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WBBM's Dave Mitchell remembered as gregarious, dedicated journalist

WBBM news anchor and longtime Chicago broadcaster Dave Mitchell "thoroughly enjoyed being behind the mic," WBBM Managing Editor Julie Mann said Monday. "That's where he was his best."

Colleagues of Mitchell recall him as a gregarious guy, a big sports fan and someone who could "pretty much do anything."

Mitchell, 60, died Sunday in a single-vehicle crash on I-65 in Merrillville, Indiana, just north of 61st Avenue.

His 2008 Cadillac CTS veered off the road and struck a concrete median barrier at about 8:40 a.m., according to an Indiana State Police news release.

Police say there were no signs the Cadillac braked before the crash, and they believe Mitchell may have had a medical incident.

Mitchell was taken to South Lake Methodist Hospital in Merrillville where he was pronounced dead.

"You just don't expect a voice that's so strong in our minds to go so quickly," said WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.

Mitchell, known to his colleagues as "Mitch," was a full-time broadcaster since 1973, and he joined WBBM in 1992. He initially covered traffic from the Sears Skydeck for both morning and evening drive times, was a weekend sports reporter before becoming a news anchor.

Listeners could usually hear him on weekend and overnight broadcasts.

In addition, Mitchell helped announce what is to many Chicago's culminating summer event: the Chicago Air and Water Show.

Dellimore worked with Mitchell on the Air and Water Show. He says Mitchell helped bring enthusiasm to the late summer broadcasts.

"The reason he was part of the team, and he became a heart of the team, is because his excitement and his descriptive powers really helped drive the broadcast," Dellimore said. "He'd be up in the Hancock observatory deck and he just was so good at telling you what was happening."

Mitchell's post in the skydeck wasn't an easy position, Mann says.

"That is probably one of the most difficult places to be because you have to know pretty technical terms to relay what's going on," Mann said. "But he knew his stuff inside and out."

Mitchell also brought great enthusiasm to WBBM's Good Neighbor Radiothon that raised money for the Salvation Army's Bread & Bed Club.

His involvement in those "extracurriculars" demonstrated Mitchell's dedication to his work, Mann said.

"He enjoyed sports, laughing and being part of a newsroom," Mann said. "He was a gentle soul."

Mann said when WBBM found out Mitchell wouldn't be in for his shift Sunday, the news was unexpected.

"He was always on time, never late and he never missed a shift," she said. After the station was told of Mitchell's death, they tried to notify his colleagues before they heard the news anywhere else.

"It was difficult for his co-workers on air to convey how much we missed him," Mann said. "It was a true show of professionalism at WBBM for his co-workers to keep their composure."

Mitchell and his wife have four adult children.

WBBM news anchor Dave Mitchell died Sunday after his 2008 Cadillac CTS veered off the road and struck a concrete median barrier in Merrillville, Indiana. Courtesy of Indiana State Police
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