David Michael Dank (July 14, 1938 – April 10, 2015) was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's b ...

from the Nichols Hills section of

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. He held this position from 2007 until his death, succeeding his term-limited wife,

Odilia Dank Odilia Mary Russo Dank (September 3, 1938 – August 17, 2013) was an American educator and politician from Oklahoma City who served as a Republican member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, from District 85. Dank was elected in 1994 ...

, the first woman to serve as chairman of the House Education Committee, who died in August 2013.

Early life

A native of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, Dank graduated from Bishop McGuinness High School in Oklahoma City and attended the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

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Private career

Dank was the president of Dank Consulting in Oklahoma City. Dank was the publisher of the ''Moore Monitor'' and the ''Oklahoma Conservative Review'' newspapers. He was a political analyst and commentator for

KTOK KTOK (1000 AM) is a commercial radio station in Oklahoma City and airs a talk radio format. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., and licensed as iHM Licenses, LLC. The studios and offices are in the 50 Penn Place Building on the northwest side of ...

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

, the Oklahoma News Network, and the

Oklahoma Educational Television Authority The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) is a state network of PBS member television stations serving the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The authority operates as a statutory corporation that holds the licenses for all of the PBS stati ...

. As an executive vice president of the Oklahoma Retail Merchants Association, Dank worked for passage of his state's consumer credit code and the law requiring photo identity on drivers' licenses. Dank was a member of the Oklahoma City

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

, the

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

, the

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

, and the executive committees of the Republican parties of the state of Oklahoma as well as

Oklahoma County Oklahoma County is located in the central part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 718,633, making it the most populous county in Oklahoma. The county seat is Oklahoma City, the state capital and largest ci ...

. He was a member of Christ the King

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in Oklahoma City. He had one daughter, Trina, son-in-law, Gale, and two grandchildren, Hannah and Daniel. David Dank died of a heart attack on April 10, 2015, at his home in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.State Representative David Dank Dies At 76
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Political career

Dank was the chairman of two House committees: the House Tax Credit and Economic Incentive Oversight, and Long-term Care and Senior Services. He additionally served as chairman of the House and Senate Conference Committee on Long-term Care and Senior Services.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dank, David 1938 births 2015 deaths Politicians from Pittsburgh University of Oklahoma alumni Businesspeople from Oklahoma City Republican Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Politicians from Oklahoma City Journalists from Pennsylvania Journalists from Oklahoma 21st-century American politicians Catholics from Pennsylvania Catholic politicians from Oklahoma 20th-century American businesspeople Members of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks