Lauren Dwight "Deac" Lyman (April 24, 1891–July 12, 1972) was an American reporter and aviation writer. He worked for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' from 1919 to 1937 and from 1937 to 1959 as a public relations executive for

United Aircraft The United Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer formed by the break-up of United Aircraft and Transport Corporation in 1934. In 1975, the company became United Technologies. History Pre-1930s 1930s The Air Mail scandal ...

, a predecessor to

United Technologies Corporation United Technologies Corporation (UTC) was an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. It researched, developed, and manufactured products in numerous areas, including aircraft engines, aerospace systems ...

. He won a

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

in 1936 for "his exclusive story revealing that the

Charles A. Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

family was leaving the United States to live in England." Born Lauren Dwight Lyman on a farm in

Easthampton, Massachusetts Easthampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The city is on the southeastern edge of the Pioneer Valley near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst. The population was 16,211 at the 2020 ...

, he was known all his life by the nickname "Deac", which he inherited from his father and grandfather who were both New England church deacons. In 1917 he dropped out of

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

to join the Army when the United States entered

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After two years of service in France, he was discharged in 1919 and joined ''The New York Times'' as an assistant real estate editor and general assignment reporter. In 1927 Lyman was named aviation editor and one of the first stories he covered was Charles Lindbergh's non-stop "New York to Paris" solo flight in May 1927; the two remained friends for 45 years, to Lyman's death in 1972. Late in December 1935, Lyman provided exclusive coverage of the Lindbergh family flight from the U.S., made in secret, to live in self-imposed exile. For that coup, he won the annual

Pulitzer Prize for Reporting The Pulitzer Prize for Reporting was awarded from 1917 to 1947. Winners *1917: Herbert Bayard Swope, ''New York World'', for articles which appeared October 10, October 15 and from November 4 daily to November 22, 1916, inclusive, entitled, "Ins ...

."Reporting"
The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved 2013-11-09. In 1938 Lyman and Carl B. Allen co-wrote ''The Wonder Book of the Air'' (John C. Winston Co., 1939), a 340-page illustrated volume for children and young adults, covering all aspects of aviation. Following his death in 1972, the former Aviation/Space Writers Association established the Lauren D. Lyman Award in his honor to be presented annually "for distinguished, career-long achievements in aviation journalism or public relations". The Award is now administered by the

Aerospace Industries Association The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) is an American trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of civil, military, and business aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, space systems, aircraft engines, missiles, material, and related ...

."Lauren D. Lyman Award"
. Aerospace Industries Association (aia-aerospace.org).

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* (one title) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lyman, Lauren D. 1891 births 1972 deaths People from Easthampton, Massachusetts Aviation journalists American public relations people Pulitzer Prize for Reporting winners The New York Times writers The New York Times Pulitzer Prize winners American aviation writers

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