Defoe Shipbuilding Company as a Presidential Yacht. It was called the "Barbara Anne" by President Eisenhower after his granddaughter, the "Honey Fitz" by President Kennedy in honor of his maternal grandfather John Francis Fitzgerald, and the "Tricia" by President Nixon after his daughter. In 1941, the name of the company was changed to Defoe Shipbuilding Company. During World War II, all production went to the war effort. From 1939 to 1945, the company built 154 ships, including four s, 13 destroyer escorts, 11 destroyer transports (converted destroyer escorts), patrol craft, and numerous landing craft of various types. The brand-new Defoe family yacht even
Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr. his two children, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr. Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr. (August 14, 1923 – August 2, 2006) was an American educator, sportsman, and philanthropist. He was the son of banker Fitz Eugene Dixon Sr. and wife Eleanor Widener (1891-1966), a member of the wealthy Philadelphia Widener family. His grandfather, George D. Widener, and uncle, Harry Elkins Widener, died in the 1912 sinking of the RMS "Titanic". The Dixons built "Ronaele Manor" ("Eleanor" spelled backward), an Elizabethan mansion, in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, where Fitz Jr. grew up. Fitz Jr. graduated from Philadelphia's Episcopal Academy, then