Dick is a native of Jacksonville, Florida. He is a graduate of Mercer University where he received undergraduate and graduate degrees. He received a Master of Arts degree in Education from Western Michigan University and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Georgia in 1978. He is married to Marsha Liles Hyer, who is a member of the Downtown Macon Rotary Club, and they have three children. Marsha is also a Paul Harris Fellow and Secretary of the Downtown Club. They are members of Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church in Macon.

During his employment years, Dick taught in the Mercer University Department of Education and served as Superintendent of the Georgia Academy for the Blind in Macon for 26 years, retiring in 2002. While serving as Superintendent of the Academy, he received the Award of Excellence from the Georgia Department of Education. He has been an adjunct professor at Mercer University, the University of Georgia, Florida State University, and Wesleyan College. He was president of the National Association of Residential School Administrators in 1978-80. He is a Past President of the Council for Exceptional Children and served as a Trustee of the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, Kentucky. Dick has coordinated the Program for Exceptional Children Lecture Series at the University of Georgia. He has been a member and chair of a number of local boards, including the Central Georgia Chapter of the Association for Retarded Citizens, the Central Georgia Chapter of the American Red Cross, and as President of the Macon/Bibb County Chapter of the American Cancer Society. He also served on the State of Georgia Board of the American Cancer Society. Dick has served as an accreditation chairperson for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the National Accreditation Council. He is working as a Special Education Consultant and recently authored the 2005 Accreditation Certification Standards for Education and Rehabilitation for the National Accreditation Council. He is currently serving as a part time educational consultant and site visitor for several organizations in the United States and Canada.

His hobbies are spending time in the North Georgia Mountains, boating, traveling, sports, and car collecting. He is a former motorcycle enthusiast.