Mamie Hixon AN E XCLUSIVE INTERVIE W BY K ELLY ODEN
M
amie Webb Hixon is an assistant professor of
English at the University of West Florida (UWF), the director of the UWF’s Writing Lab and a dedicated and involved member of the Pensacola community. Her love of the English language, both literary and technical, is clear to anyone who meets her. Hixon’s genuine smile and infectious laugh quickly put most people at ease with the woman whose nicknames—the grammar guru, the grammar goddess and the Hixonator—can sometimes be intimidating. Hixon’s style—high heels, bold jewelry and coordinated outfits with an African flair—hails back to her family and the public school teachers who inspired her. In fact, much of her inspiration seems to come from her experiences growing up here in Pensacola, and she has returned the favor by becoming an inspiration to the community. Hixon and her family moved to Pensacola when she was four years old. Hixon’s love of language began in a shotgun house that had been converted into a
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private school by Mrs. Lillie James, mother of four-star general Daniel “Chappie” James. Hixon’s parents paid four dollars a week to send her to “one of the very few schools for colored children—as they said back in the day,” Hixon recalls. Mrs. Lillie, (called “Miss Lillie” by her students) started the school in the 1930s. Initially, Mrs. Lillie taught her own 17 children and later opened the school to the public. After earning her bachelor’s degree in English from Talladega College in Alabama, Hixon returned to Pensacola and began her decades-long teaching career with the Escambia County School System. She later transitioned to Pensacola Junior College (now known as Pensacola State College), and later, to the University of West Florida where she continues to help shape the minds of future grammarians, teachers and lovers of literature. Coming of Age sat down with Mamie Hixon to discuss her life, her career, her city and her thoughts on aging.