By The River

About the Author

By the River is the work of Harrisburg writer David DeKok, who lives in the city's Shipoke neighborhood by the Susquehanna River. He is a longtime journalist, currently with the Patriot-News, and is the author of the book, Unseen Danger: A Tragedy of People, Government, and the Centralia Mine Fire.

David is a native of Holland, Michigan, and graduated from Hope College with a degree in political science. A fellow political science major while he was there was Pete Hoekstra, now a Republican member of Congress and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, although neither knew the other. David credits his liberalism to too much watching of the "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" as a teenager, and to Professor Al VanderBush at Hope, a crusty and brilliant political science teacher who once began a classroom tirade about President Richard M. Nixon with a loud, "I can't stand that man!" And then there was the television coverage of Chicago cops beating anti-war demonstrators during the Democratic National Convention in the summer of 1968. That didn't help, either.

The writer's one experience with elected office came in 1972, when he was elected as a precinct delegate from Holland committed to liberal anti-war Presidential candidate Sen. George S. McGovern, who he still admires. He was then picked as an Ottawa County delegate to the Michigan Democratic State Convention. David helped organize Students for McGovern at Hope College that year, and campaigned door-to-door for the candidate in his very Republican hometown. Trying to prevent having doors slammed in his face was good training for his later work as a newspaper reporter.

He is married to Lisa W. Brittingham and has two daughters, Elizabeth and Lydia. They all love living in Shipoke, which David describes as a "communal" living experience centered on enjoyment of wine, food, and good fellowship.