Nate Dixon was one of ten black high school students who in 1956, under federal court order, had to be escorted by 160 National Guardsmen past rows of fist‐waving white people to school in Sturgis, Kentucky. Dixon came to Champaign to finish his degree at the University of Illinois and worked at the Adler Mental Health Center, Illinois Department of Mental Health. From 1973 to 2000 he worked for the Champaign Park District, first as director of the Douglass Center and later as director of community services, where he awarded scholarships to underprivileged families and served as the districts Affirmative Action Officer. He has been involved in numerous professional and community organizations. He has served on the board of Illinois Park and Recreation Association and was a charter member of Illinois Association of Park Districtʹs Illinois Ethnic Minority Society in 1991. He has been a member of the Champaign County United Way Board and has been actively involved with the Champaign Lions Club and Urban League.
Nate was featured in Difference Makers 2010: An eBlack Champaign-Urbana Publication.