Published: March 29, 2008 08:57 pm      

End of the Schedule — Dixie Fincher retires after 37 years with county

Dixie Fincher has been responsible for the scheduling of all kinds of legal events in the Navarro County district court for almost two decades, the last half of a 37 year career with Navarro County.

Friday, her own personal schedule came to an end as the county’s longtime district court coordinator retired. Friends, family and courthouse co-workers gathered at a reception in her honor and held in the district courtroom she managed for so long.

Simply known by her first name by so many people for so long, Dixie reflected on what her county career meant to her.

She started work May 1, 1972, in the Department of Public Welfare, now known as Child Protective Services. On Sept. 25, 1989, Dixie took over the district court coordinator job, going to work for then District Judge Buck Douglas.

“It’s really trying, stressful, especially when kids are involved,” she said of the terrible side of society she’s seen for so many years. “I went from an organization that took care of the kids, to basically the other side, to where the organization I worked with and dealt with the abusers.”

Sometimes it was tough, being a longtime local person and knowing many of the people involved in cases that rolled through the courtroom. Dixie said it was sometimes tough to be unbiased when she had a personal knowledge or history or friendship with some of the people she encountered.

But there have been high points, particularly those she worked with in the district court.

“I’m leaving a family,” Dixie said. “There’s four of us and we’re a family. We take care of each other, we’ve been there for the sorrow; we’ve been there for the joy.”

“I’m sorry to be going, but I’ll be glad to leave behind the sadness and the things you can’t fix,” she added.

District Judge John Jackson, who himself will be leaving the courthouse at the end of the year after decades of service, said Dixie Fincher was so very important to him when he took office in the 1990s.

“She had a really good grasp of the court and how it should be run when I got here,” Jackson said Friday. “She, in effect, trained in the courts and its proper procedures.”

“It will be a great loss to us, her leaving, but we intend to ‘consult’ with her if we get in a jam,” he added.

Her worth to the local law enforcement establishment has been acknowledged over the years up to the top levels. Just ask County Sheriff Les Cotten.

“She’s been here the longest, since I’ve been in law enforcement,” Cotten said. “She kept us abreast of what was going on. If we had any questions about cases, trials, anything ... she was always helpful and took care of us. She was a part of the team and we’re gonna miss her.”

Another long-timer, Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Connie Mayfield, echoed many of the sentiments regarding how Dixie has been “a rock” for the legal system here.

“The thing is, Dixie is never excitable about anything,” Mayfield said. “She’s always been very professional and handled everything with equanimity, an even hand, and with grace.”

Dixie said she’s going on to work full-time, from home, for her brother’s business — Ivie and Associates out of Flower Mound. She has been doing part-time work for the company since August and “I go to work full-time Monday morning,” she said with a laugh.

“But working from home, that’ll be a good thing,” Dixie said. “I’ll be able to be at home with my dogs, which everybody knows are my babies.”

But she will leave a void in the district courtroom that will take a while to see completely filled.

“Nobody has meant more to this court or has been more dedicated,” Judge Jackson said. “She’ll be sorely missed.”

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Loyd Cook may be reached via e-mail at lcook@corsicanadailysun.com