Wayne Walter Dyer was an American self-help author and motivational speaker. Dyer was born in Detroit, Michigan, to the late Melvin Lyle and Hazel Irene Dyer and spent much of his adolescence in an orphanage on the east side of Detroit. After graduation from Denby High School Dyer served in the United States Navy from 1958 to 1962. He received his D.Ed. degree in counselling from Wayne State University. Dyer has been criticized by some PBS viewers for his appearances on PBS during their pledge drives and his teachings have been characterized by some of these viewers as superficial platitudes that lack rigour and have limited practical or intellectual value.