first came to Evansville, there were seven passenger trains coming through town each day. Then they tore down that lovely train station and ripped up all the tracks. It was sad to see." Cary Dixon was the chef at several Evansville restaurants after retiring from the railroad. "I still get a call sometimes if there's gonna be a 400-person party. I can help out a little, but I can't stand up long enough to do much." He gets up to check on his candied carrots. "People ask what I cook best. I tell 'em everything. Prime rib. Chicken and dumplings. Blueberry pie. You name it. If you got on that 91 train from Chicago to Evansville and I was in the dining car, well, you were gonna have a fine meal." © 2009 Evansville Courier & Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. RECIPES: These recipes were taken from Dixon's Illinois Central Dining Room Book: Ham patties, Southern style Six patties, three portions. 4 cups of ground ham 1/2 cup of ground onions 1/2 cup of ground green pepper 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper Mix ham, onions, green pepper, egg, salt and pepper thoroughly. Mold into six patties. Fry in hot fat until brown. Serve two patties to an order. Lobster a la Newburg One order 1/2 cup lobster meat, cut in small strips 1 tablespoon of margarine 1 tablespoon of sherry wine 3/4 cup of cream 2 egg yolks 1/2 teaspoon salt A dash of cayenne pepper Place margarine in sauce pan. Add lobster and wine. Simmer for five minutes. Combine cream and egg yolks and add to lobster. Add salt and cayenne pepper. Shuffle until thick, taking care to prevent scorching. From: Dr.B <[email protected]>
To: Tiffany <[email protected]>
Cc: janice hall <[email protected]>; pete <[email protected]>; robert <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 1:20 AM
Subject: Re: African American Illinois Central Workers of the Historic Fulton Ky, Railroad Station Project
Hi Tiffany,
I'm so happy to hear from you. Mr. Dixon's history is very impressive and he is very handsome.:-)
We're not really doing the oral history project anymore but have placed copies of our work (a soft cover book and ten interview dvds) in the Fulton Library and a few photos in the So. Fulton Railroad Museum; and we continue to have a website on which I've posted Mr. Dixon's information (with the assumption that you have already cleared the copyright permission noted on the bottom of the page you sent).
Please verify that the info below in blue is correct and please take a look at the other pages of the website to see the kinds of photos we collect and please send any additional family photos or mementos (letters, obituary or such) that you would like for us to add.
The website link is http://fultonkysafricanamericanrailroaders.weebly.com/
In May there will be a Rosenwald School Reunion Many of the children of the early railroad workers come home for that and the materials are usually displayed for that event. If you'd like more information on the reuion please contact Pete Algee- email address above.
Best always Linda Bradford
Mr. Cary Dixon
Position Held:
Cook, Chef and Executive Chef
Railroad Line Illinois Central
Trains:
City of Miami, City of New Orleans Panama Limited
Routes:
Fulton to Chicago, Chicago to Miami, New Orleans, Denver
Years Worked: 1934-1960
Lived in while working on the train: ??
Home Town: Fulton KY
On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 10:01 PM, Tiffany <[email protected]> wrote:
I realize that this happened about a year ago, but I have just stumbled upon this on facebook. Can you give me any information on what all was gathered. I have some information regarding Cary Dixon. He was my father. In September, Cary Dixon, 96, of Evansville rode his last train to Glory Land for all eternity. He first climbed onto a train in 1934, first as a fourth cook, third cook and second cook. Then, he became dining room chef, in today's parlance, executive chef. The railroads were the "way" to travel, from the wealthy to the not so wealthy. All these riders were able to experience the same, if not better, food than that offered at any of the best hotel restaurants. And that was due to men like Cary Dixon. He rode the rails from Chicago to Florida, New Orleans to Denver and nearly every place else that the train could take him. He prepared food for presidents on the campaign trail, athletes going from town to town and the ones he was most proud of, the soldiers of World War II. In the early 1960. he settled in Evansville where he was executive chef at the Evansville Country Club for 18 years, and The Kennel Club, along with various other well known restaurants at the time. In the early 1990s, he came to work part-time at the Green Convention Center with then-Executive Chef David Dean and a novice cook, Bob Casey, Through this meeting, both learned things about the food business that were simply amazing to know. We have lost a great fountain of knowledge and talent that was born to humble beginnings in Fulton, Ky., and rose to be a master of his craft. As his friend, retired chef Leroy Brown, said, "I learned more from Dixon than I ever did at the Culinary Institute and I got paid to learn it. From escargot to Southern Fried Ham Patties and every thing in between, Cary Dixon know how to cook it." Cary, you will be missed by the many people that you touched with knowledge and friendship. Happy journey, dear friend. © 2011 Evansville Courier & Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. I have included a picture when he was around the age of 24.Thank YouTiffany Murray