County of Station: Boone County
Location of station: Scott Blvd. & Katy Trail State Park, Columbia
"COLUMBIA - Columbia Parks and Recreation hosted the Jay Dix Station park dedication and ribbon cutting Sunday afternoon.
"Jay Dix Station is located in southwest Columbia, adjacent to the MKT Trail. The park features a playground, fitness equiptment, basketball courts and a mountain bike skills course. Under the ownership of Boone County, the 30-acre park is the product of the collaboration between the City of Columbia and the county.
"The park is dedicated to Dr. Jay Dix, who worked as the medical examiner of Boone County and MU professor of pathology, before his passing in 2002.
"Dr. Dix's passion for the outdoors and physical fitness made the park's location ideal for his remembrance.
'"I remember when we went to New York for a year to see what the big city was like," Mary Dix, wife of the late Dr. Jay Dix said. "About halfway through we created a pro and con list, and the first thing on the con list Jay said was, 'But Mary, it doesn't have an MKT Trail'."
"Mary Dix describes Dr. Dix as a man who would consider himself a rather ordinary person, despite his continuous service to the people of Boone County.
'"Jay would have been honored that his name is on this station and honored that people will be passing through here as they're going through the daily grind of trying to be fit," Dix said.
"The dedication ceremony provided T-shirts and popsicles for visitors, and featured a presentation on the bike course by professional mountain biker, Akira Yasuda. The activites and ribbon-cutting ceremony are the kick off for the 14th Annual Bike, Walk and Wheel Week.
"GetAbout Columbia Coordinator, Janet Godon, has many events planned for the week to motivate Columbia residents to get outside, without hurting the environment.
'"The week is all about encouraging people to think creatively about how they get around our community," Godon said. "We hope that's by taking biking, walking or transit a little more often."
"Jay Dix Station is just one of the many Columbia parks that are available for residents to enjoy, made possible by voter-approved park sales tax." ~ KOMU News, by Emma Rechenberg, May 3, 2015