An all-time great was honored inside Legends Stadium last Friday.
He would edit this out in an instant if he could, pointing the spotlight toward someone else instead.
But this time, David Lesnick deserves the special recognition. He’s a true legend.
The longtime sports editor at the Daily Inter Lake was honored between the first and second quarters of Glacier’s season opener football game on Aug. 30.
“He’s a legend,” said Mark Dennehy, activities director at Glacier High School.
For more than 20 years, Dave has devoted himself to covering youth athletics in the Flathead Valley, sharing positive stories of inspiration and achievement on a regular basis while leading his staff of sportswriters as the ultimate example of genuine, hard-working and compassionate character.
At the Montana Newspaper Association’s annual awards banquet in June, Dave won a much-deserved first-place award for a feature story he wrote about former Flathead High great Brock Osweiler spending time with a local cancer patient.
Dave is one of the longest tenured sports editors in Montana, beginning at the Inter Lake in December 1992 after stints as editor and sportswriter in North Dakota, Illinois, Wisconsin and Helena. Dave grew up in Wisconsin and played high school football and track at Mayville High. After graduating high school in 1967, he studied at Illinois State University and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in journalism from University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1974.
I arrived in Kalispell fresh out of college and earned my first journalism job working the sports desk with Dave. I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor, boss and friend. He’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, even when his cub reporter (frequently) missed deadline after midnight. I owe a tremendous debt to him for everything he taught me, both professionally and personally.
Even though we’re no longer working alongside each other every night, Dave remains one of my role models. The Flathead Valley is lucky to have him.