1989
Morris and Barbara Retire
Mom and Dad at joint retirement party
After forty years, four months and two weeks of service, Dad retired from the Chemistry Department at the University of Florida, effective January 31st. At the time of his retirement, he had worked longer than any other person at the University. Joining him in his retirement, Mom also retired after working at the University for twenty-four years and four months with the last fourteen years at the Physics Department. Mom and Dad had been planning this moment for many years and they were ecstatic about it. Dad wrote in his retirement letter that he wanted to, “travel, fish, relax and do all the other “fun things” before they get too old to enjoy them!”
The Chemistry and Physics Departments joined together and held a joint retirement party for Mom and Dad at the Retiz Union, the Student Center at the University. It was quite an event with many faculty and staff from both departments, and many friends as well as family in attendance. Both the Chemistry and Physics Department newsletters had articles about Mom and Dad.
Dad with friends and family at retirment party
Man, Dad, woman, Mom, Aunt Dixie, David, Ernie and Libby St. Jacques
<see Retirment Card with
signatures of attendees >
The January edition of the weekly Chemistry Department newsletter the Bunsen Burner had a goodbye from Dad. I was quite surprised how well it was written and stated. Dad was never much a man of words yet, in a few short sentences, he summed up how he felt about his forty years of work with a bit of humor.
Both the Chemistry and Physics Department December '88 newsletters had articles about Mom and Dad.
Physics Newsletter
How well Dad was known, liked and respected was shown by the many letters written by the faculty including the “penultimate Chairman during the reign of Morris Mixson” who wrote:
Dr. William R. Dolbier, Jr, Chairman 1983 to 1988: Chairman may come and chairmen may go, but there has been but one “Lord & Master” of the Chemistry Department for the last forty-odd years and that has been Morris Mixson! All these years, I and others thought naively that Morris was, is now and every shall be here to rule from on high and keep the Department on the straight and narrow. Now it appears that the Mixson Dynasty is not to be forevermore, but will be coming to an end on January 31, 1989.
Dad had served under eight department chairman’s, the first being Dr. T. R. Leigh who the Chemistry building is named after. Morris said he recalled Dr. Leigh fondly.
Dad started working at the Chemistry Department in 1948 after returning from World War II. After working there for 40 years, at the time of his retirement he made $30,600.94 a year. Mom started working at the University after in 1964 having several job positions before spending her last ten years or so as an Administrative Assistant in the Physics Department. After 25 years of working at the University Barbara made $29,774.88 a year, almost as much as Dad.
As part of their retirement planning Dad got an earnings statement from Social Security. From 1937 though 1950 Dad made a total of $90. In the next eighteen years, from 1951 through 1969, Dad made a total of $68,374. I find it amazing that he and mom were able support a family of six on that amount. How much I made was always and interest to Mom, every time I got a new job, or a raise, Mom would ask me how much I made. At the time they retired I was making $48,000 which was more than either of them was making when they retired. Mom was quite proud of me.
Mom wrote in her memoirs:
February 1st, our first day of retirement. I worked 24 years plus 4 months and Morris worked 40 years plus four months all in the chemistry department in Leigh Hall. The first day of our retirement we went to the condo at St. Augustine for a vacation and to celebrate. It was beautiful weather, up in the 80's. Libby and Ernie and some of their out of town friends came over and spent one day with us. We spent one day with Gary and Dianne who were at their condo at Ocean Gallery
*Note: “the condo in St. Augustine” was Brenda and Tom’s who let family use it while they were missionaries in Austria.
Updated: 01-22-2024