Saxton also established the Center for the Study of Family Development at UD in 1978 and served as executive director until 1983. Among other University activities, he served as adviser to the Habitat for Humanity student service club and as a member of the Academic Senate, the president's advisory committee, the University's general education implementation committee and the board of trustees' advancement committee. He served as president of the American Sociological Association and was a member of the Midwest Sociological Society, the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction, the Society for the Study of Social Problems and the Society for the Study of Religion. Saxton earned his bachelor of science degree from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, with a double major in sociology and business administration. He earned his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Iowa.
Funeral arrangements are pending.