Retired Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice John A. Dixon, Jr., 82, died Saturday, February 22, 2003 in Shreveport, Louisiana. A World War II veteran and prisoner of war, he earned his Juris Doctor degree from Tulane Law School in 1947. He was in the private practice of law and served as Assistant District Attorney in Shreveport prior to his election to the district court bench in 1957. After his election to the Second Circuit Court of Appeal in 1968, he was unopposed in his election to the Supreme Court bench in 1971. He became Chief Justice in 1980 and served in that position until his retirement from the Supreme Court in 1990. In 1981, he was named the Outstanding Alumnus Award of the Tulane Law School and was recognized by the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana with the Benjamin E. Smith Award, its highest honor, for a lifetime of defending civil rights and liberties.