In the 1958 H.B. Plant High School annual there is a picture of a senior, Richard Dayton. There are no accolades as an athlete, a debate club member, National Honor Society, member of the band or other participatory recognition under his name.

He was not a member of the in crowd. His father was not a civic leader; he was a linotype operator for the Tampa Times. Richard, or Dick as he became known later, did not have an overabundance of friends or money. He was not an A student.

Dick was too shy to make speeches and as a result his grades in English suffered. He graduated and received a College Preparatory diploma in June of 1958.

Dick completed his university studies and his duties in the U.S. Navy. After his service time, he worked at various jobs until he realized he had an ability to sell and became a very successful salesman. He progressed through the corporate ranks and became Vice President of Marketing for two Fortune 500 companies.

Dick was always involved in the out-of-doors. He spent time after school skin diving at Gandy Bridge, Courtney Campbell Causeway and other areas of Tampa Bay. He took trips to Crystal River to dive in the springs with the manatees; went canoeing on the Suwannee River searching for fossils and artifacts; hiked and explored throughout the Ocala National Forest. He also spent many weekends in the Everglades camping among the alligators and snakes, and, meeting the occasional Seminole or Miccosukee Indian.

After college and the military, the Florida native accepted a corporate position and moved his family to Boise, Idaho. He worked in Boise for two years, was given a promotion, and moved to California. Accepting many corporate promotions, Dick moved from California to Minnesota, Oregon, Las Vegas and Phoenix. In the Spring of 1998, Dick decided to retire and return to Florida.

Dick and his wife, Marlene, leased a home, on the water, in Cedar Key. They spent 15 months driving all over the state of Florida looking for a residence. They drove from Pensacola on the West to Fernandina Beach on the East, to Pompano Beach and Marco Island on the South looking for their permanent home. After driving over 8,000 miles, they settled in Crystal River.

Dick and Marlene live in a nature preserve. They have as neighbors; egrets, herons, deer, wild hogs, otters, foxes, bald eagles, hawks, owls, pelicans, ibis, raccoons, possums, dolphins and manatees. It is a short boat ride to the Crystal River and the Gulf of Mexico.

The shy graduate of Plant High School, in Tampa, became a noted speaker. He attributes his success, as a speaker, to the Dale Carnegie Course. He overcame his shyness and has spoken at national conventions, nature symposiums and has been a guest lecturer at several major college and universities.

Dick began writing in his early 20’s. He developed a skill that earned him recognition in the corporate world. He wrote several marketing manuals that generated tens of millions of dollars in revenue. His training manuals are still being used by Fortune 500 companies. His writing skills were expanded and he was published in the Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest and several short story and poetry journals.

Dick began writing poetry in the early 70’s. He has torn up and thrown away thousands of pages of poetry that he did not consider worthy of publication. His poetry includes rhyming and non-rhyming poems. His biggest critic is himself.

The events of September 11, 2001 had a tremendous effect on Dick. He was devastated by the carnage in New York and at the Pentagon. He went to his local Military Outlet store on September 12th and purchased 125 small American flags. He stood at the corner of Highway 44 and Highway 19, in Crystal River, and handed out the flags to passing motorists. He describes that day as, "one of the most gut-wrenching times in my life." With each flag, he tearfully uttered a quiet, "God Bless America" to each person. According to Dick, the response from the citizens of Citrus County was ‘overwhelmingly patriotic’. Many people offered to pay him for the flags. He replied simply, "This is my way of showing how I feel about America."

After giving away all of the flags, Dick went home and spent three days and nights composing a poem that expressed his feeling about the terrorist acts:

Governor Jeb Bush, upon receiving a framed copy of this poem, sent Dick a congratulatory card on December 3, 2001 that reads:

Thank you for sending your poem, "My America." It certainly expresses well the troubled time and the patriotism we all share. I encourage you to continue sharing your work with your fellow Americans.

Dick was very humbled by this recognition. He decided to feature approximately 40 of his framed poems in exhibitions across the State of Florida. Some of his poems, including The Rat Race, Orange, The Bonnie Blue Flag, White Bullets, Suddenly I woke up old, Golf, Dolphin, Flashback and Ireland, have been featured. He also displays other writings including Lemon, My Shortest Short Story, Shark Fishing, and Snowbird.

He has earned recognition as, The Florida Native Poet. When asked how long it takes him to write a poem, Dick replied, "Some poems come from immediate inspiration and take just a few days. Others may require in-depth research and investigation. I may read 10 to 15 or more books for background material. A one page poem may take as long as 3 to 4 weeks to write." The Civil War triptych, he created in 2004, required background material from several dozen books and many, many hours of internet research. The result is a framed masterpiece that is coveted by astute collectors of Civil War memorabilia.

Dick can be seen roaming Citrus County in his red 1976 Jeep®. His ‘uniform’ consists of tan Sportif® shorts, Teva® sandals and variety of colorful Hawaiian shirts. "I’ve worn long pants for less than 10 hours since I returned to Florida," says Dick. He has a rule; as long is the temperature is above 30 degrees he wears shorts. His only concession is wearing a sweatshirt and hiking boots below 50 degrees.

Reading Dick’s poetry offers insight into the complexity of this man. There is humor, patriotism, seriousness, frivolity, life lessons, affection, love of nature, competitiveness, positive thinking and love of his fellow humans throughout his works. He is a 21st Century philosopher.

Dick is the creator of "Random Knowtz from a Wandering Mind"©, a verbal potpourri of insights, provocative questions, positive affirmations, business strategies, profitable business tips and life skills presented with style and humor.

He presents this speech to major corporations and government agencies for a sizeable fee, but donates his time at no charge to non-profit business, social, educational and civic organizations. Audiences have rated his speeches at 98% + very good to excellent. To arrange a date and time for Dick Dayton to speak to your group, please contact Mrs. Reed by phone: 352.795.4675 or email: commander1@mindspring.com

Dick is the founder of American LifeTrails Institute, the sales organization for his poetry, writings, artwork, motivational seminars, personal presentations and outdoor activities.Dick Dayton’s poems are marketed through upscale galleries, fine quality gift shops, prestigious decorators and similar unique establishments.

His framed, signed and numbered poems, which currently sell for $275 to $2200 and up, are rapidly becoming treasured by sophisticated collectors. Some fans think of these poems as shrewd investments which may yield exponential gains, in value, in the future.

Dick Dayton has recently opened a Poetry Gallery in historic downtown Crystal River. His gallery features a sizeable sampling of his poetic art.

Several critics have praised Dick Dayton’s works as…"creative"…"outstanding"…"a pioneer in this niche in the art market"…"the ultimate unique prestige gift to give yourself and your sophisticated personal and business acquaintances"…"something new; at last"… "a gift that will give decades of pleasure".

Dick Dayton is currently working on a new book titled:

Peanut Butter and Jellyfish©, Reminisces of a Florida boy growing up in the 40’s and 50’s