Former Alabama senator and longtime chair of the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners Larry Dixon died last week at age 78 from COVID-19, according to a close friend.
But before he passed, he had one last message for the people of Alabama - a warning to prevent more deaths from the virus that took his life. Dr. David Thrasher, a critical care pulmonologist in Montgomery, said his friend was exposed at a social gathering. He treated his friend early in his illness. Thrasher said Dixon spoke to his wife Gaynell Dixon briefly before he was placed on the ventilator, and that the family wanted to spread that message to protect the people of Alabama.
“We messed up,” Dixon said. “We just let our guard down. Please tell everybody to take this thing seriously and get help as soon as you get the virus.”
For five days last week, the number of new cases of COVID-19 topped 3,000, a new record for Alabama. Hospitalizations have also hit all time highs in the last week.
Dixon served in the state senate from 1983 to 2010. The Republican represented District 25, the area east and south of Montgomery that included parts of Elmore, Montgomery and Crenshaw counties. Dixon ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992, but lost in the primary to Terry Everett.
Perry Hooper, a member of the Alabama Republican Executive Committee, released a statement about Dixon’s passing.
“He served as one of my mentors when I was elected to the Alabama Legislature,” Hooper said. “Senator Dixon was the most fiscally responsible Legislator I served with in my 20 years in the House.”
Hooper said Dixon was not a Montgomery native, but devoted his life to his adopted city.
“I am still in shock,” Hooper said. “Larry and Gaynell have been great friends of the Hooper family for as long as I can remember. Larry, although not a Montgomery native, loved his adopted hometown as much as anyone. He devoted his life to service to this great city. He was a great legislator, a man of great moral character, and a devoted and loving husband and father.”
Dixon also served for 35 years as the chair of the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners, which licenses and regulates doctors. Thrasher said he was friends with Dixon and his family for more than 30 years after meeting him through his work on the board.
According to a statement posted to Twitter, he served four terms on the U.S. Federation of State Medical Boards and helped create an organization called Administrators in Medicine. The Federation of State Medical Boards awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 and he was inducted in 2016 to the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame. The building that houses the medical board in Montgomery is named the Dixon-Parker Building in his honor.
“While we mourn Larry Dixon’s passing, we are forever grateful for his distinguished service to the medical profession and the to state of Alabama,” said Dr. Mark LeQuire, chairman of the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners and William Perkins, executive director of the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners. “He set an incredible example of service for us all. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Gaynell, and his family during this difficult time.”
Thrasher said Dixon was popular among politicians of both parties and had many friends across the state.
“He was loved by everybody,” Thrasher said. “He was a great personal friend, the nicest kindest guy and his last words were, hey let’s prevent this. Let’s save some lives.”
Updated at 6:32 p.m. to include a statement from Perry Hooper.