Norton and 107-Year Old D.C. Veteran, Alyce Dixon, to Attend Private Meeting with Obama, Today

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will visit President Obama in the oval office today at 3:00 p.m. with a 107-Year Old D.C. Veteran, Alyce Lillian Dixon. Norton and Dixon will be thanking the President for his support for veterans and for District of Columbia statehood.

"Ms. Dixon has served the District of Columbia and the nation with great pride and dedication," Norton said. "She has seen the many faces and phases of our city; she has overcome gender stereotypes; she has valiantly served in a war; and she has supported the community and the people who surround her. I appreciate this special meeting with the President for the oldest veteran, perhaps the oldest resident of our city. I am very much proud of Alyce Dixon, a model citizen and veteran."

Dixon was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1907, and she is currently a resident of the Community Living Center at the Washington D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center. In her 20s, Dixon was the first secretary at the Lincoln Theatre on U Street in 1928, and later worked there as a cashier. From 1940 to 1943, she worked as one of the first civilian employees at the Pentagon. In April 1943, Dixon entered the military and became one of the first women to join WAC, the Women's Army Corps. She was stationed in Fort Clark, Texas; Scotland; England; and France, where she played a critical role in postal service delivery during World War II. Dixon later received the Good Conduct Medal for her service. After her service in the military, Dixon returned to the Pentagon, where she served until June 1971, retiring after 35 years with the federal government. Dixon has shown the same model of service that she brought to her work in the Army to her community. She was a volunteer for twelve years at the Washington Hospital Center, and has also volunteered at Howard University Hospital.