He built his legacy, brick by brick, student by student, and friend by friend.
For 26+ years, Bill Dixon was the heartbeat of his trade. If you graduated from the ABC-VA Richmond apprenticeship training program, if you earned your certification, if you ever successfully diagnosed a complex refrigerant leak or perfectly balanced an air handler, you carry a piece of Bill with you. He didn’t just teach HVAC; he lived and breathed it. He had a profound love for the trade, and that enthusiasm was contagious.
Bill was more than an instructor. He was a mentor, a counselor, and often a demanding but fair critic. He would never let you settle for “good enough”. He instilled in us the truth that in this industry, “good enough” is the enemy of safe, efficient, and professional work. Beyond the gauges and the schematics, Bill was there for us, too. He didn’t just teach us how to fix systems; he helped fix our confidence when we doubted ourselves, cheering us through life’s tougher moments as much as he cheered on his team during a tough installation or service call.
Many of us carry memories of Bill leaning over your shoulder in the shop, not just pointing out a mistake, but pausing to explain the WHY connecting the textbook theory directly to the tangible, real-world consequence. He demanded precision, he expected excellence, and he gave us the confidence to go out into the world and build not just careers, but truly successful lives. If you needed a technical answer, Bill had it. But if you needed a boost when you felt lost or ready to quit, he was the first person to make time for you, and that kindness defined his career. The high standards of this program, the success rate of our graduates and the reputation we enjoy across the industry are direct reflections of Bill’s unshakeable vision. He built his legacy, brick by brick, student by student and friend by friend.
And now, we ensure that his legacy is cemented forever as the foundation of our future.
It is with great privilege to announce the formal dedication of the Richmond Lab, henceforth to be known as “The William “Bill” Dixon Lab of Learning Excellence”.
To Bill Dixon: Thank you for the lessons that reached far beyond the classroom. Thank you for showing us what excellence truly looks like.
Penned by Sherrie Dickerson, ABC-VA Education Manager
