Teamster Dana Lyon was Accomplished Novelist

When she wasn’t pounding away on adding machines for Local 856, Dana Lyon was busy writing thrilling mysteries. A prolific writer, Lyon had 17 novels published by the time she was featured in the International Teamster magazine in 1958.

Lyon’s passion for writing started in high school and it was a talent that she cultivated for many years. Her skills as a writer caught the attention of Hollywood, and in 1951 one of her earlier books was put on the silver screen as “The House on Telegraph Hill” starring William Lundigan.

Lyon also contributed to a novel that was written with other members of the San Francisco branch of the Mystery Writers of America called “The Marble Forest.” The novel was bought by an independent movie producer and in 1958 the film was released under the title “Macabre” and won good reviews.

Lyons also headed the statistical department of the Northern California Teamsters Security Fund. She went to work there in 1952 when she was going through an extended period of writer’s block and wanted to find a more stable second job.

“People think writers make a lot of money. Actually, the income from writing is uncertain,” Lyon said.

Lyon enjoyed working for the Teamsters so much that she stayed with Local 856 “longer than any other job I’ve ever had, principally because I have the nicest boss I’ve ever had.”