Kitchell to be inducted into Hall of Fame

By KEN de la BASTIDE
Tribune enterprise editor

Sat, May 17 2008

— Kokomo Tribune Sports Editor Dave Kitchell will be inducted into the Indiana Sportwriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame during a banquet April 12 in Indianapolis. Kitchell will be joined by Al Hamnik, a columnist for the Times of Northwest Indiana, and Bob Lamey, the radio voice of the Indianapolis Colts.
Kitchell has worked at the Kokomo Tribune since 1972.
“It’s a surprise and a nice honor, and to be inducted with Bob Lamey and Al Hamnik is special for me,” Kitchell said. “Never, when I got into this business, did I ever expect to be in a Hall of Fame with the best writers and sportcasters Indiana has ever had.
“As a kid, I could imagine having no better job than writing sports in Kokomo,” he said of his 36-year career. “There have been some moments I could have done without, but there has never been a day that I wasn’t excited to go to work. Very few people in this world have their ‘dream job’ for a day — I’ve had it pretty much my whole life.
“The Kokomo Tribune has given me the opportunity to cover a wide variety of sporting events over the years and I’m truly grateful for that,” Kitchell continued. “I’m also proud to have worked with all the full-time and part-time writers we’ve had. They have been the real reason for the success of our sports section over the years.”
Kitchell’s talents as a sportswriter and columnist inspired another Kokomo native to enter the newspaper business.
“Growing up in Kokomo, Dave Kitchell was the first sportswriter I remember reading, which I hope doesn’t make him feel old because that’s not my intent,” said Mike Beas, a sportwriter/columnist for the Anderson Herald Bulletin. “The clever and thoughtful angles Dave has utilized in constructing game stories and columns is one of the primary motivators that steered me toward this business. This latest honor is well-deserved and, frankly, probably a bit overdue.”
Greg Bell, sports director for WIOU radio in Kokomo, has known Kitchell for the past 25 years and called the honor well-deserved.
“I have known a lot of sportwriters and sportscasters and you can tell the ones in it for the right reason — the kids,” Bell said. “Dave fits that bill.”
In addition to his newspaper responsibilities, Kitchell was instrumental in bringing along the Howard County Sports Hall of Fame.
“I think the world of him,” Bell said. “As you get older, you come to appreciate the guys who have stayed with it. It takes a lot of time and effort and is a testament to him to be honored.”
Bell said Kitchell has worked the past five years to take the Howard County Sports Hall of Fame to the next level.
“He has a passion for the Howard County Sports Hall of Fame,” he continued. “He is committed and dedicated and goes all out.”
Kitchell began working at the Kokomo Tribune at the age of 16. He later worked for three other newspapers before returning to the Tribune in 1972. He has served as sports editor since 1980.
He has won numerous state and national awards, including a column written while covering the Olympic Games in Atlanta. The column drew a comparison from seeing a young girl handing out literature at a KKK rally in Kokomo to a week later watching the opening ceremonies.
In 1992, Kitchell was named Sportswriter of the Year by the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. In 1997, he received the IHSAA’s Distinguished Media Service Award. He was named best sports columnist by the Hoosier State Press Association in 2001 and was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award by the North Central Conference in 2006.
A life-long Kokomo resident, Kitchell graduated from Kokomo High School and attended Indiana University. His wife of 37 years, Linda, is a retired teacher. The couple have two children and four grandchildren.

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