Page 283 - From the Outhouse 4 -21

283 | P A T R I C I A R A E M E R R I T T W H A T L E Y

~ Mr. Henry and Mrs. Peggy Nixon ~

When I met Mrs. Peggy Nixon, she was a fifth-grade teacher at Midway Elementary, where I also taught. As I began to observe her

Special Assembly Programs, I noticed that they were always done to perfection. By this, I mean, that all the theater elements such as
program design, script, costumes, creativity, and originality were expertly executed. I soon asked her if she would become a part of the

Tajiri Arts team as an Artistic Director. She agreed to observe a couple of our productions. Well, we passed her test, and she became

a member of Tajiri.

One day, Mrs. Nixon mentioned that her husband had retired as a Sears Executive and needed something to do to occupy his mind.

She suggested that we offer him a position of Vice President of Business Development. It was the best decision we could have made.
When he accepted our offer he said, “Whatley, I will do everything possible to build and establish Tajiri as the finest after-school

performing arts school in the nation, but I am not going to jail!” I laughed, but Mr. Nixon was serious. He was the absolute Best in
His Field.

Through Mr. Nixon’s expertise, Tajiri Arts excelled in all business aspects. He painstakingly got our books in order and managed our
finances wisely. Under his leadership, Tajiri received an A+ rating with Dun and Bradstreet (a national financial rating company).

Grant funds were meticulously managed and spent according to local, state, and national requirements. The City and County
branches of government in Sanford acknowledged that they had never seen such meticulous financial reporting, especially for the

construction and refurbishment of a historic building. Also, employee honorariums and volunteer hours were accurately

documented. We were never audited for mishandling of funds, which often happened to 501(C)(3) non-profit organizations.

In Orange County, Mr. Nixon received an $8,000 Philanthropist Award from United Arts, Inc., for successfully securing funds that

were matched by the United Arts organization. Later, Mrs. Nixon wrote the grant that was submitted to the Orlando Magic Basketball