Dave Kranz Is One of the Most Well-Known, Authoritative and Influential Journalists in South Dakota�S History

Dave Kranz is one of the most well-known, authoritative and influential journalists in South Dakota�s history. I had the honor and pleasure of working with him for 20 years at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, until he retired. Dave spent 40+ years in the newspaper business. Although he covered a vast range of topics, he�ll be most remembered for his political reporting. He loves politics and possesses a wealth of information. Until he developed symptoms of Alzheimer�s at the tail end of his career, he could name all of the governors, senators and representatives in South Dakota�s history and could tell you the years they served. And he knew all kinds of facts about many of them. He was a walking encyclopedia of South Dakota politics. He also was extremely knowledgeable about elected officials throughout the United States. Dave was a top-notch reporter. He was great at asking tough questions and gathering information. He had more sources than any reporter I�ve ever known. Elected officials and other sources would call him at work or home any day or night with story leads or just to talk politics. One of the potential downsides to political reporting is dealing with readers who get upset because they believe a story wasn�t fair to their candidate or their issue. Dave would receive phone calls from both sides of issues, from unhappy Democrats and unhappy Republicans. When complaints come from two sides, not one, that�s a sign that the story was balanced and fair. Dave had, and still has, the respect of politicians on both sides of the aisle. Because he asked tough questions and was a political watchdog, he would sometimes ruffle the feathers of a senator or governor. There were times that Gov. Bill Janklow would call Dave at home late at night and chew him out over a story that he wrote for that day�s newspaper. But it wasn�t uncommon for Janklow to put their disagreement behind and call Dave a day or two later with information for a story or to talk about an issue. That�s the type of respect Dave has. At times, he rankled Republicans Janklow, John Thune and Mike Rounds, as well as Democrats Tim Johnson, Tom Daschle and Stephanie Herseth. But they all seemed to appreciate his factual, fair, unbiased reporting. Many politicians showed their respect by attending Dave�s retirement party and wishing him well. Several have paid him visits in his retirement at Watertown. Dave�s vast political knowledge and experience were apparent in his election coverage and analysis. He was a go-to source of information for citizens interested in the issues. He also was a go-to source of political information whenever a national TV network or newspaper would do a story about South Dakota. National reporters and producers would regularly call Dave for background information, advice, sources or interviews. Dave was a dedicated journalist. He had a passion for his work and spent far more than 40 hours on the job nearly every week. A publisher or editor had to essentially force him to take vacation days because he was so devoted to his work. As a member of the Fourth Estate, he realized his job was to inform, educate, entertain and play a watchdog role. He was so devoted to his career that he would spend personal hours in the office many weekends. Whenever a subscriber would call to report that he/she didn�t receive a newspaper that day, Kranz would personally deliver a paper to their door, even though that wasn�t his responsibility. But Dave�s impact in South Dakota and on people stretches far beyond his record as a journalist. What many people don�t know about Dave is how kind-hearted he is. Any time there was a fund-raiser for a youth group or a cancer patient, he was the first to step up with a generous contribution. An avid baseball memorabilia collector, he would regularly give baseball cards and other items to eager youngsters. For years, the Argus Leader hosted a Christmas party for underprivileged families and Dave would dress as Santa�s elf, distributing gifts and joy to children who didn�t have many possessions. He is a generous human being. I enthusiastically recommend Dave Kranz for induction into the South Dakota Hall of Fame. In his work and in his personal life, he made a difference. Sincerely, Randy Hascall Former Sioux Falls Argus Leader reporter and copy editor .

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