A Lifetime at the University A ‘31 School of Agriculture grad, a 30-year U professor, and a 30-year volunteer with a maroon and gold heart. When meeting Gerald McKay, you would never guess he is 92. A sharp and charismatic man, Professor Emeritus McKay shows he is a gentleman, too, by taking my coat, then offering me a chair. For almost an hour, we talk about his nearly 75-year history with the University of Minnesota. He tells me he heard fellow student Harold Stassen, later a Minnesota governor, say at a 1928 convocation that, “The University should be maintained not by what we pay, but by what we repay.” Not only has McKay remembered that message—he has lived it. “Working with people planning to be extension educators and other agriculture professionals is what I am most proud of. I helped them,” says McKay. “It’s what I came to do and what I enjoyed.” A farm boy born in Crooks, South Dakota, and raised in Pine County, Minnesota, McKay graduated from the School of Agriculture in 1931 and earned his B.S. from the College of Agriculture in 1939. McKay calls June 17, 1939, his “big day” because he was married at 10 a.m., received a phone call with a teaching offer from Brainerd High School in the afternoon, and then went to his graduation ceremony in Memorial Stadium at 7 p.m. “Not bad for one day,” McKay says with a wink. In 1945, he returned to the University to teach. A professor in audiovisual communication for the Institute of Agriculture, Forestry, and Home Economics for 30 years, McKay hung up his teaching hat in 1974. He then spent 27 years as a University volunteer. Gerald McKay recalls, “Northrop was being built the year I first stepped on the U’s campus as a student.” McKay stands in front of a display in Coffey Hall that he helped create to honor the School of Agriculture alumni. McKay tells me that some of his best U memories revolve around the School of Agriculture, which graduated its last group of students in 1960. (Agricultural studies are now part of the College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences.) McKay, with the help of many others, developed a revolving Endowed Chair in Agricultural Systems to honor the alumni of the former school. Funds for this endowed chair now total $2 million. “Gerry played a major role in helping us promote this to the agriculture school alumni,” says Gene Allen, vice president of the Institute of Agriculture, Forestry, and Home Economics at the time of the endowment campaign. “And he did it enthusiastically and convincingly. He is a grand alum.” Modestly, McKay claims he just had “a lot of years that allowed me to know people who might want to be a part of this.” After talking in Coffey Hall, McKay suggests we go over to his house just a few blocks from the campus in St. Paul. “I’ve got a lot of things I can show you there.” Once we arrive, he tells me more stories, drawing on his detailed memory and dozens of books he has within reach, including his 1995 autobiography, My Story: A Recollection of 80+ Years. Assisted by his family, he has filled the book with photos, diplomas, awards, and detailed stories from their life together. Showing me pictures of his time in post-World War II Europe as an audiovisual education consultant for economic revitalization programs, including the Marshall Plan, McKay explains that he saw this as an educational opportunity of a lifetime for his family. So he and his wife, Mary, packed up all five children, ages 51/2 to 12 years old, and left for Paris. McKay later wrote that those days “will be with us forever.” Each time McKay mentions another memory he snaps his fingers, springs up, and says, “Just a moment, I have it here somewhere.” And sure enough, he does. While he searches for something, my eye wanders through the dozens of professional and community service awards on his wall. I then notice the University of Minnesota marching band blanket on his couch. “They gave that to me when I retired,” he says with a smile. McKay marched with the alumni band at almost every homecoming game from 1947 to 1997, and his five children were also a part of the University’s marching band. “Now they’re doctors, lawyers, and teachers—all with Univer-sity of Minnesota degrees,” he notes proudly. Mary McKay peeks in to offer us coffee and as she walks away, McKay asks that I not leave her out of the article. “She deserves most of the credit for things.” Yet McKay has some credit due himself. This December, the University recognized McKay with the University of Minnesota Outstanding Achievement Award. When I ask McKay about his most meaningful professional achievement, he sits down and pauses. “Working with people planning to be extension educators and other agriculture professionals is what I am most proud of. I helped them,” he says. “It’s what I came to do and what I enjoyed.” by Bridget Krage O’Connor Contact the editor Last modified Feb 28, 2001 © 2001 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.