The only young Republican we knew

Gerhard A. Gesell

We first met at Andover and came together again at Yale Law School in 1932. He had not followed the usual track to become what he called a “Boola Boola Boy.” At law school we belonged to Corbey Court, met girls, drank some applejack and needle beer, played cards, went to movies, and struggled with the law. It was a serene and privileged time. Graduation from Law School in 1935 brought us face to face with reality - the depression, bread lines, few if any legal jobs.

We both had a little "pull" where it counted in Washington and luckily we got work there, Don at the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and I at the Securities and Exchange Commission.  We rented a basement apartment on 19th Street, NW, just north of Pennsylvania Avenue.  It had a small fenced yard and was dark, relatively cool, and affordable.  We were each earning $2,000 a year. 

It is difficult to describe those early days. I was a "New Dealer." Don was a Republican.  We saw each other intermittently, except at breakfast.  Many nights one or both of us worked, as many young lawyers usually did in those days, and we were at our offices Saturdays and occasionally Sundays.  Don was one of the best breakfast companions I have ever known. The other was our Andover classmate Tom Mendenhall.

We would take off from the morning newspapers, each scoffing at a favorite phony. If I took after one of Don's heroes of the moment, I was in danger!

Life was simple.  The trolley car tool us everywhere, even into the country for picnics featuring watermelon soaked in gin.  At many such gatherings Don was the focus of attention, a rare phenomenon - the only young Republican we knew.  He took the joshing well and held his own although always outnumbered.  We went together to important Congressional debates, courtesy of his father, a Republican Congressman; attended some major Supreme Court arguments, and both shared many new acquaintances.  In a bit over a year I got married.  Not long after, Don brought Martha to Washington. Peg and Martha each approved of both of us and we went on.

Don was a friend for keeps. If you liked him - and who couldn’t - and he liked you - he was selective - there could never be a gap in your friendship. Later, even if several years had passed and we came together again, it was if we had seen each other the day before. Ours was a solid friendship that grew as our paths crossed and recrossed over the years after he left Washington to try his luck in New York. It was his loyalty, his consistency, his unfailing good humor, his curiosity and interest in peopled events that made it so natural and enjoyable to be together at any time.

Don was not given to argument in any depth. Rather he would use a quip, a sally, a few words. You knew where he stood but all the reasons remained submerged. He was always his own man. All his life he grew, and more and more he revealed in being useful. He never let his high standards slip. It was his innate integrity that drew others to him and made him so effective.

Gerhard A. Gesell ]r, Washington, DC, was an Andover and Yale Law School classmate on Don McLean’s, as well as Don’s roommate in Washington, DC after law school. He was a United States District Judge, appointed in 1968, after practicing law for many years. Prior to going on the Court he also served on several important governmental or congressional committees. Mr. Gesell came to national prominence presiding over a number of landmark cases including Watergate, Iran-contra, the legalization of abortion, and the release of the top-secret Pentagon Papers, 

His comment upon giving a lenient sentence to Oliver North, “I believe you still lack understanding of how the public service has been tarnished. Jail would only harden your misconceptions." 

McClure

J. Alfred Guest 

McClure was a pragmatist, with a good mind, a sense of humor, and an engaging laugh. McClure? I do not know where Donald H. McLean, Jr. acquired this name, but I believe it started at Yale Law School. There is a small group of Don's friends who often used “McClure,” including Martha when she talked with us

My first experience with Don’s sureness and compassion goes back 55 years when Don was on the Committee of Seven at Amherst College. This committee was selected by the president and the Dean to supervise and administer compliance with the rules of the college, not always written down. The Committee, with the aid of the Dean, of which there was only one in those days, assessed violations of conduct and recommended “punishment," a form of supervision not tolerated in modern times. Don made the Committee of Seven function efficiently and fairly.

At Yale Law School Don's qualities ascertaining the fax, His friendliness, And easy conversation with both faculty and his contemporaries quickly led to his acceptance into the law school community and if you would into the selective beauty organization known as Corby Court. Until Don's arrival, not many small college graduates have penetrated this club. Thanks to his influence I was fortunate to be invited to join in the next year when I followed him to yell while school. Corporate court provided a setting for stimulating discussions of legal and world problems, and also for stimulating, often hilarious, parties on football and Derby day weekend.

We enjoyed it heartily supported the courtship of Donna and Martha. We attended their wedding at Martha's home in Canada on September 1, 1939 plunged into World War II after the Nazis invaded Poland.

McClure’s further experiences in law, banking, and wartime service followed. We kept in touch, with visits to Don and Martha second-floor $60 a month walk up to New York City. And the war years I had occasion to spend overnights at their home in Washington DC. I remember that breakfast started with a small orange cut in two, and a spoon to complete the difficult and slightly splattering task for the uninitiated. It was a proper Canadian wartime measure in the days before frozen juices

Our contacts thereafter were less, as careers changed and children multiplied. But we shall never forget the stories of Don and Martha’s trip to the Orient with Mr. and Mrs. John D Rockefeller, III including Phnom Penh, Saigon, Tokyo, and New Delhi and their survey of sites to establish an International House in Tokyo and the International Centre In New Delhi. This trip brought innumerable Japanese visitors to the McLean's, and once, in sufficient numbers so that Barbie, their youngest child, had to sleep in the linen closet. Years later my note to Don about our own proposed world trip in 1984, led to our staying at the handsome International Centre with the advantages of a fine dining room, library, and theater. 

Don't could always be counted on to respond promptly to a question or request. He did not put these on ice. Again, this sureness, pragmatism, humor, and compassion were at hand. And after his outstanding careers Don’s alma mater, Amherst College, in 1977 conferred upon him an honorary Doctor of Laws which read in part,

Through all this, you have kept firmly in view first things first in your rich family life as husband and father. You once said of someone you admire, and we would like to give your very words of praise of you, “You are a man one can count on when it's snowing outside".

J. Alfred Guest, Amherst, Massachusetts, was a close friend of Don McLean at both Amherst and Yale Law School. For nearly 40 years he served as Secretary of the Alumni Council and Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Amherst College.

He gloried in the tactics of a worthwhile cause

Theodore R. Sizer

“Meet me at the Club,” he’d say; and a luncheon date and time would be set. Earlier, when Don was at the Lahey Clinic in Boston, the “Club” had in fact been Joseph’s Restaurant, on the corner of Dartmouth and Newbury Streets. Later it was the Andover Inn.

A splash of wine would start it off, and stories. About General Lucius D. Clay for whom Don worked after the War and whom he admired more than any other man. Or about the Ramon Magsaysay awards that he had engineered in the Philippines. Or about the politics of Massachusetts medicine. Whatever the intended agenda, institutional or personal, it would come out gradually, Don sensing just when to get on with that particular business. The talk would be easy, but direct, with Don’s Yale Law School and Millbank, Tweed training creeping out with apt questions, always interspersed with more anecdotes. Henry Stimson. Amherst College fraternities. Potton, the McLean sanctuary in Quebec. Agriculture and population policy in the Third World. Doshisha University and Otis Cary. The Overlook Hospital in Summit, New Jersey, John Kemper.

Then more questions. What will happen if…? Do we know enough about…? Have you checked this with Mel and Tim? Is Fred doing a study on that? By desert, the questions would merge into advice, and the language used was plain, even tart. They can’t do that because it’s unworthy. He’ll just have to pull his socks up. Don’t take a lead of first until you know where second base is.

The issues would take form, but their specifics were left deliberately dangling. Don gave his lunch mate the gratification of the final summary. Then Henry would bring coffee, and more stories would follow. And always there was the warm expectation of another luncheon soon at the Club.

Donald Holman McLean, JR. Son of a Congressman and Judge, he cared about getting things done. Weather the matter was as subtile as delineating the functions of an occidental International Hose in an oriental land or as politically Byzantine as moving a large medical facility from one city to another, Don gloried in the tactics of a worthwhile cause. Careful control of the facts was part of it; he learned well the virtues of thorough staff studies in his years of association with John D. Rockefeller, 3rd.

Knowing the people involved was equally critical. Don cared passionately for institutions, but he knew well that they were at their center both a cluster of ideas and a congeries of people, and that institutional decisions would ultimately be made by those peoples’ hearts as well as heads. One needed to know how others felt as well as thought.

Timing was also crucial in McLean’s repertoire. He knew when it was time to do a year’s work in a month, or let what appeared to be a simple issue marinate for weeks, off to the side even if not forgotten.

These tactics were but a means, of course. The ends were the key. Support of the institutions which were the focus of Don’s life became (albeit in a strongly secular sense) a holy purpose. No institution was holier than that of family, and while Don kept his privacy here, his friends readily sensed his intense commitment to wife, children, and grandchildren, to roots, to obligations. His marriage with Martha - two vivid personalities in serene and secure joining - was very special. However family customs may shift in our culture, the loyal vitality lived out by Don and Martha expresses humanity at its best. 

Don’s loyalty and persistent persuasiveness affected other institutions too. Some were primarily ideas, such as a worthy American role in postwar Germany and a philanthropy that served a global public interest. Others were formal entities as well as ideas - the Lahey Clinic, Amherst College, Phillips Academy.

No person could care more for the place where we now gather than did Don. He cared enough for Andover to change it, to change its form while he protected it substance, the ideas at its core. The founders ideology - a "free, public school or academy," and especially that imbedded in the Paul Revere motto, “non sibi,” - was the constant. Don't felt that the true loyalist obligation was to fashion and refashion a contemporary expression of an enduring, noble ideology. In many ways Don's memories, his history, shaped his character. He talked often of the past, and especially of the men and women who had moved him. But he never became their prisoners. 

And so we hope it will be for us, Don McLean’s lunch mates, his friends and family. His nicely balanced mixture of well-defined ends and carefully crafted means and his witness to loyalty - loyalty whose restless quality was a virtue - he touched us greatly. For us he was a great man. He had Lucius Clay; we have Don to claim.

He'll be uneasy with that word “great," though. To him it would sound too rigid, too Napoleonic. The better word which crap most often across the lunch table was the term "worthy." A worthy idea. A worthy person, someone up to the standard of the idea to which loyalty was expected. Don would have us be worthy, and our lives were changed because we wanted him to find us worthy. We knew, at those lunch table talks and elsewhere, that we were the beneficiaries of the loyalty of the profoundly worthy man.

Theodore R Sizer was headmaster a Phillips Academy in the 1970s. He had been Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Chairman of a" Study of High Schools," and the author of numerous articles and books.

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. 

Appendix

Chronology

DONALD H. MCLEAN, JR.

November 12, 1910, born, Elizabeth, New Jersey

1916 – 26    Pingry School

1926 – 28    Phillips Academy, Andover

1928 – 32    Amherst College, B. A.

1932 – 35    Yale University, L.L.B.

1939            Married Martha Lamb, Stansted, Québec.  

                    Children: Donald (1941), Ruth (1944), John (1947), Barbara (1953).

1935 – 36    Attorney, Reconstruction Finance Corporation 

                    Admitted to practice of law: 

                    U.S. District Court & Circuit Court of Appeals (1936); 

                    U.S. Supreme Court (1941); 

                    New York Court of Appeals (1948);

                    Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (1975).

1936 - 38     Attorney, Milbank, Tweed, Hope and Hadley, New York and                                                 Washington, DC 

1940            Co-author with Francis T Christie,"The Transfer of Stock" 

1942            Enlisted, U.S. Army, serving with the International Division    

                    (Washington), Joint Chiefs of Staff (Policy Division), Military Governor of 

                    Germany. Final rank, Lt.Col. Awards: Legion of Merit (1945); Oak Leaf   

                    Cluster (1946).

1947            Consultant on occupation problems for Department of State (on leave from                           Milbank, Tweed)

1948            Consultant on foreign affairs to the “Commission on Reorganization of                                 Executive Branch of Government” (Hoover Commission). 

                    Author, “Experts to Run European Recovery Program,” New York Times                               Magazine. 

1948 – 51    Counsel, Socony Vacuum Oil Company, Inc.

Associate, John D Rockefeller, 3rd (1951– 65)

1952            Population Council incorporated

1952            International House of Japan incorporated

1952            Rockefeller Public Service Awards established, Princeton University

1953            Counsel on Economic and Cultural Affairs Incorporated

1956            English Language Education Council ELEC) established, Japan

1958            Raymon Magsaysay Awards established, Philippines

1962            Agricultural Development Council established
                    JDR, 3rd Fund established

1962            Opening, India International Centre, New Delhi

Lahey Clinic Foundation

1964            Elected trustee

1965            Elected President

1971            Land acquired, Burlington, Massachusetts, for Lahey Clinic

1974            Groundbreaking for new Lahey Clinic

Phillips Academy, Andover

1956            Elected member Alumni Council

1957 – 58    President, Alumni Council

1958            Elected Charter Trustee

1959 - 61    President, Board of Trustees

Other

1948 – 65   Vice Chairman, Visiting Committee Graduate School of Public                                              Administration, Harvard University

1950 – 56   Officer and Director, Metropolitan New York Council, American Youth                                Hostels,Inc

1955 – 60   Trustee, President, Overlook Hospital, Summit, New Jersey 

1956– 65    Trustee, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio

1964           Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge established

1974 – 82    Director, Massachusetts Financial Services, Co.

1977            Honorary L.L.D., Amherst College

September 12, 1984, died, Burlington, Massachusetts