Ben Saxon

Robert Benjamin "Ben" Saxon, Jr (born 1944 - died May 14, 2008) was a salesman, disc jockey, proprietor of Reminiscing Records and founder of the Birmingham Record Collectors.

Saxon grew up in Bessemer and graduated from Bessemer High School in 1963. He went on to earn degrees at Snead State Junior College in Boaz and the University of Alabama. After high school he took a job with Sell-Thru Services and pursued record collecting, favoring rock and roll from the 1950s and 60s. In sharing his music collection he worked as a deejay and hosted the program "The Heart and Soul of Rock and Roll" which aired on various stations. He opened Reminiscing Records in Homewood and founded the Birmingham Record Collectors as a way of sharing his hobby. He retired from Sell-Thru as a regional director of marketing.

Saxon taught a marketing class at Gardendale High School and volunteered as an announcer for Gardendale Rockets football games. He also coached teams for Gardendale youth sports. When he died he was studying for a master's degree at UAB. He and his wife, Sharon, had four children (Ashley, Ben III, Bryant and Rebecca). He died in 2008 and was survived by his immediate family as well as two sisters and four gradnddaughters. His funeral was held at Gardendale Mount Vernon United Methodist Church and he is interred at Oakwood Memorial Gardens.

References

• Stock, Erin (June 8, 2008) "His love for music spun many a label." Birmingham News
• Saxon, Jr., Robert Benjamin "Ben" obituary (May 15, 2008) Birmingham News