Carolyn Stewart Dyer

DYER, STEWART, BROWN

Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 9/15/2020 at 12:20:18

Carolyn Stewart Dyer, professor emerita of journalism and mass communication at the University of Iowa, died September 6 in Iowa City.

She was born on August 29, 1943, to Carol Storm Stewart and Francis N. Stewart in Gardiner, Maine. She graduated from Beloit College and earned both her MA and PhD degrees in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dyer worked as a newspaper and radio reporter and taught at UW-Madison and Colorado State University before joining the faculty at Iowa in 1978. She taught reporting and writing as well as journalism history and First Amendment law.

Seldom caught without a newspaper in hand or a radio tuned to NPR, Dyer was a discriminating consumer of quality reporting. She pioneered pathways for women in the newsroom and in academe, often finding herself as the first or the only woman in many professional situations. As a young reporter in Green Bay she even picketed the NFL for the right to report from the sidelines at the famous 1967 Packers vs. Cowboys game that went down in sports history as the “Ice Bowl.” She lost that battle but went on to fight systemic injustices in many other settings. Read “Woman reporter butted up against discrimination at Ice Bowl” here: https://bit.ly/2R9oAPU.

In 1993, she coordinated the first-ever Nancy Drew Conference to honor Mildred Wirt Benson, author of the original Nancy Drew series and a graduate of the University of Iowa School of Journalism. The conference, an eclectic gathering of children, fans, collectors, and academics, was covered by BBC News, the New York Times, and other news outlets. Carolyn soon became known as the "Nancy Drew Queen" and traveled the world as a preeminent Nancy Drew scholar. Read more about the conference here: http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa/mildred/conference/.

In retirement, Dyer served on the Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission. She also was a member of the Board of Managers for Iowa City Cohousing, the group responsible for building Prairie Hill, Iowa's first cohousing community.

Carolyn’s sense of justice knew no bounds. She was a staunch advocate for people whose opportunities have been limited by circumstances beyond their control. Her even-handed view of the world made her a great listener, confidante, and arbiter.

She is survived by her partner, Wendy Brown, of Iowa City. Her sister, Nancy Stewart, died earlier this year.

In lieu of flowers or other remembrances, memorials may be sent to Iowa Public Radio or the Iowa Women's Archives at the University of Iowa.

Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service
 

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