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James Robert McGill ’40

A picture of (James) Robert McGill

Bob McGill ’40 on his 90th birthday at Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast. Eileen Markson

James Robert McGill ’40, March 22, 2011, in Portland. Bob grew up in Portland, where he attended Grant High School and read his way through the public library. He studied at Reed for a year and earned a BA in English in the honors program at the University of Oregon in 1946. There he met another voracious reader, Margaret DeCou, whom he married in 1942. They were married for 64 years and raised a son, Jim McGill ’70, and daughter, Margaret. Bob worked in media for 37 years. He was a scriptwriter for KGW radio, an assistant manager for the Oregonian, and an executive for KOIN TV. Bob enjoyed two decades as an adjunct instructor in broadcasting at Lewis & Clark College. He also did freelance scriptwriting for public radio, and, in retirement, volunteered as a writer and editor and in public relations. Bob and Margaret built a home in Portland's west hills, where they lived for 50 years. Bob hunted chukars with his Brittany Spaniels; led tours for the local Alfa Romeo car club; and traveled with Margaret throughout Oregon, the U.S., and Europe. Said Jim, “Dad was a tough fellow, who survived and thrived for more than 10 years after he was told he had 6 months to live with asbestos-induced lung cancer. Good to have ancestors like that.”

Appeared in Reed magazine: September 2011

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