Mike Dant
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Friends -
Most any of us, be they TD's or EIC's, has at some time found themselves in need of some switcher help. For those things that can wait, forums such as Editsuite are excellent resources. However, nothing beats going right to the source - especially when you're under the pressure of an approaching air-time.
For Grass Valley Switchers, there are a number of instructors who can and do help those with operational questions. But some things go beyond basic operations...for that we make a phone call to the geniuses in Tech Support. If you were lucky when you called, you got hold of either Jay Foster or Mike Dant, and you knew that your problem was going to be solved.
I was informed today that Mike Dant passed away after taking ill at work - I have no other details other than this.
As an instructor, I have found that you tend to develop a clientel...a certain group of people who turn to you when they have issues. Each instructor has their own group of students. The people in Tech Support tend to transcend these groups...they are known by pretty much everybody in the industry, and the number of people that they have helped & the number of shows they have saved has to be countless.
When I had questions posed to me that I didn't have an answer for, Mike Dant was one of the people to whom I turned - I am sure that many of you who use this forum were either helped directly by him or were helped by somebody that relied on Mike's vast technical and operational knowledge.
There are teachers and then there are those who teach the teachers. Mike Dant was one of those behind-the-scenes people who help make the rest of us better at our jobs.
I don't know what to say. I missed this posting when it appeared. I just receive the official news from Lew at GVG. Here is their official obituary:
Michael Dant
July 8, 1957 - November 23, 2009
Husband, Father, Grandfather, Friend, Colleague
On Monday, November 23 we lost one of our Grass Valley colleagues, Mike Dant. For over 29 years Mike was part of the Grass Valley family and touched countless people with his humor, wisdom, compassion, dedication, professionalism, and integrity.
Mike will always be remembered as a dedicated colleague and our resident stand-up comic. Many of us will fondly remember Mike’s humorous T-shirts and big smile. He was a very well liked and respected technical support engineer who would “go the extra mile” to close the loop with customers, ensuring that they were fully satisfied with the resolution of their issues. Many of our customers sent emails when they heard of Mike’s passing, expressing their deepest sympathies for Mike’s family and friends, and sharing how much his industry partnership will be missed. One of our customers said that Mike’s dedication to customer service “is an example of what manufacturers should provide to its customers...the best there was in factory support.” We at Grass Valley couldn’t agree more.
He was everybody’s big brother at work: helping and mentoring others around him to get the job done. In the midst of the daily fray, Mike was always a tremendous calming factor, forging ahead to resolve all issues as rapidly and professionally as possible; all the while remaining well organized and methodically completing his To Do list each day.
Mike started working with Grass Valley in 1980 at age 23 as a Field Service Engineer. He later transferred into in the Calibration Lab and in the mid-1980s began working as a Technical Support Engineer for Production Switchers, becoming an industry expert during his tenure at Grass Valley. Mike’s background in Hardware Engineering coupled with his passion in helping to develop sustaining hardware projects for out-of-production products created a unique talent recognized and valued throughout our industry.
Mike is survived by his parents, wife, three sons, a daughter, and several grandchildren. We join his family in mourning the death of a dedicated family man and our friend.
Many of you have asked about charitable contributions in remembrance and in honor of Mike. Since Mike’s diabetes was a major factor in his passing at such a young age, his family suggests a donation to the American Diabetes Association to fund diabetes research (). Also, it was Mike’s desire to contribute to cancer research in support of his father’s continuing battle with this disease. A charitable donation in Mike’s name to the American Cancer Society () is another way to honor his memory.
We will treasure Mike’s memory and lasting legacy. Our prayers and thoughts are with his family and his friends.
The Grass Valley Team