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| Join us for the July 4, 2011 parade at 5 p.m. |
| Copyright 2011 America704@aol.com 781-944-4277 Designed by HN Communications |
| This year's Grand Marshal Dick Bayrd |
The Grand Marshal of the 2011 Fourth of July
Parade is Dick Bayrd, a true Wakefieldian whose
local roots go back four generations.
Born in April 1929, he grew up at 21 Wharton
Park during the Great Depression with his four
brothers and one sister. They all attended the
Montrose School.
His father, who was half Narragansett Indian,
taught the children how to survive and live in the
outdoors like their Native American ancestors.
After graduating from Wakefield High, Dick
worked in the electrical field. He married his
sweetheart, Phyllis Elizabeth MacKenzie of
Melrose, in 1949.
Parade is Dick Bayrd, a true Wakefieldian whose
local roots go back four generations.
Born in April 1929, he grew up at 21 Wharton
Park during the Great Depression with his four
brothers and one sister. They all attended the
Montrose School.
His father, who was half Narragansett Indian,
taught the children how to survive and live in the
outdoors like their Native American ancestors.
After graduating from Wakefield High, Dick
worked in the electrical field. He married his
sweetheart, Phyllis Elizabeth MacKenzie of
Melrose, in 1949.
Into the Army
Georgia and eventually specializing in Radio Teletype. During his time at Fort Gordon, the
couple's first child, Deborah Jeanne, was born.
Dick was then sent to Schwetzingen, a small town outside of Heidelberg, Germany. This
was the onset of the Cold War and his job was to go into the field, operate communications
equipment that intercepted Russian signals and repair the equipment when necessary. His
unit, the 7774th Signal Battalion, was constantly on the move.
Critical information from the Korean War Theater was transmitted through Dick's point in
Germany and he would relay the information to Washington. Dick finished his overseas
service in Orleans, France, and returned home in November 1953. He and his wife were
blessed with two more children, Brian and Lindsey.
Raytheon Engineer
For the next 37 years, Dick was employed as a Research Engineer by Raytheon
Corporation, working mostly on missile guidance systems for the military. After his
retirement, he became clerk for the Wakefield Board of Appeals, a job he still holds today.
Dick is an elected Town Constable and also a Justice of the Peace. He is the only Justice of
the Peace in Massachusetts who performs American-Indian marriages.
Wakefield, then and now
Dick and Phyllis were longtime members of the Redmen’s Band in Wakefield and many other
town organizations. His hobby is repairing furniture, particularly antique furniture. Phyllis
passed away on May 30, 2006, and is buried at Lakeside Cemetery.
Dick, now 82, still resides in Wakefield and thoroughly enjoys it. "Wakefield is a great town
to live in,” he says, “and I wouldn't change anything.”
Georgia and eventually specializing in Radio Teletype. During his time at Fort Gordon, the
couple's first child, Deborah Jeanne, was born.
Dick was then sent to Schwetzingen, a small town outside of Heidelberg, Germany. This
was the onset of the Cold War and his job was to go into the field, operate communications
equipment that intercepted Russian signals and repair the equipment when necessary. His
unit, the 7774th Signal Battalion, was constantly on the move.
Critical information from the Korean War Theater was transmitted through Dick's point in
Germany and he would relay the information to Washington. Dick finished his overseas
service in Orleans, France, and returned home in November 1953. He and his wife were
blessed with two more children, Brian and Lindsey.
Raytheon Engineer
For the next 37 years, Dick was employed as a Research Engineer by Raytheon
Corporation, working mostly on missile guidance systems for the military. After his
retirement, he became clerk for the Wakefield Board of Appeals, a job he still holds today.
Dick is an elected Town Constable and also a Justice of the Peace. He is the only Justice of
the Peace in Massachusetts who performs American-Indian marriages.
Wakefield, then and now
Dick and Phyllis were longtime members of the Redmen’s Band in Wakefield and many other
town organizations. His hobby is repairing furniture, particularly antique furniture. Phyllis
passed away on May 30, 2006, and is buried at Lakeside Cemetery.
Dick, now 82, still resides in Wakefield and thoroughly enjoys it. "Wakefield is a great town
to live in,” he says, “and I wouldn't change anything.”
| By Sam Stella |