Malcolm McLane (NH & Magdalene ’48)
(The following Obituary was submitted by Ann McLane Kuster, daughter of Malcolm McLane. Ann may be reached at 603-848-2600 or )
Malcolm McLane, 83, died peacefully on Saturday, February 2, 2008, at his home at Kendal, a retirement community in Hanover.
Born on October 3, 1924, in Manchester, McLane served on the Concord City Council for twenty years and as Mayor of Concord from 1970 to 1976. He ran for Governor in 1972 as an Independent in the General Election. McLane served on the Executive Council from 1977 to 1982. Throughout his career in public service, McLane advocated for fair and just taxation, support for public education, protecting the environment and preserving reproductive choice for women. Inspired by his grandfather, Governor John R. McLane, he devoted his career in public service to improving the quality of life in New Hampshire.
Throughout his fifty-year career as a distinguished trusts and estates lawyer, McLane advised generations of families throughout New Hampshire. He joined the Concord law firm of Orr and Reno in 1952 and served as President of the firm from 1981 to 1984. McLane was a sterling example of the firm’s commitment to community service and a mentor for both men and women in the firm.
A 1942 graduate of St. Paul’s School, McLane served as an officer in the Air Force in World War II. He flew 73 missions, before he was shot down in a dogfight over Luxembourg during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. McLane spent the remainder of the war in Stalagluft I, a prisoner of war camp run by the German air force. The Germans abandoned the camp, which was liberated by Soviet forces May 1, 1945. McLane returned to New Hampshire a decorated war hero and spent the summer of 1945 recuperating at his family’s home on NewfoundLake.
After the War, McLane graduated from Dartmouth with the Class of 1946. In 1948, he married Susan Neidlinger of Hanover and moved to Oxford, England, where he was a Rhodes scholar. McLane graduated from HarvardLawSchool in 1952, when he moved to Concord with his young family and began practicing law at Orr and Reno.
He was predeceased by his wife of 58 years, former N.H. Senator Susan McLane; and leaves three daughters, Robin McLane of Portsmouth and her daughter, Marion Read; Debbie Carter of Norwich, Vt., her husband, Peter Carter, and their daughters, Sasha, Ashley, Maile and Laurel Carter; and Ann McLane Kuster of Hopkinton, her husband, Brad Kuster, and their sons, Zach and Travis Kuster; two sons, Donald McLane of Twisp, Wash., his wife, Lois Garland, and their daughters, Karissa and Abi McLane, and son, Erik McLane; and Alan McLane of Jackson, his wife, Alice McLane, and their daughters, Laura Sorochak and Carrie McLane; his sisters, Lilla McLane-Bradley and Mary McLane; his brother, Charles McLane; and many nieces and nephews.
McLane was predeceased by his parents, former Dartmouth College Trustee and founder of the McLane Law Firm, John R. “Judge” McLane and Elisabeth “Ibus” McLane; and his brother John R. McLane, Jr., of Manchester.
An avid skier with a lifelong devotion to the sport, McLane was Captain of the Dartmouth College Ski Team and served as an international alpine ski official at the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley California and numerous World Cup competitions. He was inducted into the Ski Hall of Fame in Ishpeming, Michigan. In 1957, he joined Mack Beal and Olympic skiers George Macomber and Brooks Dodge in founding Wildcat Mountain Ski Area in Pinkham Notch. McLane served on the Board for thirty years and as President of Wildcat. Last weekend, McLane joined Macomber and Dodge for a banquet to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Wildcat with family and friends.
An inspired advocate for his community, McLane was a founder of the Douglas N. Everett Ice Arena and the CapitalCenter for the Arts. He served as a Trustee of St. Paul’s School and on the boards of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, the Appalachian Mountain Club, ConcordCommunityMusicSchool and the Circle Program and as honorary co-chair with his wife Susan of the recent capital campaign for the RiverbendCommunityMentalHealthCenter. Devoted to the cause of equal opportunity and reproductive rights for women, he served for many years on the board of NARAL/Pro-Choice New Hampshire.
McLane enjoyed many trips to Europe and the West with his family. In 1994, he traveled around the world with his wife. His greatest joys were hiking, swimming and boating with family and friends in the summer at NewfoundLake and skiing in the winter at Wildcat.
A devoted father and compassionate husband, McLane cared for his wife Susan for five years as she declined from Alzheimer's disease with grace and courage, as told by their daughter Ann, in a book titled The Last Dance: Facing Alzheimer's with Love and Laughter. He is loved by many, including his five children, eleven grandchildren and dozens of nieces and nephews.
A Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance for Malcolm McLane will be held on Sunday, February 10th at 3:00 pm at St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Concord, 21 Centre Street, Concord, New Hampshire, with a reception for family and friends following the service hosted by the law firm of Orr and Reno at their offices located at One Eagle Square, Concord, New Hampshire.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the CapitalCenter for the Arts, 40 South Main Street, Concord, 03301; The Circle Program, P.O. Box 815, Plymouth, 03264; or the SusanMcLaneMemoryWellnessCenter at RiverbendCommunityMentalHealthCenter, P.O. Box 2032, Concord, 03302-2032 .