Joseph John McGee Jr.

Joseph John McGee, Jr. died at home Wednesday, September 3, 2003. He was 83 years old. Born on December 2, 1919, to Joseph J. and Margaret E. McGee, Joe was a lifelong resident of Kansas City, Missouri. In 1949 he married Anne Cunningham, daughter of the late John and Dorothy Cunningham, with whom he shared a long and fulfilled life. In 1939, Joe began work as a researcher and advertising copywriter at the family business, Old American Insurance Company, which was founded that same year by Joe's father, grandfather and two uncles. When World War II intervened, Joe entered the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1941. He served four years and achieved the rank of Captain. During the war, Joe was a test pilot stationed at the Offutt Army Airfield near Omaha, Nebraska, where he was responsible for test flying newly built B-26 and B-29 aircraft manufactured on-site at the Glenn L. Martin Company assembly plant. His service in the Army Air Corps led to his induction into ye Anciente and Secret Order of Quiet Birdmen. At the end of his duty, Joe returned to his responsibilities at the family business. In 1955, Joe was elected President and Chief Executive Officer of Old American and served in that capacity until 1986 when the Company was sold to CenTrust Savings Bank. During his career, Joe was a pioneer in the field of direct mail marketing and was instrumental in the development of novel, value-priced life insurance products for seniors. He was President of the Direct Mail Marketing Association, the Association of Insurance Advertisers, and the Kansas City Mail Users Council. Joe also served on the Advertising Committee of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and on the National Postal Forum Policy Committee. A widely respected businessman, Joe's leadership and humility were qualities valued by many who sought his counsel. Joe gave generously of his time and wisdom to many educational, civic, and charitable organizations on whose boards he served, including The American Royal, American Life Insurance Association, Associated Industries of Missouri, the Better Business Bureau of Greater Kansas City, the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City, the Clearinghouse for Mid-continent Foundations, Community Studies, Inc., the Greater Kansas City Mental Health Foundation, the Harry S. Truman Library Institute for National and International Affairs, the Jewish Heritage Foundation, Menorah Medical Center, Menorah Medical Center Foundation, Midwest Research Institute, the National Safety Council, the Starlight Theatre Association, and Truman Medical Center. Throughout his life Joe also served on numerous corporate boards including Commerce Bancshares, The Gas Service Company, KPL Gas Service, Chicago Title Insurance Company, Safety Federal Savings and Loan, and the Kansas City Missouri Employees Retirement System. He was a member of the Kansas City Society of Financial Analysts, The Kansas City Club, Mission Hills Country Club, Native Sons of Kansas City, the Newcomen Society in North America, Prairie Lake Wildlife Conservation, the Rotary Club of Kansas City, and the Young Presidents Organization. Until his retirement in 2001, Joe served for over thirty-five years as chairman of The McGee Foundation, a charitable organization that he helped establish in 1951. Dedicated to supporting educational, health and social welfare in the greater Kansas City area, the work of The McGee Foundation was very close to Joe's heart, reflecting his values and his devotion to family and community. Joe's education and values were largely shaped by his Catholic upbringing. After kindergarten at Notre Dame de Sion, Joe went on to graduate from Visitation Elementary School and Rockhurst High School. He attended Rockhurst College and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service prior to joining the U.S. Army Air Corps. A dedicated Catholic and lifelong member of Visitation parish, Joe's support to those communities that continued to nurture and educate his family was marked by his loyalty and service. As one of the founders of the Notre Dame de Sion Board of Trustees, he led that board as its president for sixteen years during a critical time in the school's history. A longtime member of Rockhurst University's Board of Regents and Honorary Directors Association, he was elected to the Board of Trustees of Rockhurst in 1977, serving for 14 distinguished years; five of those years as the first non-Jesuit Chairman of the Board. His commitment to the mission of Rockhurst, as well as his commitment to the community at large, was celebrated by his receipt of an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from the school in 1977. His dedication to the Catholic community and its mission was further evidenced by his service to Avila College, the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and the Central City School Fund. Marking his contribution as a prominent lay leader within Kansas City's Catholic community, he was invested as a Knight into the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in 1973. Of all the valuable skills and lessons Joe learned in his years as a community leader, businessman, and father, the most important, he would tell you, was the art of listening. He understood, and he wanted others to understand, that the ability to listen - not just hear - is a crucial interpersonal skill. A strong advocate of programs that teach listening skills, Joe and his wife Anne established an endowed chair at Rockhurst University for the specific purpose of applied research and instruction in the development of person-to-person communication, with an emphasis on listening. It is the only such Listening Chair in the world to date. Joe and Anne's contribution to the development of this critical communication skill was honored in 2003 by an award of Special Recognition from the International Listening Association for their extraordinary service to the promotion of the principles of effective listening.
Joe will be remembered for many things, among them, his unselfish service to others, great fairness, wise and honest counsel, a sharp wit and keen mind, but above all, his devotion to family. Joe is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 54 years, Anne Cunningham McGee, and their seven children: Sally, Peter, Mary, John, David, Julie and Simon; six grandchildren: Scott, Jesse, Lindsey, Mathilda, Cordelia, and Alexandra; and his sister, Mary Louise Miller. He was preceded in death by his parents and by his sister, Martha A. Duffy and brother, Thomas R. McGee. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 7:00 p.m., Monday, September 8, 2003, at Redemptorist Catholic Church, 3333 Broadway, Kansas City, Missouri (816) 561-3215. Friends may call between 3:00-6:45 p.m. at the Church prior to the Mass; a Rosary will be said at 3:00 p.m. Private interment will be at Calvary Cemetery. Please do not send flowers to the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Notre Dame de Sion, 3823 Locust, Kansas City, MO 64109; Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, 800 N. 18th Street, Kansas City, KS 66012; or to Rockhurst University, 1100 Rockhurst Road, Kansas City, MO 64110. Pallbearers: B. Joseph Duffy III, H. Blaine Miller Jr., Barry Miller, Thomas R. McGee Jr., Robert Blair, Barry Cunningham, Chris Cunningham, Kevin Cunningham, Mark Cunningham, Robin Cunningham, Thomas Cunningham, and Mark Lally. (Arrangements: McGilley State Line Chapel, 816-942-6180)