David Michael McNeely

David Michael McNeely — Dave — a columnist, reporter and author best known for his decades of coverage and deep historical knowledge of Texas politics and government, died on August 30, 2025, in Austin. He was 85.

Dave covered his first Texas legislative session in 1963 as a reporter for The Daily Texan, the student newspaper at The University of Texas at Austin. Later that year, he became editor of the Texan, starting a long and deep career chronicling state politics, policy, and government.

His journalism career included stops at the Houston Chronicle (where he picked up the nickname “Moose” that his oldest friends still use), the Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News, KERA-Dallas, and the Austin American-Statesman — the paper where he spent more than a quarter century building his reputation and a large audience as a reporter, state editor, public TV interviewer and pundit, and most notably, as a political columnist. He began his tenure at the Statesman as a general assignments reporter in 1978 and quickly became chief of the paper’s Capitol Bureau the following year. After retiring from the Statesman in 2004, he continued to write syndicated columns for another 15 years for a number of Texas papers.

He covered legislative sessions, elections, politicians, and other colorful characters for nearly 60 years, never losing his fascination, curiosity, or joy in reporting and writing about their elections, debates, successes, failures, and assorted exploits and misadventures.

He spent most of 1976 as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. Years later, he and another fellow journalist, Jim Henderson, co-wrote Bob Bullock: God Bless Texas, a biography of the somewhat outrageous and famously influential giant of Texas government. And he had a brief sojourn into political consulting, working on John Hill’s 1968 Democratic primary campaign for governor (Hill finished 6th).

While working as a columnist, McNeely co-taught a course on politics and journalism at UT-Austin, first with Paul Begala, a top campaign adviser to Bill Clinton, and then with Karl Rove, who did similar work for George W. Bush’s gubernatorial and presidential campaigns.

He was what Malcolm Gladwell would call a “connector,” a person who compulsively introduced his legions of friends and acquaintances to each other, illuminating the lives of all in his orbit. He selflessly mentored younger journalists and enjoyed their success.

In 1998, Dave helped start the Carole Kneeland Project, based on a concept he and his wife Carole and friends developed during the last months of her life. That thriving nonprofit has trained more than 850 broadcast journalists from around the U.S. in news ethics, writing, decision-making, management, and leadership.

Dave lived with energy and enthusiasm for outdoor challenges, music and embracing new friends. He was an accomplished bass player, as anyone who attended the annual Bob Armstrong Family Campout well knows. For decades, most days he could be found on Lady Bird Lake with friends, jogging at noon or after work or rowing before sunrise. He launched countless canoe and camping trips with family and friends.

He was an active member of University United Methodist Church and the Explorer’s Class, co-founding the Zavala Circle of Friends which continues to provide support to the staff and families of Title 1 Zavala Elementary School. Dave met weekly with his dear friends in the men’s Emmaus Reunion Group for over 30 years.

For years, he and Kathryn created precious family memories with their children and grandchildren at their home in Port Aransas, once adopting an abandoned white lab covered in sand who they appropriately named “Sugar Cookie.” He looked for and found joy wherever he went.

Dave was born June 12, 1940, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, to John and Lillian McNeely, sandwiched between an older brother, Jack, and a younger sister, Mary. He graduated from College Station’s A&M Consolidated High School in 1958 and embarked for college at UT-Austin — even though his father was a professor at Texas A&M University — where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and government.

Dave is survived by his wife, Kathryn, a United Methodist pastor; two daughters from his first marriage to Saundra Lee Inman, Michelle McNeely Mueller and Candace “Mariposa” McGriffy (Kris Allen); and Kathryn’s three children, Adam Longley (Ana), Bill Longley (Meagan) and Grace Ann Fox (Sean). Their big, blended family includes grandchildren, Katie Garoni (Kyle), Carl McNeely Mueller (Ellen), Jenny Sealy (George V), Aster McGriffy, Lyle and Gwynna Longley, Evelyn and Peter Longley, Joe, Ethan and Patrick Fox, and 5 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings Jack McNeely (Dee) and Mary Powell.

Memorial contributions to the Open Door Ministry at University United Methodist Church, the Carole Kneeland Project and the annual scholarship fund being established in his name by Friends of the Daily Texan would be greatly appreciated.

A memorial service will be held to celebrate Dave’s life at University UMC on Wednesday, October 8 at 2pm followed by a reception.