Alan MacKenzie ’61

Al died Oct. 27, 2025, at home in Hartford, Conn., after a fall that caused kidney failure.  

The son a of a Navy admiral, he was born at the naval base in Cavite in the Philippines and came to us from Bethesda-Chase High School in Maryland. At Princeton, he majored in basic engineering, took his meals at Quad, and rowed lightweights all four years, serving as captain in our senior year. When asked his major, he would say, “crew.” His roommates were John Cooper, Larry Brennan, Pete Finch, and Walt Conrad. 

Then he began a variegated career that included an MBA from Stanford followed by positions with Chevron, General Foods, and Otis domestically and internationally, and included a one-year fellowship at MIT. Not happy in the corporate world, he then acquired the Hitchcock Chair Co. in Winsted, Conn., which closed its doors in 1990. He then founded Our Piece of the Pie, a nonprofit that connected young people with small businesses and was involved with other civic and charitable organizations right up to his death.  

Al is survived by his wife of 45 years, Carole; children Chas and Katherine; two stepchildren; and eight grandchildren and step-grandchildren.