David Dear, an appreciation

Older members of the National Press Club remember David Dear as an unassuming but stalwart member who contributed substantially to the development of the Press Building and the fledgling National Press Foundation. He was 86 when he died Feb. 22.

Starting in the late 1970s, he served as an officer or board member of all three entities. He was elected to the Press Club board, eventually becoming vice-president, and was an original board member of the foundation, which was incorporated as an arm of the club by Robert Ames Alden when he was the club’s president in 1976.

A few years later, when the NPF became independent of the club, David continued to serve on its board, well into the 1990s. He was a regular contributor of time, money and good fellowship.

He was so unassuming that even some fellow board members were unaware of his many journalism interests, which included ownership of news organizations. The family firm published newspapers and owned radio stations in the South and Midwest. After he took over from his brother, Joe, the company published weekly newspapers in the Virginia suburbs.

David also served on the board of the National Press Building Corp. when the club held the majority ownership of the building. He was part of the effort in 1978 — the year I was president — to build a new National Press Building, combined with a 1,300 room convention hotel topped by a new Press Club. The dream failed when the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corp. voted against the project. The original Press Building later was renovated.

He always was a soft spoken gentleman who never raised his voice. I never met anyone who disliked him.

A link to the Washington Post obituary can be found here.