It is with a heavy heart that we share that Edith Dixon passed away on Saturday, May 18, 2024. Edith served on the Schoodic Institute Board of Directors from 2006-2024 and has played an outsized role in our community. She was truly one-of-a-kind.
There will be time for other remembrances and tributes this summer, but for now Schoodic Institute joins her family and friends in acknowledging how lucky we were to be the beneficiaries of the friendship of this extraordinary woman.
The Dixon family was involved with Schoodic Institute from the very start when then Acadia National Park Superintendent Sheridan Steele asked Fitz Dixon to help lead the effort to build a new institute at the site of the closing U.S. Naval Communications base at Schoodic. When Fitz passed away in 2006, his wife Edith joined the board. Fellow board member Kathy Nauss reflected, “Edith immediately stepped up. The Institute benefited not only from her generous financial support, but also from her wise counsel and leadership.” For the next 20 years, Edith, who had a lifelong passion for education, was a clear-eyed champion of Schoodic Institute and its work.
Edith was born in Philadelphia, and she summered in Winter Harbor for most of her adult life. With Fitz, she was deeply committed to the area. She worked to protect local businesses and services for the community. If someone needed help, Edith was there. Schoodic Institute President and CEO Nick Fisichelli said, “Upon first coming to the Schoodic Peninsula, I was truly astounded by the sense of service and community that Edith and the Dixon family helped instill into the fabric of its people and institutions. I learned so much from Edith. I always felt her embracing insights and deep support.”
Edith was the sort of leader and supporter most non-profits dream about. She thought deeply and spoke plainly. She was dedicated to Schoodic Institute and continually emphasized the need to focus on its education and science mission within Acadia National Park and beyond. She would fund the core operations – things that few others were drawn to. If a critical repair was needed, she would step up to help. When historic Rockefeller Hall needed to be restored, Edith came to the rescue. She was clear-eyed about the challenges facing a young institution and excited about the opportunities. Her laugh was infectious and her instincts unfailing. In the rare cases where her advice went unheeded, she remained loyal and positive.
Superintendent Kevin Schneider called Edith “one of the park’s truly best friends and so generous.” Board Chair David Ellwood put it this way, “Edith had more wisdom and sense than the rest of us put together. She was our rock, our North Star, and she leaves an extraordinary legacy. We will miss her terribly. We cannot possibly replace her, but we shall always embrace the values and ideals she championed.”