DAVID A. MORSE

DAVID A. MORSE - HARDWICK - There was no pinch hitter available or walk-off game-winner for Dave Morse in the early morning hours of Saturday, March 28, 2015. Cancer threw Dave a final strikeout, less than two months after he was diagnosed with the disease in late January. His death leaves a huge void for his family, friends, his sportswriting colleagues and the many people he wrote about over the years. Dave was born June 19, 1937, in Morrisville, to Hugh S. and Corrine Adams Morse. His mother died when he was 10. Dave, his two brothers, Don and Dexter, and their sister, Deanna, lived in Morrisville for a short time with their maternal grandmother. Dave and Don then moved to the Waterbury home of their aunt and uncle, Emma and Rex Morse, where they lived through their high school years. Dave began to follow sports and write about them, first for the newspaper at Camp Abnaki where he was a camper and then counselor for a number of years, and for the newspaper at Waterbury High School. As a manager of various athletic teams at the school, he also telephoned in scores to the Barre Times and WDEV. Following attendance at Burdett Business College in Boston, he returned to Vermont, worked as a sportswriter for, first, the Barre Times-Argus, then as the sports editor of the Springfield Times Reporter. From there, he went to the Rutland Herald as its sports editor. Besides covering high school sports, he reported from the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, offered stories about his beloved Boston Red Sox, and stocked his pages and mind with whatever sports could be found in the state. After a short marriage, he moved to New York City in the early 1980s where he worked in public relations. He returned to Vermont in the early-1990s and became the sports editor at The Hardwick Gazette in 1994. Although an avid reader of books and newspapers, and an aficionado of jazz, young people at the high schools covered by the Gazette became the focus of his life. Win or lose, he was there for them, letting them know they were important and their games merited his stellar coverage. In return, he earned the trust, admiration and friendship of many students over his 21-year-career with the Gazette. He was often seen wearing T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets and ball caps from the various schools, to the delight of the particular school's fans and, on occasion, to the consternation of some fellow scribes. He was not deterred, however, nor did the fairness of his coverage change. He was a sportswriter to the core but never lost his belief in the young people who played the games. Dave earned many honors for his work, both in Rutland and Hardwick. He was the Vermont Sportswriter of the Year in 1968, and won the award again in 1999 from the Vermont Press Association. He received awards from the New England Press Association and was inducted into the organization's Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2006. He was a member of the first class in the Vermont Principals' Association Hall of Fame in 2003. A Dave Morse Day was held for him at Norwich University in 2002 and the Vermont Basketball Coaches Association presented him with its media award in 2003. Of all the accolades Dave received, he talked about two the most. The first was when the Hazen Union Class of 2006 dedicated its yearbook to him. The second was when the school held a Dave Morse Night in February 2014. Better than 200 people hosted and toasted him that frigid night. This February, as he faced his looming death, he still spoke of how much he cherished that warmth, and said he was humbled to learn a scholarship fund was going to be started at the school in his name. Dave is survived by his sister, Deanna French of Morrisville; brother, Don Morse of DeFuniak Springs, Fla.; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his parents; and brother, Dexter. A celebration of Dave's life will be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, April 4, 2015, at the Hazen Union School. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Dave Morse Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o John Sperry, Hazen Union School, Box 368, Hardwick, VT 05843; the Lamoille Area Cancer Network, 198 Farr Ave., Morrisville, VT 05661; or Camp Abnaki, 1252 Abnaki Road, North Hero, VT 05474. John des Groseilliers of the des Groseilliers Funeral Home, Church Street, Hardwick, is assisting the family with arrangements.