"Knoxville 1863," his debut novel, tells the Civil War tale of the Battle of Fort Sanders from both sides, the Rebel attackers and the Union defenders in the red-clay fort's northwest bastion.

Born in Sumter, SC, Dick is descended from of a long line of Southerners, particularly Texans and Mississippians. The son of a career military officer, he grew up throughout the U.S., Europe and the Middle East. In 1967, he earned an English degree at the University of Maryland and was drafted a week before graduation.

Commissioned from Infantry Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, Dick commanded troops in the 6th Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Meade, Maryland. Later, trained in special warfare, he commanded a light-infantry advisory team in southern I Corps, South Vietnam. He left the Army as a captain, having been awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal.

His newspaper work, from 1971-2006 in West Virginia, Florida, New Jersey and Texas included reporting on government, criminal justice, and science, technology and medicine, for which he won awards from the Associated Press Managing Editors, Cox Newspapers, the American Lung Association and others.