HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — ABC13 Anchor Emeritus Dave Ward has died.
For more than 50 years, Dave was Houston’s anchorman. He began each newscast with his signature line, “Good evening, friends.” That’s how the legendary newsman felt about the viewers who shared his love for the city he was so proud to call his home.
His name was David Henry Ward, but he was known to thousands of Eyewitness News viewers simply as “Dave.” Born in Dallas in 1939, Dave grew up in Huntsville and began his radio career with KGKB Radio in Tyler while attending college. Three years later, he joined the staff of WACO Radio as a staff announcer and quickly climbed to Program Director the following year.
Dave moved to Houston in 1962 where he worked for KNUZ Radio as a News Reporter and News Director for four years. He made the move to Channel 13 in 1966 as the station’s only on-the-street news reporter and photographer, coming “inside” in early 1967 to anchor Channel 13’s weekday 7 a.m. newscast. Later that year, he became the first host of the wildly popular “Dialing for Dollars” program, which later evolved into “Good Morning Houston.” Houston viewers flocked to see him and hear him and by January 1968, Dave became the anchor of Eyewitness News at 6 and 10 p.m.
Dave hit a historic milestone when he celebrated his 50th year at KTRK-TV. His long tenure at the station was acknowledged in June 2016 when he was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records by breaking the record as the longest-running local TV news anchor in the world at the same station, in the same market.
After signing off from his role anchoring ABC13 Eyewitness News in May 2017, Dave continued to tell the legendary stories of Houston, as only he could. “Dave Ward’s Houston” celebrated the iconic places, people and moments that help weave the unique fabric of the Bayou City.
Over five decades, Dave covered topics from space walks and the Vietnam peace talks to natural disasters and politics, including a one-to-one interview with President Obama.
Getting the facts right, consistently — that’s what defined Dave Ward. A true Texas original, Dave has made his mark as one of the nation’s most respected news anchors for the past five decades. In his trademark down-to-earth style, he began every newscast with “Good evening, friends.” It was that candor and dedication to getting every side of the story that helped him become the most trusted newsman in Houston.
From fires, explosions, earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes throughout Texas and the South, Dave covered it all. He has covered national political conventions and reported on the space program from the Florida launch site for Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and all shuttle flights. During his career, he interviewed people from all walks of life, from presidents to drug dealers. His interviews with five U.S. Presidents and U.S. Vice President Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller have achieved much acclaim. He traveled to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua, and Colombia to report on numerous stories with a Houston connection.
Dave was equally devoted to community service. He held office of president of Houston Easter Seals Society and hosted several Easter Seals telethons. He was a member of the Public Affairs Advisory Board of the Houston Business Council, Public Information Committee of the American Cancer Society, the Board of Directors of the Leukemia Society and the Press Club of Houston. Dave was a Lifetime Member of Crime Stoppers and the 100 Club of Houston, Endowed Lifetime Member of the Partnership for Baylor College of Medicine, and a Lifetime Member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Dave served on the board of the Houston Police Foundation and on the Advisory Board of Houston Children’s Charity.
Some of Dave’s most productive work was with the Crime Stoppers of Houston organization. At the time of the program’s inception in 1981, Dave was instrumental in establishing Crime Stoppers in Houston and throughout the world. His creation of crime reenactments has become the model for similar programs across the country and throughout the world. He became Crime Stoppers’ first on-air reporter with his unwavering passion and commitment to stop crimes in Houston.
Dave won a number of awards over his long career. In 1973, Houston Mayor Louis Welch presented Dave with the City of Houston Public Service Award for his work on the Managua earthquake. In 2002, Dave received the prestigious Leon Goldstein Award for Outstanding Service in Fighting Crime from Houston Crime Stoppers. In 2007, he proudly accepted a regional Emmy for Art/Entertainment Special Programs for his interviews with his friend, singer-songwriter, Steve Tyrell. In 2011, the Lone Star Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences inducted Dave into their Silver Circle for his 25 years of contributions to the Television Broadcast Community. In 2016, Dave was honored by the Mexican American Bar Association of Texas and also inducted into the esteemed Texas Radio Hall of Fame. Also, in 2017, Dave will be inducted into the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Hall of Fame. In 2024, the Lone Star Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences inducted Dave into their Gold Circle for his 50 years in the industry.
This story comes from our news partner ABC13 Houston.
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