Joseph Hume McKay ’42 died on September 29, 2007, in Scarborough, Maine.

Born in Houlton on January 18, 1920, he prepared for college at Houlton High School and Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, and became a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity at Bowdoin. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II from 1942 to 1946, attaining the rank of sergeant. Following his military service, he returned to Houlton and joined his father in the insurance business with the George S. Gentle Insurance Company. His entire career was in the property and casualty insurance business. He became president of the George S. Gentle Company in 1956, was a partner of the John C. Paige Company in Portland following a merger in 1966, and until his retirement served as vice president of the Fred S. James Company of Maine. Following his retirement, he spent winters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., until 2001, when he moved to Scarborough. He was a trustee of the Houlton Savings Bank and Ricker College, and was one of the founders of the Houlton Regional Development Corporation. He was a former president of the Houlton Community Golf Club and was a member of the Houlton Elks Club. He is survived by his wife, Pauline Grant McKay, whom he married in 1949; a son, M. Bruce McKay of Buffalo, N.Y.; two daughters, Martha McKay Novis of Lee, N.H., and Jane McKay Morrell ’81 of Brunswick; seven grandchildren, including Luke J. McKay ’07 and Micah A. McKay ’09, both of Buffalo, N.Y.; and one great-granddaughter.