Wilbert P. Dyer, Ashtabula satellite tracker inventor

I love getting phone calls from readers who have more to add to stories I have covered. Such was the case recently when I heard from Gerald Williams of Talladega, Alabama. He recently read online about the story I wrote almost three years ago about his grandfather, Wilbert P. Dyer. William’s mother, Diane (Dyer), died when he was about ten years of age. His family moved to Arizona in 1976. Several events have happened in the last few weeks and as late as a day ago that have led me to revisit the Dyer story. The landslide and flood that has hit the mountain towns in Tennessee and North Carolina as a result of Hurricane Milton have caused the people to lose communication ability. Satellites have enabled them to be have that restored. Dyer would have been so pleased. Also, on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, SpaceX’s Starship successfully completed its fifth test flight. To see that event in Dyer’s eyes would have been a dream come true. With the phone call from Gerald Dyer about having more information about his astronomer grandfather, I knew this story needed an update. Dyer was a self-taught astronomer who invented the Dyer System of tracking satellites. He was on the very cutting edge of the development of trackers even before most folks had any inkling of what they were and how they could be used. He certainly was a man before his time. How he would be amazed at the advancement of trackers today! Dyer was born in Arkansas in 1912 and lived until the age of 66. He passed away in 1979 in Tempe, Arizona, surrounded by family members living there. Dyer met his wife Estelle E. Hinson (1912-2005) at the age of 29 in 1940 at a Cleveland “juke joint,” according to grandson, Gerald Williams. The couple moved to Ashtabula and reared 11 children from their home at the end of 33rd Street in Ashtabula. Gerald remembers that the family lived on a dead-end street and the kids could all play without worrying about traffic. The street was dubbed “Play Street” because of that reason. Grandfather Dyer would call young Gerald and ask him to go walking with him. Gerald remembers those walks as very special times for a young kid. Wilbert Dyer had a great love of the stars and had his own telescope. His interest continued to grow as he went to work for East Ohio Gas in the office. He was very well respected all over the county and beyond for his space interest and predictions. The awareness of satellite tracking, communication and the state of affairs between Russia and the United States was growing, and folks were intrigued with anything to do with space. Dyer had his own astronomy column which he wrote for the Star-Beacon. He even developed a Satellite Tracking System which he first made in a sphere then a altered it to be completely flat. It was sold in Ashtabula County stores as well as used as an aid for students in the schools. His tracker could pinpoint the position of any earth satellite, American or Russian, orbiting at an altitude of less than 1,000 miles. It could also be used to plot the orbits of future satellites as they were launched. It took Dyer two years of working in his spare time to complete the project. Evidence of the accuracy of Dyer’s tracker was shown when the Echo l was launched in 1960, and the Associated Press provided a paper with the time estimates based on an international schedule. Dyer’s predictions and the AP’s prediction on one occasion differed by only 40 minutes. Dyer was up against the very best educated experts and competed well. The Star-Beacon chose to use their local expert’s opinion and, as it turned out, so did Echo I. The well-known magazine, EBONY wrote in their May, 1963 edition: “Dyer, 52, has invented and marketed in Ashtabula, Ohio, a ‘satellite tracker’ enabling anyone to pinpoint the position of any American or Russian earth satellite orbiting at an altitude of less than 1,000 miles. Although he never went beyond the first year of high school in his Little Rock, Arkansas hometown, the father of 9 has built his own eight-inch reflecting telescope, a side real time clock and other astronomy equipment. For ten years, Dyer has written a column on astronomy for the Star Beacon.” The Star-Beacon wrote an editorial comment on Dyer which shows what kind of man he was. “Ashtabulans probably recognize by now - if they haven’t before - the fact that a brilliant man is in our city. Intelligence plus inventiveness, ambition and the spirit of adventure add up to Will Dyer-a man whom Ashtabula has a right to be proud.” Dyer’s dreams and projections of space and the use of satellites and trackers has moved far beyond what he could have hope for. Elon Musk, one of the richest men in America, owns and directs Starlink and SpaceX. There are 6,426 Starlink satellites in orbit. They move very fast and circle the entire earth in 90 minutes. Every 90 minutes, they return to the same point but a little further away. They are lighter than aircraft and move very slow but steady in straight lines. There are no lights on the Starlink satellites. They get their light from the sun. When folks were stranded without communication after Hurricane Milton, Musk provided Starlink to them. Starlink is a satellite internet network that provides high-speed internet to remote areas and around the world. They orbit the earth at low altitude and allow streaming and video and text calls. Space X is a private spaceflight company owned by Elon Musk. On Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, SpaceX’s Starship completed its fifth test flight as Musk pushes for his desire to take astronauts as far as Mars. The test took place in Boca Chico, Texas, in the south part of the state. What made the test on Sunday so unique was the fact that the booster returned to earth, not water, and returned to its launch pad where two arms grabbed it and put it in place. It is reusable and an amazing sight to behold. You can watch the successful return on YouTube. The man who did not finish high school or go to college followed his dream and natural talent to make a difference in the world. Dyer passed that love of astronomy on to several family members, including that very young boy, Gerald Williams, with whom he took walks and shared his love of life, space and family. Today, Williams has his own telescope and loves anything to do with astrophysics. Wilbert P. Dyer and Estelle went to visit their family members living in Arizona when he discovered he was sick. He only lived a few months before he passed away in Tempe, Arizona, in 1979. Estelle died at the age of 92 in 2005. Our very own space pioneer, Wilbert P. Dyer, once called Ashtabula County, home.

Wilbert P. Dyer, Ashtabula satellite tracker inventor

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