Dan Lauck, a former KHOU 11 reporter, has died at the age of 72 after a decades long battle with Parkinson’s disease, the TEGNA station is reporting.
Thinking about Lauck and his journalistic craft conjures thoughts of a different time in television news. It was another era. Anyone who was there will know the difference between now and then.
Lauck was one of those standout Houston television news reporters. His news stories looked like a local version of 60 Minutes packages.
Back then, as a young KTRK special projects reporter, I would tune over to channel 11 nightly to learn about TV storytelling, NPPA style...you know the old BELO (KHOU's owner at the time) way of doing things. While I never met Lauck, I would consider him one of my teachers.
Unfortunately Lauck was forced to retire early in 2007 due to Parkinson’s disease.
"I have Parkinson's in my right hand and essential tremor in my left, which makes a race to see which hand can shake the fastest under stress," Lauck told abc13 health reporter Christi Myers in 2009.
That made the pressures of television news difficult.
Former KHOU 11 reporter and now WFAA Dallas station manager, Carolyn Mungo, remembers Lauck as a great writer and someone with great character.
“When I landed in the [KHOU] newsroom, I was fairly new and told him how I sometimes got writers block out in the field,” Mungo said on KHOU.com. “He told me if I ever needed help to call him. So, one day I’m out doing a long form story in east Texas and it hit. Writers block. So, I called him. He said give me five minutes. He called me back and gave me the most perfect idea and a phrase that made the piece. Dan had a story to turn on deadline that day, too, but he never said, ‘I’m in a rush’ or ‘I don’t have time.’”
"In a business full of egos this guy did not have one," former KHOU 11 sports director Butch Alsandor commented on my LinkedIn post for Lauck. "He was incredibly talented but was always humble and kind. A great reporter but more importantly he was an outstanding human being. Everyone he crossed paths with will miss him."
"He was a solid reporter and super nice person," former abc13 KTRK assistant news director/reporter Don Kobos commented on my Facebook page. "When you were covering a story that Dan was also covering, you knew he was going to touch all the bases so you better bring your A game. Prayers to Dan’s family."
"Dan was incredibly kind and subtly charismatic," former abc13 KTRK Mark Garay commented on my Facebook profile. "I fondly remember our chats during downtime or waiting for pressers to start, and his unique brand of friendliness. He carried an unmistakable aura of true professionalism and he was a worthy competitor."
"I was a huge fan of Dan, as a person, and a reporter," former Houston anchor Katie McCall commented on my LinkedIn post. "He was so gifted as a writer and storyteller, but he was also an outstanding human being. Dan was kind, smart, clever, funny, and warm. Rest in Peace, Dan. Thank you for making our world better. "
"Such a loss," former KHOU investigative reporter and now CBS correspondent Anna Werner commented on my LinkedIn post. "Dan was such an incredibly talented writer and reporter, and a lovely person. One of the best, not just in Houston, but anywhere."
"Dan was a natural storyteller with a knack for drawing you in and making you feel as if you were right there, in the story," former KPRC 2 anchor Linda Lorelle commented on my LinkedIn post for Lauck. "He was truly gifted. I didn't get to know him well during my days anchoring at KPRC, but I always looked forward to his reports. Sending prayers to his family. Rest in peace, Dan."
"Dan was the greatest writer I ever worked around," former KHOU reporter Michael Zientek commented on my LinkedIn post. "Even with his own deadline looming, he was always willing to look at other reporters’ scripts and provide ways to improve them, and he always made the script better. Thank you Dan."
In his retirement, Lauck was a volunteer coach for his daughter, Courtney's, high school basketball team.
He was also active in the Houston-area Parkinson's Society, a group which supports Parkinson's patients and their families.
Lauck joined KHOU in 1994 from KMOL San Antonio (now News 4 San Antonio WOAI) where he was an investigative reporter. Before that, he was a feature producer for CBS Sports and an ESPN freelance producer.
The wordsmith reputation Lauck earned might have roots in his print background. He was first a Kansas newspaper sportswriter, then New York's Newsday sportswriter, followed by a news reporting role at the Washington Post.
With Lauck's level of work, the awards came calling. He had three regional Edward R. Murrow Awards and six regional Emmy Awards for feature writing and in-depth reporting. Not to mention Texas AP, UPI and Katie Awards.
Lauck is survived by his wife Meg and his three daughters.
This morning, as KHOU announced Lauck's death, the station uploaded some of his television work you can watch below.
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*Updated with quotes from Lauck's Houston TV colleagues
