Kerby, W. Dixon, 2000 July 27

This is a living history interview with Dixon Kerby, class of 1940, conducted by Marilyn Somers on July 27, 2000. The subject of this interview is his life and experiences at Georgia Tech. Mr. Kerby is a native Atlantan, born to Dixon and Edwina Kerby. He attended Boys High School, which is now Grady High School. After graduating from high school early, Mr. Kerby attended Georgia Tech. Mr. Kerby mentions that he was a member of the ROTC and the fraternity Pi Kappa Phi at Georgia Tech. He also played the saxophone very well and considered playing on the Georgia Tech band, but decided not to. Mike Conway convinced Mr. Kerby to start a band. He called it the Technicians. The band played at tea parties and in the basement of Mike’s house. When the Emory Aces began to advertise for a saxophone player, Mr. Kerby had the opportunity to try out. He became a member of the Aces. They played almost every weekend, and Mr. Kerby says that they made a lot of money for the time. Before he graduated from Tech, Mr. Kerby already had a job with the Georgia Power Company. Not long after graduation, Mr. Kerby was called into active duty. Right before he was to leave, he married his wife, Martha. During the war, Mr. Kerby was stationed in Trinidad. After the war, Mr. Kerby worked as a builder. He later had two daughters, Claire and Lynn. Mr. Kerby became the CEO and president of Peachtree Federal. He retired from the company in 1975 and began his own building appraisal firm. Now, Mr. Kerby still does a few appraisal jobs each month.