Don Saxton

2005

My life really hasn't changed. Maybe I've put on some weight, but not much. Ten pounds, tops. I haven't lost much hair. My health is still good. I still go to church every Saturday night, and I still sing in the church choir.

I'm retired from teaching high-school typing, business and accounting. Sometimes I substitute but I really don't like that. When you retire you ought to mean it. There are people who say they're bored. I believe them, but I feel sorry for them.

I'm satisfied here. Never thought of moving. My roots are too deep. I've been mayor since 1974. I like the small-town atmosphere. For as long as I can remember, I've been having coffee and donuts with the same men at 5:30 every morning. I've been to lots of the larger cities once or twice – Dallas, Miami Beach, Chicago, New York, but I'm always glad to get back.

I collect antique cars. I have a '26 Model T, a '31 Model A, two 1951 Chevrolets, a '54 Chevrolet fire truck that was in service for the city of Oxford for forty-four years, three Oldsmobiles (1960, '72, and '74), two Buicks (1950 and 1966)), and three tractors (two '53 Old Reds and a '54 Farmhall).

There was a time in Oxford when we had two farm-implement dealerships, a drugstore, hardware store, a general-merchandise store, three grocery stores, three gas stations, a welding shop, a Chevrolet dealer, a Ford dealer, a bank, three cafes (Thompson's, Sherlock's and Dottie's), a weekly newspaper, a physician, a dentist, and a hotel. All that's gone now.