Paul Dysart

Marshalltown journalist and historian Paul Ellis Biff Dysart passed away Sunday, March 8th, at the Marshalltown Medical and Surgical Center. A memorial service is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Saturday, March 14th, at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home with Pastor Greg Ellcey officiating. There will be no visitation.Dysart was born October 14, 1945 to Julian and Zora N. Dysart of Marshalltown. He was educated in the Marshalltown public schools, graduating from MHS in 1964. He attended the University of Iowa journalism school, and graduated from Northeast Missouri State University in mass communications and history.He started stringing for the Marshalltown Times-Republican while still in high school, then served internships at daily newspapers in Muscatine and Mt. Pleasant while enrolled at Iowa. Dysart later became a reporter for the Kirksville, MO. Daily Express while still in college, then spent a year as city editor after graduation. Dysart served as managing editor of two weeklies in Chariton in the early 1970s, and after his marriage to Centerville teacher Marilyn Graham in 1974, he was editor and co-publisher of a weekly newspaper in Reedsburg, Wis. The couple moved back to Iowa several years later when Dysart was named editor of the Daily Gate City in Keokuk.The Dysarts started their own publishing house in the 1980s called Graham/Dysart and Associates, and during that decade owned a retail business in Van Buren County. They moved their publishing company to Marshalltown in 1987, and GDA, Inc. published periodicals, brochures, magazines and political circulars in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as handled the public relations work for several Marshalltown businesses. In 1991 GDA launched Marshalltimes magazine, and after selling the publication to the Times-Republican several years later, Dysart served as editor of both Marshalltimes and Past Times, another T-R Sunday supplement. After almost four decades in publishing, Dysart had won over 50 state and national awards for his editorials, columns and feature stories. While serving as a weekly editor in Wisconsin, he won back-to-back honors for publishing the top weekly newspaper in the state. Dysart was also active in civic affairs in every city hes lived since college, serving on several county historical society boards and as president of Optimist Clubs in three different cities. He was an active participant in five chambers of commerce, including the Marshalltown chamber. He served two terms on the Marshalltown city council in the nineties, and was active in everything from the local United Way and scouting to Optimist International. He was the chairman of the Optimists Respect for Law Week and Youth Appreciation Week for over a decade, and started the Marshalltown Citizen of the Year roast in the early 90s. He served one term as Optimist lieutenant-governor and four years on the Iowa districts board of directors.Dysart was active on the state level in several other well-known organizations as well. He served three terms on the board of directors of the Iowa Historical Foundation, over a decade on the board of Iowans For Right To Work, and became the first president of the Iowa chapter of End of Life Choices. Survivors include his wife Marilyn, his brother David and wife Jo Dysart, mother Zora Dysart all of Marshalltown, mother-in-law Elva Graham of Marshalltown, sisters and brother-in-law: Barb (Dale) Duke of Soldiers Grove, Wis., Sue (Mark) Pearson of Independence, Mo., Steve (Shelly) Graham of Overland Park, Kan., Linda (Gary) Abbott of Kansas City, Mo. and numerous nieces and nephews.In death he has rejoined his father Julian and father-in-law Len Graham.Memorials may be sent in care of the Marshalltown Animal Rescue League.