By the time he was at Syracuse University, Dick wanted to be a writer. He joined The Daily Orange, and soon started writing a column. While at SU, Dick also worked part-time for WSYR radio, WHEN-TV and The Post-Standard, where he started as a night copy boy. (He had already been a P-S delivery boy in his native Marcellus.)

Following graduation from SU, Dick was called to military service, spending two years in the U.S. Army. He returned to Syracuse in 1960 and joined the Herald-Journal as a general assignment reporter.

In 1966, Dick took a leave absence to attend the Cooperstown Graduate Program where he earned a master’s degree in history. He spent the next two years as assistant editor at the Chicago Historical Society.

Returning to the H-J newsroom, Dick went back to reporting. His first Syracuse Newspapers column, "Upstate Notebook," appeared in the Sunday Herald American "Stars" magazine in 1976. Three years later, he became a general columnist, writing four times a week on a variety of subjects. He has continued writing four columns weekly ever since.

He maintains an avid amateur’s interest in history and is co-author of a book, "Letters of Abraham Lincoln," published by the Chicago Historical Society. He also has written articles for New York folklore and historical magazines.

A collection of Dick's columns, "Good Guys, Bad Guys, Little Guys, Big Guys,"was published in 1994. He edited "Forgotten Villages of Onondaga County," in 1998 and provided an introduction of "Syracuse Landmarks." He taught news and feature writing at SU’s Newhouse School for 12 years.

His interests have gone beyond the written word. Dick has served as a volunteer curator for various exhibits at the Everson Museum and the Onondaga Historical Association. He sat on panels for the state Council on the Arts and is an advisor for the New York State Encyclopedia project.

Caring for the community as he does, Dick has volunteered at Unity Kitchen, Contact, Vera House, the Huntingtin Center, Salvation Army and St. Vincent dePaul Society. He is also a trustee of the Gifford Charitable Corp.