OBITUARY

FRANCIS D. "FRANK" DREYBECK, 77, JOURNALIST

Frank Dreybeck, a veteran of the Korean War and journalist for over 50 years, was found dead in his apartment early yesterday morning. His death comes one day after his retirement from The Daily Drivel, where his column appeared for the final time on Tuesday. The column was laced with bitterness and made numerous disparaging remarks about several co-workers. Dreybeck alleged that he was forcibly retired because of his style of writing. Police investigating his death seem to believe foul play may have been involved.

"Everyone we've interviewed so far hated the man. Neighbors, co-workers, the dry cleaner down the block, everyone seems to have been insulted by him. If this was murder, and all indications point in that direction, then anyone who has ever met him is a potential suspect. We have our work cut out for us," said Det. Caskey.

Frank Dreybeck was a reporter in the Korean War at the age of 19, and joined the Washington Post as a correspondent after his discharge. He seemed to bounce around from city to city over the next five and a half decades working at most of the major newspapers, and never lasting more than two years in any one spot.

"I hate to speak ill of the dead, but he was a miserable bastard who butted heads with everyone," said Rupert Murdoch ," his inflammatory comments, both spoken and written, were pure vitriol. No one could stand the man."

Dreybeck's style, by his own admission, was one that 'ruffled a few feathers'. He took particular glee, for some bizarre reason, in lambasting game show host Bob Barker. Barker was routinely savaged in Dreybeck's columns, even when the story had nothing at all to do with the game show host, which was 99.9% of the time.

Here are two excerpts from some of Dreybeck's columns:

".......There are too many single women in today's workforce, single women who are taking the jobs away from men with families, honest, hardworking men who are trying to make ends meet. What's the matter ladies, tired of watching Bob Barker's ridiculous dye job all morning?"

".....Companies like Nabisco and Johnson & Johnson should be ashamed of themselves for gouging the unsuspecting public with their overpriced, inferior products. Companies that used to be the back-bone of this country are now punching us all in the solar plexis. Companies like this, that conspire to keep a ruthless charlatan like Bob Barker employed."

Dreybeck harbored a decades long grudge against the former game show host, but no one seems to know the reason for the animosity. Some speculate that Barker found out that Dreybeck's middle name was actually Dorothy, and belittled him to common friends and associates. Poking fun at him on air by turning to the camera every once in awhile and saying "Well, Dorothy, what do you think about that?"

Others say that Dreybeck's first wife Nancy had a torrid affair with Barker, and he could not manage to excite her after Barker had his way with her, which ultimately led to their bitter divorce.

The real reason may never come out and will likely be buried along with the journalist.

(Viewing and burial plans have been put on hold due to an ongoing police investigation and an utter lack of interest) DD