From Amherst to an Irish pub

John D.J. Moore

On a Sunday in May 1977 I journed to Amherst College to witness the conferring of its honorary degree of Doctor of Laws on Donald Holman McLean, Jr., Amherst ’32, Andover ’28, Yale Law School ’35.

It was a splendid occasion. I suppose the New England college commencement, complete with academic procession in colorful regalia, happy graduates, proud parents, banners and mace, brass band and ancient hymns, must be one of America's most felicitous ceremonies.

It was a joy to observe Don and Martha and their children as they listened pridefully to the Orator’s eloquent words of appreciation of Donald McLean. Indeed it made me feel proud, too, to be close to the newly - minted Doctor of Laws and his family. The Orator saluted Don:

Son of Amherst… your college greets you with admiration and pride… after service in… World War II you continued to serve your country… With John D Rockefeller, 3rd you were a powerful force in shaping private philanthropy into an effective instrument… in agricultural and rural development, and in the cultural life of the Far East.

As a Trustee of your school, Phillips Academy, you provided… leadership in difficult times. You have kept firmly in view first first things first in your rich family life as husband and father. You are a man one can count on when it is snowing outside.

Amherst touched on a few of Don McLean's achievements. This volume admirably recounts a good many more. It is an infinite variety is range is broad.

• From New Delhi to saving the Great Swamp in New Jersey and the Palisades of the Hudson;
• From establishing the Magsaysay Foundation in Manila to an active role in merging Andover and Abbott academies;
• From the Lahey Clinic to South American missions first Socony Mobil;
• From working on his and Martha's mountain retreat in Québec to resigning over in international "think tank" session of fifty or more distinguished psychiatrists - at Dromoland Castle in Ireland of all places;
• From co-authoring the basic legal textbook "Christie and McLean on the Transfer of Stock" to establishing the International House in Tokyo - a counterpart of International House founded by the Rockefellers in New York.

Indeed one could well call Don Martha's homes in New Jersey, in Québec in Brookline, and in Andover “international houses" because if you ever visited the McLean's at school vacation time, you would likely meet a half a dozen or more young Japanese and other foreign students - children of Don and Martha's friends from all over the world - happily spending the holidays with McLean youngsters and the neighbors’ children.

As I listened to the Amherst Orators remarkable litany of service to good causes, it recalled the ever so many evenings when Don, in New York for meetings, would stay with me-and regale me with exciting tales of the complex wheelings and dealings of his philanthropic activities. I think I most enjoyed hearing of his Andover adventures - soliciting and obtaining needed major gifts, searching for and choosing headmasters, merging with Abbott Academy. I learned about the people concerned - always called by surname, - “and then I thought of Stevens," Don would say, or "I called Stott," or "Ireland and Adriance took on the job,” or Sizer, or McNemar or Chapin, or Gelb, or Evans, or Roland. I came, as he recounted his ventures, to feel that even as an outsider I knew well the bearers of these and other fine Andover names.

Donald Irish episode deserves a word. The late Bernard P McDonough, industrialist and conglomerator from West Virginia had two interests in addition to managing his enormous business empire. He created a foundation for the study of schizophrenia any bought and restored the historic Dromoland Castle in County Clare Ireland. One day he sent me a copy of BusinessWeek containing a picture of Don McLean, which was accompanied by a laudatory article identifying Donald as an outstanding professional practitioner of modern philanthropy. "I want to meet this man," said Mr. McDonough. "I want you to get this man McLean to run the conference. Where can I find him?” "In Boston," I said. "He runs the Lahey Clinic." My jet is at Newark Airport," said McDonough."Call him up and let's go see him." We did and Don agreed to run the conference, which turned out to be a memorable event in the world of psychiatry. Dromoland Castle has 72 rooms and Don filled them with eminent psychiatrist and their spouses from all over the United States, from England, Ireland, Japan, Canada, Australia, and the continent. He set a four day schedule with panel groups, plenary meetings, rapporteurs, and time off for a bit of Irish tourism.

Don presided over the plenary sessions and chose the participants for the panel group and before my eyes I saw the Boston lawyer-administrator transformed into an Irish schoolmaster conducting classes of lively professionals. He controlled the whole show and did it supremely well, including rapping a few knuckles. McDonough was delighted and so were the doctors.

The Dromoland Castle conference provided a glimpse of the fun-loving McLean. One of the learned psychiatrist kept insisting that he must be taken to an Irish pub because he had heard they were so jolly and the talk so amusing and the wits so bright. I knew something about Irish pubs and while there do exist such delightful establishments as our colleague imagined, the country pubs in the part of Ireland where we where were quite different - a stranger would be treated to silence and stares until in distress and discomfort he would leave his "ball of malt" on the bar and flee the establishment. I took Don to visit a typical pub in the neighborhood and he got the point at once. "But there must be something we can do" was his remark - pure McLean. My driver, Kevin Keogh, seated at the wheel of our car, and said "gentlemen, perhaps there is something I can do. I suggest you bring your man along to McCaffrey's pub around 8 o'clock tonight.”  

The three of us and Kevin arrived at the same pub which earlier had been so gloomy and silent. Now it was crowded. As we walked in we were greeted with "hello, are you the Yankee doctors? Are you friends with Kevin? Come and have a jar." The locals insisted on buying drinks for us, they treated Don's colleague to a lesson in dark throwing, two gentlemen sang Irish duets, the elderly lady barmaid recited the endless poetry, and evening was a roaring success. As far as I know, Don McLean, who knew how to keep his own counsel, never disclosed to his colleague psychiatrist that he is been the victim of a "scam." It was the kind of good-natured stuff to Don loved.

As one reviews the active life of Don McLean, there emerges a man of astonishing versatility and uncommon knack for getting to the heart of complex problems. Combine this gift with an extraordinary aptitude for sizing up people and measuring their capabilities and character and you produce a manager and problem solver of formidable effectiveness - and a lovable, warm human being.

After reviewing his catalog of extraordinary achievements one might get the impression that here was a very serious fellow, that his working style was solemn and demanding, or even that his family life was earnest and not much fun. Precisely the opposite is true. My own dear wife and I never had more fun than when we were in the company of Don and Martha McLean. A visit with them was one laugh or chuckle after another. To be with this happy and affectionate family was pure joy.

Long may Don be remembered at the school he served so well.

John DJ Moore Yale Law School classmate and lifelong friend of Donald McLean, was United States Ambassador to Ireland in 1969 to 1975.