DECATUR - Jay Dexter is so agreeable he likes the Cardinals AND the Cubs.He calls himself a "people pleaser," and beginning next week golfers in Decatur will miss the smiling face that tried every day to please so many.

Dexter, who has been the head golf professional at Hickory Point Golf Course since 2002, is taking the Decatur Park District's early retirement incentive, which after a well-earned eight-week vacation will put him back on the job market at age 51.

"I'm leaving with a smile on my face," said Dexter, whose positive customer service approach is legendary. "The Park District has been fantastic and I'll miss the people. But my wife and I are going to be a little selfish. Our (three) kids will all be out of the house and we're young enough to enjoy some things.

"It's been a great ride with very few lows and a zillion highs."

It's that positive attitude that will mark Dexter's tenure at three Decatur golf courses. For more than 20 years he's been a familiar face at Nelson Park, Scovill and Hickory Point and his example has raised the bar for customer service at all of Decatur's public courses.

"Jay will be a hard act to follow from a customer service standpoint," acknowledged Rick Anderson, director of golf for the Park District. "He was friends with everyone who walked through the door."

Dexter's final day is today, and he'll be replaced by Chuck Weigel, who has been head pro at Scovill since 2003.

Dexter is not sure what he'll do next but said he's had several offers in and out of golf.

"I just know that whenever I looked for a job, golf has always opened a door for me," said Dexter, who is considering all options. He loves teaching the game, is an expert at golf club repair and has the personality to be a winner in sales.

His upbeat personality may be an off-shoot of his upbringing in a family with five children who lost their father, Herbert J. Dexter, as an early war hero in Vietnam.

Jay Dexter's father was killed in 1965 in a battle that was similar to that which was portrayed in the movie, "We Were Soldiers" starring Mel Gibson.

Jay Dexter, a self-described "Army brat" who'd been born at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina, then lived at Ft. Benning in Georgia, came to Decatur at age 7 when his mother, Beverly, suddenly had the daunting task of raising five children on her own.

Those circumstances helped shape Jay Dexter's outlook.

"We didn't want to cause problems for mom," he said. "She had enough with five kids to raise. And I was the middle kid, the peacemaker, and I liked to solve problems so everyone could have fun.

"When I started running the pro shop, we tried to set up an environment where that could happen. Everyone gets a smile when they come in. We laugh about something, whether it's my receding hairline or whatever. We have tried to make it fun to come out and play golf. And if someone has a problem, we just try to fix it."

That's been Dexter's motto, whether it was in the 1990s, when people were flocking to the golf courses, or in these more difficult economic times, when rounds of play are down.

But now, he says, the time is right to change course.

"This is just a great opportunity for me to go out and find a new career," he said. "I have several offers. A couple concern golf and a couple concern business. I'm going to take about eight weeks off and my wife and I will take a summer vacation that lasts more than two days for the first time in about 25 years.

"I'm working with a headhunter and I'll see what's out there. It may be part-time, which is great. And if it turns into something full-time, that's great, too."

Dexter's wife, Sandy, teaches at John's Hill. His youngest child, Sarah, is 18 and is heading off to the University of Illinois, where Jay and all of his children studied.

Son Dan is 21 and will be a senior at Illinois, then will be commissioned into the U.S. Army with the intention of joining an infantry division and working to become a U.S. Army Ranger.

And his oldest child, Susan, is 23 and works in Chicago.

Being a golf pro means work loads that can be overwhelming in the summer."This will be the first summer Sandy and I can travel a little bit," Dexter said. "I'm just going to gear down a little bit while I'm still young enough. I don't know if burnout is the right word, but I'm going to change lanes. I won't be in the left lane anymore."

Typically, Dexter just beams when he considers what awaits him next.

"I just know it's a new adventure, and it will be great whatever it is."

mtupper@herald-review.com|421-7983