1985 NPC President David Hess, who presided over Washington Press Club merger, dies at 83
David Hess, who served as president of the National Press Club in 1985, died July 19, 2017 at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, where he had moved to live near family after many decades in Washington, D.C. He was 83.
Hess made his mark in Washington with his encyclopedic knowledge of Congress, his mentoring and encouragement of young reporters and his journalistic integrity.
Born in Glendale, West Virginia, Hess served in Army intelligence during the Korean War. He learned Korean at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, Calif., and spent much of his time at a remote mountain-top listening post intercepting North Korean and Chinese communications.
Hess eventually became a reporter for the Akron Beacon Journal in Ohio. The paper sent him to Washington in 1970, where he joined the Knight Newspapers bureau, later Knight Ridder. Hess covered politics, Congress and the White House.
Clark Hoyt, former Knight Ridder vice president for news and former New York Times ombudsman, recalled his early days with Hess in Washington: “He and I joined the Knight Newspapers Washington bureau in 1970 at almost the exact same time, he for the Akron Beacon Journal and I for the Miami Herald. He was an excellent reporter and terrific colleague, with an encyclopedic knowledge of Ohio politics and a deep source list."
Hess' unstated demeanor belied his enthusiasm for the craft.
"Dave was always modest and even-keeled, which hid his passion for reporting—getting the story and getting it right," Hoyt said. "He was a great guy.”
Hess became Club president in 1985, 14 years after the Club voted to admit women. He was instrumental in negotiating the merger of the National Press Club with Washington Press Club, successor to the National Women's Press Club founded in 1919. He played a major role in the renovation the NPC Building and presided over its rededication after a multi-million dollar upgrade on May 25, 1985. He was also a long-time member of NPC American Legion Post 20 and a founding member of The Owls.
Press Club member Ken Dalecki, chairman of the Newsmakers Committee during Hess' administration, recalls his dedication to journalism ethics and standards.
"An example of his journalistic integrity occurred when the Embassy of India threatened to cancel an NPC luncheon speech by President Rajiv Gandhi if the Club allowed an opposition leader speak at a Newsmaker," Dalecki said. "David refused to cancel the Newsmaker, the embassy backed down and Gandhi went ahead with his speech."
Hess was awarded one of the first National Endowment for the Humanities Journalism Fellowships at Stanford University, a mid-career academic program modeled on the Nieman Fellowship. He was instrumental in getting other journalists to apply for and win NEH Journalism fellowships at Stanford and the University of Michigan.
After Hess retired from Knight Ridder, he continued on Capitol Hill as a reporter for the National Journal’s Congress Daily.
In declining health from several strokes and back problems, Hess moved from his home in Springfield, VA, in 2010 to live near family members in Columbus. His wife, Dorothy, and two children, Laura and Daniel, preceded him in death.