Lifelong Enthusiast Dick Dixon Passes Away

	Dick Dixon spoke at the 2012 SEMA Show's SEMA Businesswomen's Network (SBN), Young Executives Network (YEN) and Street Performance Council (SPC) breakfast meeting with 2011 USAC Ford Focus Champ Jessica Clark.

Writer, educator and industry speaker Dick Dixon passed away in his sleep Thursday, November 15, after battling cancer. He lived by the philosophy that life was a sandbox from which to learn, work and play. He thought of himself as an unconventional get-it-done-right guy, who "worked like a 270 Offy."

Dixon grew up in Hawthorne, California, and earned his master's degree in management and marketing at California State University Dominguez Hills. Most recently, he was the director of the International Motorsports Alliance at California State University, San Bernardino and chairman of the Automotive Trades Institute. Dixon was a lifelong automotive and motorsports enthusiast and 30-year member of the aftermarket and motorsports industry.

A three-time SEMA Ambassador of the Year and Motorsports Legends Hall of Fame inductee, Dixon received numerous industry awards and spoke at industry events nationally. He authored the Cal State/SEMA-endorsed aftermarket management and marketing education certificate program and served on the SEMA Scholarship Committee for 13 years. Dixon was a former professor and motorsports administrator at Indiana and Purdue Universities. He was also managing editor and publisher of the Hot Rod Parts Guide and chairman and CEO of the Automotive Education Alliance.

Dixon actively participated in SEMA's Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO), Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA), Young Executives Network (YEN) and SEMA Businesswomen's Network (SBN) councils. He was also a SEMA-endorsed educator of automotive management and was a featured speaker on the topic of eCommerce at the SEMA Show.

Dixon is survived by his wife Judi and daughter Chantel.