RIP Dave

Unfortunately, I don’t know Dave as well as everyone else here does, so I don’t have any of the heartwealming personal stories that many of you guys have, but I do know what Dave represented. Even through short conversations that I had with him I always knew that he fully had the back of the journalists who helped made the IDS what it is today.

Although I never personally was involved in some of the “controversial” stories that we ran over the years, I always knew that we as a group and a family would be all right because Dave as publisher knew the importance of the first amendment. He knew that the only way to learn from your mistakes was to actually take risks and make them. That is such an important message to learn and advocate. Dave made sure of that.

When I was back home in New York this past March I had the privilege of attending a national meeting of the College Media Advisers. After a session that was centered on journalism and the law I had a discussion with the moderator of the meeting. Once I told him that I was a student from IU and on the staff of the IDS, he asked if I knew Dave Adams. I said I did. He proceeded to tell me a story which took place in Kansas (where the moderator was from) back in the 1980’s when Dave personally defended a small college newspaper’s right to free speech. I think it was a case that was similar to the supreme court case that he was also involved in. Later that month, I found out that Dave was president of the College Media Advisers. Nothing this man ever did amazes me.

I regret that I didn’t take advantage of Dave’s knowledge of this industry and of life in general as much I should have.He was readily available as a mentor and I took that for granted. As I get ready to embark in the real world post-graduation, not talking to him more and picking his brain remain the two things that I regret the most here while at IU. As the man I talked to in New York said, Dave is a gentle giant and has a huge heart. I agree 100% with that sentiment as well as what everyone else is saying about him.

I am getting misty-eyed right now, but goodbye Dave and thanks for everything you did to make sure that directly or indirectly we as a staff, whether it be a part-time writer, a “small-time” City and State reporter like myself, a columnist or an editor, became better journalists and better people. You are truely the man.

Sincerely,

Drew Smith
Proud IDSer from 2003-2006