The President's Page

As Dixie Jones's name immediately reveals, she is from the South. Her interests, her values, her strengths, and her commitment to family have all been shaped by her rural Southern heritage. Dixie grew up in the small town of Haughton, Louisiana, surrounded by extended family. Aunts and cousins lived next door, and her paternal grandmother lived within walking distance. Dixie's father, Dorset E. Alford Jr., was a cattle farmer, so there were always cows and horses on their land. Mr. Alford served on the Board of Directors for the local cemetery associafion to maintain the cemetery where Dixie's great-grandparents are buried, on land they donated years ago. Dixie has followed in her father's footsteps in this involvement, serving on the board from the 1980s to the present. The most important infiuence in Dixie's future career was her mother, Dorothy Elston Alford, who was a librarian. The public library where Dixie's mother worked was only a block from their home, and Mrs. Alford usually rode her bicycle there. Mrs. Alford's duties extended beyond the usual circulafion and reference to include gardening in the library's flower bed and making homemade goodies for the children's story hours. Her commitment to this library was memorialized at her death in 1987, when the community immediately passed a resolution to name the facility for her. Dixie's early love of reading might have provided a clue to her eventual career. As a child, she would bring a book to the dirmer table, much to her sister's chagrin. Dixie recalls a special affection for Nancy Drew mysteries during her childhood. Dixie exhibited early signs of leadership skills, serving as drum major of the band and as class president in junior high and high school. Despite days busy with tap dancing, baton twirling, and playing several musical instruments, she was stül able to graduate from high school a year early. Dixie began her first step toward her library career at Louisiana Tech University, where she majored in library science. After graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree, she immediately headed for Louisiana State University (LSU) to earn her master of library science degree. In high school, Dixie had gone to the prom with a classmate, Jim Jones. However, their college plans led them to different schools. After sharing a long-distance relationship for five years, Dixie and Jim married when she graduated from LSU in 1975. They moved to northwest Louisiana, where they have lived ever since. Dixie's mother was a pubüc librarian, but Dixie has always been interested in health sciences librarianship. Although Dixie's famüy commitments kept her from being