Robert Paxson was born September 1, 1928 in Streator to Henry and Lucille Paxson.  A graduate of Wenona High School, Paxson would enlist in the Army the August after graduation (1946).  He spent 18 months overseas and returned to central Illinois in the summer of 1948, where he enrolled at Eureka College.

Upon graduation, Bob signed a contract with Washington Grade School District 52 to teach 7th grade.  He also started attending college courses to attain a Master's Degree.  He also started coaching at WGS, eventually taking over the boys basketball team.

After attaining his Master's, he was promoted to Principal of Lincoln Grade School in 1954. In the fall of 1955, Bob and Marilyn packed up and moved to Ransom, Illinois leading to multiple job changes over the next few years:

Principal of Ransom Grade School: 2 years
Principal of Armington Elementary School: 3 years
Superintendent of Minier Unit District: 2 years
Superintendent of Maroa School District: 2 years

In the summer of 1964, Paxson was hired as the next Superintendent of District 52 in Washington.  Back in Washington is where Bob belonged, and he remained on the job until January, 1973, when he announced his resignation at the end of the school year for health reasons.

At the same time, Pleasant View Grade School was dealing with a messy case involving the firing of a teacher and the teacher's subsequent court filings for reinstatement, which eventually reached the Illinois Supreme Court.  Pleasant View superintendent Gerald Pullen resigned amid the drawn-out affair, and Paxson was appointed superintendent of the small school in the middle of the litigation.  Marilyn also worked at the school.  They are pictured below at the 1980 school graduation with Dorothy Foster.

Paxson remained at Pleasant View until his retirement in 1986.  He dabbled in some teaching at Father Sweeney School in Peoria in the early 1990s, but Bob tragically died too young on October 7, 1993, at the age of 65.

Beyond his educational legacy, what may be even more impressive is his contributions to Washington.   When the Washington Recreation Association was founded in 1955, Paxson and Dick Van Scyoc took the lead in helping hundreds of youth get involved.  Even through all of the job changes, Bob and Marilyn would return to Washington every summer and run the ever-growing organization.

He was a longtime member of the Washington Rotary, serving in leadership roles and committees throughout his tenure.

In 1967, the push to form a park district was strong, and Bob was part of the steering committee that worked to achieve that goal.

In 1968, the township's schools formed a committee to research the logistics of consolidating into a unit district.  Bob served as the chairman of that committee.

In 1973, Paxson was given the Washingtonian Award for his dedication to our community.

From his tireless dedication to education, to his continued service to Washington, to his military service, Robert Paxson was a textbook example of someone who made the world a better place.  Washingtonians should not forget his contributions to the town, and his legacy should live on and be an example to others.