The Naomi L. Dyer Memorial Scholarship Fund, established in loving memory of Naomi Dyer, will provide a scholarship for one graduating senior from the Harpursville New York School District with financial need, who plans to obtain a degree in a STEM related field or elementary education. Of secondary consideration will be the student being female, attending SUNY Oneonta or Binghamton University, pursuing a degree in computer science or engineering, and status as the class valedictorian.
Naomi L. “Gnome” Dyer
Naomi L. “Gnome” Dyer was born in Johnson City, NY on January 25, 1952, to James A. and Phyllis Burgess Dyer. She graduated from Harpursville Central School as the class valedictorian in 1969 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education/Educational Psychology from SUNY Oneonta in 1973. She then taught first grade in New Berlin, NY for eight years.
Motivated by President Carter’s plan to bring computers into elementary schools, she returned to school at SUNY Binghamton, where she helped develop and manage a microprocessor lab, earning a Master of Science degree in Computer and Systems Engineering in 1981. However, by that time, Ronald Reagan was President, and Carter’s plan had been canceled.
Naomi moved to Rome, NY, where she worked for PAR Technology Corporation as a software engineer, leading projects for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and developing early multi-sensor exploitation capabilities. She also helped develop the operating system for PAR’s first-generation point-of-sale systems, used by MacDonald’s and Taco Bell. Later, she worked for GE Aerospace in Utica, on infrared sensor systems for the F-14 and F-22 fighters, and for SAIC and Lockheed Martin at AFRL in Rome, where she was a subject matter expert in the Air Force’s Theater Battle Management Core System (TBMCS), used to plan and execute air operations worldwide. She retired from Lockheed Martin in 2007.
Naomi collected garden gnomes and enjoyed cooking, cake decorating, yoga, model trains, crossword puzzles, mystery books, movies, and television shows. She named all of her cars, including “Pickle”, a green Pinto she owned in the 1980s, “Reynolds”, a silver Pontiac station wagon, and “Eugene”, a red 1996 Jeep Cherokee that she drove for 24 years. Naomi passed away in July 2020.
Make your tax-deductible donation today!
Or mail your check to:
Community Foundation for South Central New York
520 Columbia Drive, Suite 100
Johnson City, New York 13790
Note: Naomi L Dyer Memorial Scholarship Fund in the memo
For gifts of stock or gifts other than cash, please contact foundation staff at (607) 772-67
