Deputy Police Commissioner and Department
Chaplin Reverend Dr. Richard H. Dixon Jr.
renewed his wedding vows, following the 50th
anniversary of his marriage, on Sunday April
20th at the Macedonia Baptist Church.
Reverend Dixon and
Ernestine Wright were married April 13, 1958
in Pontiac MI. During the same time,
Macedonia Baptist Church in Mount Vernon NY
was searching for a new pastor. During their
honeymoon, Reverend Dixon brought his new
bride to meet the congregation at Macedonia
Baptist Church and the love affair has
blossomed for the last Fifty years.
“Reverend Dixon may be
an institution in Mount Vernon,” said Mayor
Clinton I. Young, Jr. “But he and his wife,
Ernestine, make the institution of marriage
seem more like a country club. I want to
extend my and the city’s deepest
congratulations for achieving this great
milestone in life, and for renewing their
commitment to each other. Their relationship
is something to be most proud of.”
Reverend Dixon is also the Chaplin and a Deputy
Commissioner for the Mount Vernon Police
Department. He has served honorably in this
capacity for twenty plus years and continues
to serve the men and women of the Mount
Vernon Police Department.
Police Commissioner,
David E. Chong commented, "Deputy
Commissioner, Reverend Dr. Richard Dixon has
been a spiritual fixture in this Police
Department. He has guided and consoled the
men and women in uniform for over twenty
years. Reverend Dixon has been there to
celebrate with most of them when they were
hired, promoted, and retired. He has also
been there as a spiritual support when
tragedy has stuck, both on a personal level
and on a professional one. Personally
Reverend Dixon has helped me understand the
culture of this Department and the residents
of the City of Mount Vernon. He has given
me strength and sound advice. All of us in
the Mount Vernon Police Department
congratulate him on fifty years of marriage
to his lovely wife Ernestine. Our prayer is
that he will continue to serve the members
of this Department for a long time to come."
During his time in Mount Vernon, the Reverend Dixon has
served as President of the Council of
Churches, Westchester Urban League. He is
also the founder and past President of the
United Black Clergy of Mount Vernon, and
founder and past President of the
Westchester Christian Leadership
Conference.
Ernestine Wright Dixon
has served with the Meals on Wheels Program,
was a board member of the Kiwanis Club of
Mount Vernon and a very active member of the
Woman United Church in both the Mount Vernon
and NY State units. Presently she serves as
President of the Mount Vernon Unit and is
also a member of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.
Both are dedicated and spiritual people and have raised
three children, Richard III, Sonya who is
married to active Mount Vernon Detective
George McClendon, and Lori. They are the
proud grandparents of 5 grandchildren.
