The Visual & Satirical Talent of DAVID KREASE

It was with the shock of sadness & regret that I learned all too early of the untimely passing of David Krease on July 1st of this year at 62 years of age, leaving his wife Diane, family members, and all who remember Dave’s affable good-nature and sharp sense of satirical wit much emptier with his passing.

A graduate of St. Mary’s High School, Dave attended Delta College & Western Michigan and had been employed at Saginaw City Hall before moving on to radio, where he worked with Oldies 96 and later as an account executive at The Saginaw News.

But Dave’s true talent – and what I hope will endure as a fitting legacy – centered upon his undeniable talent and passion for the Art of the Satirical Cartoon.  An immensely talented artist and cartoonist who kept on top of contemporary political events at all levels of society, in the early 1980s when The Review was still in its infancy, Dave approached me about contributing regular political cartoons to our publication, centering upon a divergent range of topics ranging from editorial cartoons to accompany whatever topics we might be covering, to visual renderings in our now legendary True Tales of the Saginaw Swamp special editions.

Dave could have easily taken his visual commentary to the level of publications such as The Washington Post or New York Times, as his work was easily comparable with that being produced at a national level; but similar to my own belief that true change begins locally and spreads globally, he remained committed, loyal, and focused upon family, friends, and the future of his hometown rather than allowing his boot steps to wander into larger markets where his work could just as easily been subsumed within the currents of the ‘bigger pond’.

Former Review Contributing Editor Kathy Reer Eber (now CEO of Port Eber Communications in Chicago, remembers Dave as an understated talent. "Dave was such a subtle, understated guy that the first time I saw his cartoons I was jolted from the double take. The depth of his talent and humor was unfathomable. While working at The Review, I commissioned him to make a series of quotes about writers and turn each one into a personal cartoon. Knowing how strapped for cash I was, he did them for a pittance. He was very generous with his gift. It's such a loss for us all. He most certainly won't be forgotten. Safe journey, Dave."

That he found it within himself to make pivotal contributions to The Review over a ten-year period is something that I will always treasure and be grateful for.  The cartoonist David Remnick once said that 98% of the people who get a magazine say they read the cartoons first – and the other 2% are lying.  Given that I cannot recall a single issue containing a Dave Krease cartoon that had any leftover copies, this sentiment is one that I can easily concur with.

Rest in peace, my friend.  I’m hoping that heaven has a big enough canvas for your spirit to run free.