Steve Maas
Dan was a key mentor in my career, hiring me as first Sunday and then daily editor at the Eagle-Tribune. He gave me an on-the-job master's degree in journalism. He honed my news sense and gave me confidence to perform jobs that I had't thought I could do. He was demanding and critical, but also generous with praise. After a paper came out, I lived in trepidation of a tearsheet with "let's talk" on it, but nothing gave me a lift like one that said atta a boy. All of us wanted to our best for him, and he brought the best out of so many.