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Broadcaster and Outdoorsman

David Henry Leonard 鈥�55

February 3, 2024, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Born on March 20, 1933, Dave spent his early life on a homestead in northern Montana, where his mother, Helen Henderson Leonard, melted snow on the woodstove to wash his diapers. His family also spent time in Salmon, Idaho, and Pony, Montana, where his father, Robert W. Leonard, worked as a teacher and principal.

Dave got involved with radio broadcasting at a young age as a student at Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland. He attended Reed (where his brother and sister had graduated) for a year in 1951, before leaving for Iowa State University. There, he worked at the student TV station. While in Ames, Iowa, Dave met his future wife, Mary Peterson, at a meeting of the Liberal Religious Youth. The pair would have three children, Julie, Peter, and Christopher.

Dave went on to earn a master of arts degree at Michigan State University before moving back to Portland to help set up a public TV station. Later, he worked for ETVNews in Bloomington, Indiana, and then managed the Pennsylvania Public Television Network and South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Dave also served multiple boards and organizations, including the Nature Conservancy of South Dakota, the Arts and Humanities Assembly of Boulder, and numerous Unitarian Universalist congregations and districts, becoming a beloved elder of the Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

The Leonard family often camped, hiked, and boated in different parts of the  country. Dave continued to spend time in nature as he aged, hiking daily and sending much-loved photos of his adventures to friends until a stroke limited his activity. Dave was predeceased by his wife of 59 years, Mary Peterson Leonard; his brother, Robert C. Leonard ’52; and his sister, Helen Leonard Seagraves ’51. He is survived by his daughter, Julie, and his sons, Peter and Chris.

Appeared in Reed magazine: Fall 2024