MacKinnon Simpson ’65

Mac passed away peacefully March 3, 2021, at his home in Honolulu, Hawaii. Raised on a family farm in Pottersville, in rural northern New Jersey, he attended Newark Academy in nearby Livingston. His father was a rower, member of Cottage Club, and a member of a notable Princeton class — 1922 — with Adlai Stevenson and a national championship undefeated football team. Mac took his meals at Cannon and wrote and cartooned for The Tiger, majoring, as he said, in “beer and whimsy.” 

He settled in Honolulu, where his occupations ran the gamut from motorcycle sales to cable TV executive. Ultimately, he returned to writing and wrote his first book, WhaleSong, in 1986. He went on to write, design, and publish more than 25 large-format illustrated books. WhaleSong was the first real book written and designed on an Apple Macintosh computer, and was called by the head of Time-Life Books “the book which changed the face of American publishing.” 

Mac is survived by his daughter, Malia McCabe; son Alika Simpson; two grandsons; his companion, Lori; and countless friends. His laughter, jokes, humorous emails, and love for life will remain with us as part of the heart of the great Class of  ’65, of which he was a very proud member.