1931
Walkerman
2016
Walkerman Dugan Jr
March 12, 1931 — July 23, 2016
Walkerman David Dugan, Jr., 85 passed away on July 23, 2016 at his home in Overland Park, Kansas. Dave was born on March 12, 1931 in DuBois, Pennsylvania to Elizabeth (McClelland) and Walkerman “Walk” Dugan. Shortly after Dave’s birth, his family moved to Olean, New York where he spent his childhood.
Dave was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved wife Josephine (Joy) who passed away in 2005. He is survived by his daughter, Karen and son-in-law Brian Briggs, and their three children all of Overland Park, Kansas as well as many dear friends that he regarded as family.
Dugan graduated from Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts in 1948. Dave always said that Deerfield Academy was a great learning experience. After singing in the glee club and playing trumpet in the band, he knew he had no future in music! After Deerfield, he moved on to Dartmouth College where he received an A.B. degree in sociology in 1952. At Dartmouth, he was chief announcer at the college radio station WDBS and managed the dance band. Dave worked summers at station WHDL in Olean and WEBR in Buffalo. He was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity. After graduation, Dave sold radio time and was a sports announcer for WESB in Bradford, PA. He was a television sportscaster for WICU-TV in Erie, PA. and enjoyed doing play-by-play for minor league baseball games in Jamestown, New York. After Dartmouth, he earned a graduate degree in philosophy in 1956 at Saint Bonaventure University.
Dave began his career with CBS News and the Network in 1957, a career that lasted 36 years. His first job at CBS radio in New York, was reporting for “This Is New York” with Jim McKay. The radio news program won a Peabody Award. He was also a play-by-play announcer of Ivy League football games for WCBS.
After two years, he decided to pursue his goal of management by joining CBS radio sales staff. However, after only four months in sales, he returned to the news side of the business and became a correspondent for the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. During the 60’s Dave covered network TV news on civil rights, politics and space as well as co-anchoring news broadcasts for the Cronkite Evening News. Dugan shared many of his memorable interviews throughout the years and covered the funeral of President John F. Kennedy, the March on Washington and was in the recovery fleet for the John Glenn spaceflight.
During his time at CBS, he helped start a broadcast news workshop for minority students at Columbia University in New York in 1969. Two years later, Roy Fisher, dean of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, recruited Dugan to be a journalism professor and general manager of a new NPR affiliate and training ground for students, KBIA-FM.
During his 15 years at MU, he also served as chairman of the broadcast news department and taught every student in the entry-level reporting and writing class, Broadcast 101. Not only was Dave interested in his students’ professional development, but he took an interest in their personal lives as well. He continued to advise and assist his students long after they graduated. When MU classes were not in session, Dave worked at CBS owned KMOX radio in St. Louis and would return each fall with a new set of stories and experiences.
After his stint at the University of Missouri, Dugan retired to Laguna Niguel, CA with his wife Joy. But he just couldn’t completely retire from the news. He worked part-time at CBS Los Angeles KNX NewsRadio, but that only lasted a few years. Dugan came out of retirement in 1989 to become program director at KMOX radio until 1993. Dave’s goal was always management and said it was important to know the business side of broadcasting. Dave and Joy spent 6 wonderful years in Laguna Niguel, CA.
In 1999, Dave and his wife Joy moved to Kansas City to be closer to their daughter and her husband. Dave kept busy volunteering in the community as a safe driving teacher for the AARP (he always shared that it was “classroom only” no “Mr. Holland’s Opus”). He also enjoyed volunteering with the University of Kansas’ Audio-Reader Network. In 2008 former students and colleagues set up an endowment for MU Libraries to honor Dugan.
He was a life-long teacher, a life-long learner and above all strived for ethics in all aspects of life. “Professionalism” he called it. He shared with everyone an enormous sense of wisdom and knowledge of life and spent a good part of his later years keeping in touch with his former students.
Graveside services will be held on August 8, 2016 at St. Bonaventure Cemetery in Allegany, NY. A memorial will be held at the University of Missouri School of Journalism on October 29, 2016. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the MU School of Journalism or the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City.
Dave was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved wife Josephine (Joy) who passed away in 2005. He is survived by his daughter, Karen and son-in-law Brian Briggs, and their three children all of Overland Park, Kansas as well as many dear friends that he regarded as family.
Dugan graduated from Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts in 1948. Dave always said that Deerfield Academy was a great learning experience. After singing in the glee club and playing trumpet in the band, he knew he had no future in music! After Deerfield, he moved on to Dartmouth College where he received an A.B. degree in sociology in 1952. At Dartmouth, he was chief announcer at the college radio station WDBS and managed the dance band. Dave worked summers at station WHDL in Olean and WEBR in Buffalo. He was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity. After graduation, Dave sold radio time and was a sports announcer for WESB in Bradford, PA. He was a television sportscaster for WICU-TV in Erie, PA. and enjoyed doing play-by-play for minor league baseball games in Jamestown, New York. After Dartmouth, he earned a graduate degree in philosophy in 1956 at Saint Bonaventure University.
Dave began his career with CBS News and the Network in 1957, a career that lasted 36 years. His first job at CBS radio in New York, was reporting for “This Is New York” with Jim McKay. The radio news program won a Peabody Award. He was also a play-by-play announcer of Ivy League football games for WCBS.
After two years, he decided to pursue his goal of management by joining CBS radio sales staff. However, after only four months in sales, he returned to the news side of the business and became a correspondent for the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. During the 60’s Dave covered network TV news on civil rights, politics and space as well as co-anchoring news broadcasts for the Cronkite Evening News. Dugan shared many of his memorable interviews throughout the years and covered the funeral of President John F. Kennedy, the March on Washington and was in the recovery fleet for the John Glenn spaceflight.
During his time at CBS, he helped start a broadcast news workshop for minority students at Columbia University in New York in 1969. Two years later, Roy Fisher, dean of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, recruited Dugan to be a journalism professor and general manager of a new NPR affiliate and training ground for students, KBIA-FM.
During his 15 years at MU, he also served as chairman of the broadcast news department and taught every student in the entry-level reporting and writing class, Broadcast 101. Not only was Dave interested in his students’ professional development, but he took an interest in their personal lives as well. He continued to advise and assist his students long after they graduated. When MU classes were not in session, Dave worked at CBS owned KMOX radio in St. Louis and would return each fall with a new set of stories and experiences.
After his stint at the University of Missouri, Dugan retired to Laguna Niguel, CA with his wife Joy. But he just couldn’t completely retire from the news. He worked part-time at CBS Los Angeles KNX NewsRadio, but that only lasted a few years. Dugan came out of retirement in 1989 to become program director at KMOX radio until 1993. Dave’s goal was always management and said it was important to know the business side of broadcasting. Dave and Joy spent 6 wonderful years in Laguna Niguel, CA.
In 1999, Dave and his wife Joy moved to Kansas City to be closer to their daughter and her husband. Dave kept busy volunteering in the community as a safe driving teacher for the AARP (he always shared that it was “classroom only” no “Mr. Holland’s Opus”). He also enjoyed volunteering with the University of Kansas’ Audio-Reader Network. In 2008 former students and colleagues set up an endowment for MU Libraries to honor Dugan.
He was a life-long teacher, a life-long learner and above all strived for ethics in all aspects of life. “Professionalism” he called it. He shared with everyone an enormous sense of wisdom and knowledge of life and spent a good part of his later years keeping in touch with his former students.
Graveside services will be held on August 8, 2016 at St. Bonaventure Cemetery in Allegany, NY. A memorial will be held at the University of Missouri School of Journalism on October 29, 2016. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the MU School of Journalism or the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City.
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