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Hugh McKinley ’41

A picture of Hugh McKinley

Hugh McKinley ’41, November 7, 2009, in Springfield, Oregon, from age-related causes. Mac was the son of Charles McKinley, Reed political science professor [1918-60]. “I guess I heard municipal government from the time I was old enough to listen; at breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” he reported. He earned a BA from Reed in political science. During World War II, he was stationed in Texas, where he met and married Evelyn Griffin before serving in Germany. After the war, he worked at the University of Oregon's bureau of municipal research, and from there, launched a career as a city manager, assisting in Corvallis, and holding the lead position in Sutherlin, Grants Pass, and Eugene, where he served for nearly 15 years, earning a national reputation as a respected administrator. Colleagues described him as humble, honest, and tough—a man who provided not only ideas but also solutions. During his tenure, he helped orchestrate the city's growth as its population doubled from 50,000 to 100,000. In 1975, he was recruited to be city manager for San Diego; after three years, he left for a similar position in Glendale, California. Mac and Evelyn moved back to Eugene around 1990 and lived in a retirement community; he was devoted to caring for Evelyn in her failing health. Survivors include his wife, two sons and a daughter, and three grandchildren. Mac's siblings, Maude McKinley ’39, Donald McKinley ’40, and Jean McKinley Johnson ’45, also graduated from Reed.

Appeared in Reed magazine: June 2010

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