Mackay, Donald 1914–2005

(Donald Alexander Mackay)

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born August 13, 1914, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; died of heart disease, December 17, 2005, in Frederick, MD. Artist and author. Mackay was a commercial artist who was best known for combining the history and architecture of Manhattan into the 1987 book The Building of Manhattan. After attending the Massachusetts School of Art in the 1930s, he worked briefly for E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company as a designer. The Great Depression ended his employment, however. During World War II, Mackay served with the U.S. Army in Europe. After the war, he remained in France to study art at the American University in Biarritz. This was followed by further study under Alfredo Zalce in Mexico. As a freelance artist in New York City, beginning in 1948, Mackay did commission work for various newspapers and magazines. He also exhibited his art and, in the late 1960s, studied printmaking at the Pratt Institute. In 1965, Mackay published his first book, the self-illustrated If You Were a Clown. His only other publication, The Building of Manhattan, was inspired by research he was doing on his own family dating back to the seventeenth century, and his interest in architecture. Retiring to Frederick, Maryland in 1993, he continued to exhibit his artwork there for several more years.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

New York Times, January 9, 2006, p. A22.

Washington Post, January 8, 2006, p. C10.