Obituary of James Mccabe

James Edward McCabe, 90, of Palm City, Florida, died on May 25, at Hospice in Stuart, Florida, following a lengthy illness.

His career spanned broad experience in government, business and education. A 1939 graduate of Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, he was: Captain of the baseball team, winner of The Bacon Trophy in football, elected to Phi Beta Kappa and secretary of his class. He went on to earn a Masters Degree from the Maxwell School of Government, Syracuse University, in 1941.

During World War II, he served in Washington, D.C. for the Defense Housing Agency and the War Production Board.

Then, in 1945, he joined the Merck & Company pharmaceutical firm, where he held executive positions for the next 26 years, including Secretary of the company.

A 15-year tenure as a trustee of Wesleyan University, created his interest in higher education. In 1970, Mr. McCabe became Vice President and Treasurer of the Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, and also led the search committee for a new president of his alma mater, Wesleyan University.

Despite Mr. McCabes active role in the Wesleyan restructuring, for which the Universitys Alumni Association honored him as a Distinguished Wesleyan Alumnus, in 1974, he was still both active and effective in his new position in Saratoga Springs.

That busy decade warranted Mr. McCabes rare combination of quiet wisdom and solid judgment as trustee, Vice President and Treasurer of Skidmore College. He also led the search committee to fill the presidents chair at Skidmore, in the wake of the late Dr. Joseph C. Palamountain. Mr. McCabes choice, and that of Skidmore, was Dr. David Porter, coming from Carleton College in Minnesota.

As Vice President, Treasurer, trustee and trustee emeritus of Skidmore, Mr. McCabe was further honored in 1991, when he received an honorary Doctor of Laws.

He had a life long interest in real-estate and in later years, maintained a real estate license in both Florida and New York. Along the way, he and his family logged more than 30 moves, which he liked to describe as: a moving experience.

Mr. McCabe was a member of the Saratoga Golf and Polo Club and a member of the Evergreen Golf Club of Palm City.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Elisabeth Rhoades McCabe, of Palm City, a daughter, Jean (John A.) Ellis of Stuart, Florida and Marthas Vineyard; two sons, Douglas R. McCabe of Saratoga Springs, and Bruce C. (Jannifer) McCabe of Bountiful, Utah; a sister, Rita McCabe and a brother, Joseph, both of Hartford, CT; Six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held 11:00 AM, Friday, June 1, 2007, at the Episcopal Church of the Advent in Palm City, FL.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that Mr. McCabe be remembered with donation to the Wesleyan University Scholarship Fund and or the Episcopal Church of the Advent, in Palm City, which Mr. And Mrs. McCabe were founding parishioners.