Born on October 5, 1878, in Carrollton, Kentucky, Wyatt received his first degree, an A.B., from Centre College in 1904. He spent the next year as an assistant principal at Mt. Sterling High School in Kentucky, before becoming an instructor in Latin at Transylvania College, also in Kentucky, where he remained until 1910. Moving then to Massachusetts, Wyatt matriculated at Harvard, where he received his A.M. in 1912, and his Ph. D. in 1915.

Wyatt began his affiliation with Tufts in 1914, as an instructor in Greek. He was then hired as assistant professor of Greek in 1918. Promoted to professor in 1924, Wyatt served as head of the Greek department until its merger with the Classics department, where he continued as chair. He was designated professor emeritus in 1952, but continued to lecture in classics until 1956.

He married Natalie M. Gifford, also a classicist, on August 14, 1931, and they had two children, William Frank Jr. (b. July 14, 1932), and Natalie Elizabeth (b. Jan 29, 1934).

In between teaching courses in Greek, Greek history, Greek sculpture, Greek myth, and even a course on the New Testament at the Crane School, Wyatt took a year to serve as head of the YMCA headquarters in Turin, Italy, from 1918 to 1919.

Wyatt died on July 28, 1961, of natural causes, at his home on Edison Avenue in Medford.

Source: VF

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