Charles B. Dyer Sr.

Charles B. Dyer Sr., age 73, of Alma died Sunday, April 24, 2011. He was born May 28, 1937, in Umpire, Arkansas, the son of Myrl and the late Otis Dyer. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Bonnie; one son, Charles B. Dyer Jr., his wife Stacie; and six grandchildren, Kyle, his wife, Lauren, Charles B. Dyer III "Trey", Darian, Garrett "Ged", Martin Davis, and Daniel Jackson; his mother, Myrl Dyer of Alma; a sister, Louise Flenor and husband Jay of Van Buren; three nephews, Stan Flenor and wife Madelyn of Alma and Phil Dyer and wife Debra of Salt Lake City, Utah and David Flenor of Umpire, Ark.; two nieces, Tonya Elkington and husband Steve, Michele Medina and husband Mike all of Toole, Utah. Mr. Dyer was a graduate of Henderson State Teachers College, also receiving a Master of Education and the Diploma of Advanced Study from the University of Arkansas. He served in the United States Army Adjutant General's Corps as a Special Services Officer, attaining the rank of Captain. Prior to coming to Alma, he taught and coached in Copperas Cove, Texas. He served for two years as Alma High School Principal prior to being appointed Alma Superintendent in 1968. At the time of his death he was the longest serving superintendent in Arkansas. Mr. Dyer was widely known as one of the leading educators in Arkansas. During his forty-three years as superintendent, Alma School District grew and developed to become one of the leading school districts in the state. His leadership on the state level led to dramatic reform of school finance, beginning with the filing of the lawsuit, Alma vs. Dupree, which established the foundation of current Arkansas school finance. He was regularly in attendance at the Arkansas General Assembly, where he consistently influenced the development of laws affecting public schools. He was a frequent consultant to other school districts and superintendents. For a number of years Mr. Dyer was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System. He was Chairman of the Board as well as Chairman of the Investment Committee during a several year period that saw unprecedented growth in the value of the system's investment portfolio. Charles Dyer was also a member of numerous other boards, commissions, and organizations, including: Arkansas Leadership Academy, Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators, Arkansas Association of School Administrators, American Association of School Administrators, Arkansas School Study Council, Alma Lions Club, Alma Little League Football Board, Alma Housing Authority, Alma Planning Commission, Alma Industrial Development Commission, Western Arkansas Guidance and Counseling Board, Western Arkansas Educational Service Cooperative Board, Western Arkansas Technical Center Board, numerous boards at Alma United Methodist Church including chairman of the Administrative Board and chairman of Pastor Parrish Relations Committtee, City National Bank Board, and American Education Finance Association. Funeral services will be 2 p.m., Friday, April 29, 2011, at the Charles B. Dyer Airedale Arena, under the direction of Ocker Funeral Home of Alma. Interment will be in Evergreen Cemetery in Alma with military honors. The family will receive visitors at the Alma Performing Arts Center on Thursday, April 28, 2011 from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. Pallbearers will be Stan Flenor, Ronnie Newton, Mike McSpadden, Tony Wood, Tom Kimbrell and Jerry Valentine. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Charles and Bonnie Dyer Education Endowment, c/o The Alma Education and Arts Foundation, P.O. Box 2359, Alma, Ark. 72921.