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David O. Ives
1919 – 2003
To viewers tuning in during the 1960s and '70s, David Ives was as familiar a WGBH personality as Arthur Fiedler, Julia Child, or Alistair Cooke. David Otis Ives, who died on Friday, May 16, 2003 at age 84, was a public broadcasting icon and WGBH's biggest booster, first as director of Development (1960-70), then as president (1970-84), and until his retirement as vice chair of the WGBH Board of Trustees and chair of the Executive Committee (1984-2001). With his death, an era comes to an end for WGBH.
Ives led WGBH to become a major force within the national public television and radio systems. Under his leadership, WGBH launched a wide range of productions that now are cornerstones of American television, including Nova, Frontline, Masterpiece Theatre, Mystery!, and Evening at Pops, as well as "how-to" programs from Julia Child's cooking shows, to This Old House, to The Victory Garden. Such programs as The Spider's Web and Morning pro musica made WGBH a familiar name among public radio listeners.
 While Ives was proud of the station's national contributions, he never lost sight of WGBH's community roots, assuring a place for such programs as La Plaza, showcasing Latino culture and concerns, and Say Brother (now Basic Black), the longest-running television series in the US focusing on the African American community.
Henry Becton, Jr., who succeeded Ives as WGBH president, called David "a national leader and a Boston institution. He combined the best of Yankee character with showmanship, journalistic integrity, and self-deprecating humor. He was a warm, welcoming, and witty presence among his WGBH family, and no one threw himself into garnering support for 'GBH the way David did." Julia Child, one of many who have remembered David Ives, said, "I worked with David for more than 40 years, and I was continuously astonished by his vigor, his vision, and his passion for good television in general and WGBH in particular. He raised the industry's standards and held them high for his entire career. I feel lucky to have known him."
 Broadcasting magazine got it right when they called David Ives "public broadcasting's super salesman." He became a familiar on-air personality for WGBH, cheerfully demonstrating umbrellas during pledge drives, writing and performing songs and skits, and even riding an elephant on camera.
Each spring he would trade his signature bow tie for a red apron and urge viewers to "Bid, bid, bid!" during The WGBH Auction, an event he brought to life in 1966. Ives's contributions went far beyond WGBH, however. He served on public television boards and advocated in Washington for federal funds. Ives was awarded public broadcasting's highest honor, the Ralph Lowell Award, in 1985 for his outstanding contributions; in 1988, he received the Governors Award of the New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Before joining WGBH, Ives enjoyed a prominent career in journalism. Born in Salem, Massachusetts, he earned a BA and MBA at Harvard University. He served in the US Navy for six years, including a stint in Hollywood making films for the Department of Ordnance.
Ives's wife Patsy, his sons Stephen and David, and their families all were with him when he died. He also leaves a large and admiring circle of WGBH staff, viewers, listeners, supporters, and friends.
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