Stuart Paul Dixon, preservationist By Gayle Ronan Sims INQUIRER STAFF WRITER POSTED: January 31, 2008 Stuart Paul Dixon, 51, of Roxborough, a preservationist whose legacy is visible in hundreds of projects reflecting his unwavering passion for architectural history, died of thyroid cancer Friday at Presbyterian Medical Center. Mr. Dixon, an indefatigable member of several engineering firms in Philadelphia and the Mid-Atlantic region, worked on projects as diverse as security at Independence Mall, a guide report for the Federal Highway Administration, and identifying hundreds of historical buildings that could be harmed by development. When a structure could not be saved, Mr. Dixon sought alternatives for clients to preserve as much as possible for future generations. He wrote numerous proposals for the National Historic Preservation Act. Some of Mr. Dixon's projects in the Philadelphia region were the Byberry African American cemetery, prisons, bridges, and the Naval Hospital. Mr. Dixon was senior architectural historian at the engineering firm of Rummel, Klepper & Kahl in Baltimore at the time of his death. From 1998 through mid-2007, he was senior architectural historian for Louis Berger Group Inc. in Washington, an environmental-engineering firm for which he completed more than 100 historical projects. "Stuart was one of the finest architectural historians I have had the pleasure to work with," said Kay Simpson, a vice president at Berger. "Stuart counseled clients ranging from large federal agencies to rural communities and townships." From 1991 to 1998, Mr. Dixon was senior historian at KCI Technologies Inc., of Mechanicsburg, Pa., and Bensalem, where he managed historical research and National Register of Historic Places eligibility evaluations. He worked for several years as a consultant on historic preservation in Philadelphia. Born in Camden in 1956, Mr. Dixon grew up in Westfield, N.J., where he enjoyed playing ice hockey. After graduating high school, he received a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Delaware, and he earned a master's in history in 1990. Sara Jane "Sally" Elk, now executive director of Eastern State Penitentiary, hired him to do an industrial history of Fishtown in the late 1980s. The couple later married and bought a historic rowhouse in Roxborough, which they were restoring to its original beauty. He surprised her with a bright red dishwasher for their new kitchen. They raised a daughter, Elizabeth Anne, with whom Mr. Dixon shared his love of sports. In addition to his wife of 17 years and their daughter, Mr. Dixon is survived by his father, Wesley Dixon; three brothers; and a sister. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Plymouth Friends Meeting House, Germantown Pike and Butler Pike. Donations may be made to Plymouth Meeting Friends School, 2150 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, Pa. 19462. Contact staff writer Gayle Ronan Sims at 215-854-4185 or gsims@phillynews.com.