Mr. Frank J. Dyer, of Andover, born in Lawrence, Massachusetts and graduate of Punchard High School in Andover and Columbia University.
Frank served in the Marine Corps., as a member of the Ceremonial & Presidential Guard unit, in Washington, DC and also at the Presidential Retreat at Camp David, MD, during the Eisenhower administration.
He was employed in the newspaper business for 34 years at the Long Island Star-Journal, New York; the Lowell Sun; Boston Herald-Traveler; Boston Record-American; Boston Herald-American and the Boston Herald. During his newspaper career, Frank had worked as a Sports Reporter, Copy Editor, Sunday Editor, Night Sports Editor, News Editor and Executive Assistant to the Editor. He had covered the Boston Celtics (three championship teams); New England Patriots; Muhammad Ali-Sonny Liston Heavyweight Championship fight at Lewiston, ME and Ali-Floyd Patterson bout in Las Vegas and also college football. Two of his most memorable events were; Celtics-76ers game in which Havlicek “stole the ball” and the Soviet Track team’s first appearance in the US (in the midst of the cold war) in 1962 at Madison Square Garden, NYC, in which Russian Valery Brumel high jumped for the world record 7-feet, 5 1/2 inches.
He was the New Editor on the following stories; the Watergate break-in; the Charles Manson murders; Hotel Vendome fire, Boston, where nine firefighter’s were killed; the Saturday Night Massacre during the Nixon era; the Patty Hearst kidnapping; the Black Friar’s Pub murders in Boston; the Blizzard of 78; the partial meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania in 1979, the worst nuclear accident in US history and the 1973 Fogg Museum robbery at Harvard University, in which $5 million worth of ancient Greek and Roman coins were stolen.
He wrote freelance articles on personalities ranging from the Celtics’ Bill Russell to Red Auerbach to Muhammad Ali to “Specs” O’Keefe, one of the legendary Brinks Gang and the mysterious death of actress Thelma Todd in Hollywood.
Following his retirement from the Newspaper Business, Frank enjoyed work doing Press Relations for State Auditor; Joe DeNucci at the State House in Boston.
He was a member of the Semper Fidelis Society of Boston, A Marine Corps charitable group.
Frank is survived by three children; Tiffany Colombosian and Christopher and Damon Dyer, all of Andover, five grandchildren; Talia and Alexander Colombosian and Emma, Carly and Max Dyer. He was predeceased by his wife; Donna E. (Collins) Dyer.
Funeral Services were privately held. Arrangements were entrusted to the Burke-Magliozzi Funeral Home of Andover. Donations in Frank's memory, may be made to Marine Toys for Tots, 18251 Quantico Gateway Drive, Triangle, VA 22172. For additional information, please visit, www.burkemagliozzi.com.