Evening star., 1951-01-09

GIDEON A. LYON.
literature and a worth while con-
tributor to that literature"
Mr.. Lyon was born September
,23. 1867. at Saginaw, Mich, the
son of Gideon A. and Emma Ward
Lyon. He came to Washington
with his parents as a child and
graduated from Central High
School with the class Of 1885.
Founded School Magazine.
His decision to enter journalism
probably was influenced by his
success in founding a school
magazine. the High School Re-
view. which he edited in 1886
while serving as a clerk to the
high school principal.
The following year Mr.. Lyon
Joined the staff of The Star. He.
showed such promise as a cub
he was assigned to cover the
White House and the Govern
ment departments soon after his
hrSt stories were printed.
These beats were not as "hot"
then as they are now. Mr.. Lyon
used to recall that he sometimes
could clean them up in the morn
ing and find time in the after
noon to cover the ball game. Later
he was assigned to the Senate.
In 1892 the young reporter
sought adventure in the New York
field. He Joined the staff of the
New York. Recorder and worked
there for s18 months before re-
turning to The Star.
The story is told that during
his early years on The Star, Mr..
Lyon was assigned to make regular
progress reports on the construc-
tion of the old Post Office Building
across Pennsylvania avenue from
The Star at Eleventh street NV.
NcdFly hit Dy DEAN.
The editor at that time. the late
Crosby S. Noyes, was disturbed
by the fact that the building ap-
peared to crawl upward a stone
at a time. Mr.. Lyon was ordered
to investigate.
The eager young reporter wrote
up his notes at the scene of the
slow motion activities until one
day great steel beam crashed
through the. scaffolding over his
head and landed too close for
comfort. The, strange accident
persuaded Mr.. Lyon to alter his
point Of view at the site if not
his opinion. His stories continued
and eventually the construction
job took on new life.
Mr.. Lyon was one of the few
Washington newspapermen who
could remember covering the
march" of Coxey's Army on
Capitol Hill. When the author
tiles withheld permission for the
general" to make his speech, Mr..
Lyon offered to print the address
in The Star. The general"
agreed and the paper got an
exclusive story.
Fifty years later General"
Jacob S. Coxey remembered Mr..
Lyon and invited him to cover
his talk on the anniversary of
his march"
Mr.. Lyon was a keen student
OF Shakespeare. and lectured often
before the Washington Shake
speare Society. He was former
president of the Arts Club and
for several years directed the
clubs annual Bal Boheme.
Wrote Plays in Spare Time.
Included among amateur plays
which he wrote in his spare time
was. THE Pastime of Eternity"
which he helped produce at the
old Chevy Chase School for Girls.
The play had a successful run and
lis still remembered in amateur
circles here. ,-.-....,-.-..
Mr.. Lyons interest in archae-
ology ana folklore was reflected
by his appearances before more
than 40 audiences to talk about
the "Chalice of Antioch" He
presented travelogs he had illus
trated with his own photographs
before the Cosmos Club and other
groups on numerous occasions.
Mr.. Lyon took pictures on his
travels which revealed a sense of
drama and composition. His
travel letters published in The
Star began in 1911 as the result
of trip to England, France and
Belgium.
| He returned to Europe just be-
for the war broke out in 1914 and
sent home dispatches on the
political and economic factors
which were pushing Europe into
lanOLner cOnIllcU.
Toured Japan and China.
|, The associate editor toured
Japan and China in 1929 with a
group of American journalists
sent by the Carnegie Foundation
for International Peace to study
conditions first hand. He inter
viewed President Chang Kai-
shek and other political leaders
for his readers back home.
Mr.. Lyon went to Egypt and
other Mediterranean countries in
1881 and to Mexico in 1887. In
1910 he went to Hawaii for a
six-month visit, during which
he photographed the people and
tropical scenery for series OF
stories appearing in The Star.
Mr.. Lyon was transferred from
reportorial to editorial duties in
the autumn of 1896. He became
associate editor in the reorganiza
ton which followed the death OF
!, Crosby S. Moves, editor, in 1908