Marion Roscoe Dunn, 81, a longtime Utah sportswriter, died Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2004, in Salt Lake City.
He was born Nov. 20, 1922, in Manassa, Colo., to Allie Oyler and Charles Albert Dunn. The family moved to Bingham Canyon when Mr. Dunn was 2. He spent his adult life sharing stories of growing up in the famous mining community and later wrote a book about the community.
While serving in the Army in New Guinea during World War II, he got his start in the newspaper business as a reporter and editor for an Army paper. He spent two years in New Guinea and one year in the Philippines.
Mr. Dunn played on the Bingham High School state championship baseball team in 1940.
Mr. Dunn graduated from the University of Utah in 1950 with a degree in journalism.
He spent most of his career covering Utah State University and Brigham Young University sports for the Deseret News, The Salt Lake Telegram and The Salt Lake Tribune. He became sports editor for the Provo Daily Herald in 1976.
Mr. Dunn was president of the National Football Writers Association of America and the Old Time Athletes Association, and was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. He earned his post as president of the National Football Writers of America through his work on the press box committee, which has been credited since the founding of the FWAA in 1941 with improving working conditions of the reporters covering football.
The late John Mooney, Salt Lake Tribune sports editor for several decades, paid a compliment to Mr. Dunn in 1979 after the latter underwent surgery, calling him a gentle man who never lost his cool. "I can't remember Marion blowing his stack or losing his cool. Not only does Marion fail to lose his temper, but also, it's difficult for you to blow up around him."
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the Murray 16th LDS Ward, 619 W. 5750 South. A viewing will be held today from 5-7 p.m. at Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary, 4760 S. State. Friends may call at the church from 9:45-10:45 a.m. prior to the services. Interment will be in Murray City Cemetery.