On Tuesday, the longtime evening newscast co-anchor and South Dakota Broadcasting Hall of Fame member died, family members confirmed to KELOLAND News. Lund was 78.
I grew up watching Doug on TV. When I came to Sioux Falls to work radio in the 90s, Doug listened to my radio show. He had a love-hate relationship with it. I was just flattered that he listened. I would sometimes good-naturedly jab him on my show. It was only because I admired him and couldn’t believe he was listening. Imagine my surprise when he showed up at one of my live appearances. When I saw him with his family, I went up to introduce myself in person. He immediately started ridiculing me and swearing at me in front of his family. I don’t know if he was drunk or had a bunch of vented anger inside, but I was heartbroken. Now, the story doesn’t end here. Some ten years later, I got a letter from Doug. In the letter, he reminded me of the time he had been rude and asked me to forgive him. He said he knew he was wrong and didn’t know why he acted that way that night, but he always found my radio show interesting. I immediately forgave him and called him on the phone to tell him so. The fact that Doug wrote that letter tells you all you need to know about the man. He was strong enough and sensitive enough to ask forgiveness. Now that is a good man. We lost a South Dakota legend and my first TV idol. I’m so glad we reconciled before he died. Life is truly too short to hold grudges.
Tim Mikkels
