BANGOR, Maine — Bangor native Arthur E. “Ed” McKenzie, who worked at the Bangor Daily News for nearly 40 years and retired as its general manager, died Thursday of natural causes at the age of 91 at his home in Tavares, Florida.
“I am saddened to learn of Ed McKenzie’s death,” Richard J. Warren, publisher of the BDN, said. “Ed McKenzie was a mentor and great friend to me as I became involved in the Bangor Daily News. He enjoyed the complete trust of my grandmother Lillis Jordan.”
Lillis Jordan served as publisher from 1947 to 1955 and was active on the paper’s board of directors until her death in 1986 at the age of 92.
McKenzie was 25 when he was hired by the BDN in 1951 as a payroll clerk in the business office. He retired in 1990 as senior vice president, general manager and treasurer. During the years in-between, he served as chief accountant, assistant treasurer, business manager, general manager and treasurer.
“Ed had a quiet but firm management style tempered with a wry sense of humor,” Warren said. “His knowledge of all aspects of the workings of the News was deep and perceptive which allowed him to steer the company through many transitions smoothly.”
McKenzie hired Bob Stairs as a staff accountant in 1967. Stairs, now 72, of Gorham worked at the BDN for 43 years and considered McKenzie his mentor. Stairs retired in 2010 as vice president and treasurer of the company.
“He coached me,” Stairs said in a telephone interview. “I enjoyed working with him for more than 20 years, but, the best times we had were going fly fishing in Canada. I was very lucky to have someone like that in my life.”
Stairs said that McKenzie oversaw the implementation of the use of computers at the BDN, first in the business and accounting offices, then, in the newsroom. McKenzie also oversaw the transition from a black-and-white to a color printing press, and the move of the printing plant from Main Street in Bangor to a new facility in Hampden.
“He was very supportive of new things for the future,” Stairs said.
Stairs said the most important thing he learned from McKenzie was patience. “It was not always easy to be patient with the daily news cycle,” he said. “He taught me that when making a decision, it’s important to think things through. If you do that, you will find a flaw in your thinking and that will impact the decision you are making for the better.”
McKenzie was a graduate of Bangor High School. He served in the U.S. Army in World War II in the 27th Tank Battalion with the 20th Armored Division in Europe.
He graduated with a degree in accounting and auditing from Husson College in 1948, a year after marrying his wife, Avis Brann. She died in 2005 at the age of 84. The couple was married for 58 years.
McKenzie also served as a trustee of Husson College, director of Eastern Maine Healthcare, president of the Greater Bangor Chamber of Commerce and member of the Bangor Kiwanis Club. He also was an active member of Columbia Street Baptist Church and served as a lay leader in the congregation.
“He was without fail a gentleman,” Warren said of McKenzie.
McKenzie is survived by his children, MaryLou Jameson and her husband, Jim Jameson, of Leesburg, Florida, and Stanley E. McKenzie and his wife, Polly, of Oxford, Florida; five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 15, at Midway Baptist Church in Leesburg, Florida, and at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at Brookings-Smith Funeral Home in Bangor.
In lieu of flowers, donations in McKenzie’s name may be made to Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care Foundation, 2445 Lane Park Road, Tavares, Florida, 32778.