Richard B. (Dick) Yager, former reporter for Miami’s Community Newspapers, passed away peacefully at North Shore Hospital on Nov. 23 following a brief illness.
The son of Miriam and Ralph Yager, Dick was born on May 26, 1928. He is predeceased by his brother John, an executive with Exxon Oil, San Antonio, TX. Dick was on the Iowa State Championship Debate Team at Davenport High School, and while at Coe College he was a sports reporter for the Cedar Rapids Gazette and the Des Moines Register. He served two years in the U.S. Army in Korea.
In 1951, he graduated from Boston University with a BS in Journalism. His newspaper career began at the daily Providence (RI) Journal. The next year he became staff news reporter/photographer at the weekly Mansfield News in Mansfield, MA. He also had a daily news radio program for WARA Radio in Attleboro from his news office.
In 1956, Yager received the Sigma Delta Chi National News Photo Award in Chicago. He received many photo awards from the New England Press Association and was invited to exhibit his photos at the University of Maine.
In July 1960, he opened the Miami Herald‘s News Bureau in Ft. Myers. Two months later Hurricane Donna welcomed him to South Florida with total devastation on the Southwest Florida coast. He sent stunning photos/news coverage, 24/7 by car, to the Miami Herald‘s Hurricane issues. Two years later he joined the Herald News Bureau in Fort Lauderdale and in 1963 he came to the new Miami Herald waterfront building.
He supervised the renowned student Silver Knights Awards Program, the Herald Spelling Bee and 30 other community programs for several years. He was the key liaison to the Secret Service during the famous Herald dinner event for the late President John F. Kennedy at the former Americana Hotel in Miami Beach in November 1963. He also assisted media firms and published the Annual Reports for Knight Ridder.
Years later he formed his public relations firm and was in charge of the renovation of the historic Olympia Theater downtown. He also became a deejay with WDNA Radio for his Saturday jazz program.
The Kendall Gazette of Miami’s Community Newspapers nudged him from retirement. He became the newspaper’s Page 1 news reporter for 10 years and was a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee for West Kendall.
His 60-year career as a news editor/reporter/photographer came to a sudden end in June 2016. Following spinal surgery, his two-year residence at St. Catherine’s Villa Maria in North Miami, restored use of his hands. He became active, though semi-disabled, and was elected president in January 2018.
Dick lived with his wife Barbara (married 63 years) and son Jonathan on Key Biscayne for 33 years and later in Kendall for 20 years. He enjoyed his collection of jazz LPs and was a tournament tennis player. He never missed Jonathan’s sports events: football, soccer, track, tennis, sailing.
He leaves his wife Barbara, son Jonathan, daughter-in-law Teresa and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Yager will be honored with a military service on Monday, Dec. 17, 4 p.m., at Plymouth Congregational Church, 3400 Devon St. in Coconut Grove. A military burial is scheduled at the South Florida National Cemetery on Tuesday, Dec. 18, in Lake Worth. In lieu of flowers donations are welcome to the American Cancer Fund, Sylvester Cancer Center, University of Miami, telephone 305-243-9088.
Dick was a kind and considerate man, as well as a skilled journalist and keen observer. He had a beautiful relationship with Barb that I try to emulate. I loved our talks about the state of affairs of West Kendall and politics in general. I will miss him.