died at the age of 80, on November 11, 2008 of pulmonary failure at the Hospice of the Chesapeake at Baltimore Washington Medical Center. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Elizabeth Madison Lewis McLean, and his four children: Lisa McLean Reynolds, Alexander McLean, Mary McLean-Hely, and John McLean. He is also survived by his five grandchildren. His family was by his side at the time of death.
The son of Robert McLean, Jr. and Mary Igelhart McLean, Bob and his twin sister Mollie McLean O’Grady were born on May 23rd, 1928 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Bob attended Gilman School in Baltimore, won the William A. Fisher Prize for Scholarship and Leadership and later served on the National Board of Trustees. He continued on to Yale University in New Haven, CT, where he received a B.A. in Politics, History and Economics. At Yale, he was a member of the Torch Honor Society, The Russell Trust Association, and DKE, as well as manager of the football team. Following college, Bob briefly pursued a career in the ministry, attending the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, VA, where he later received an honorary doctorate. Later, he continued his studies at University of PA where he earned an M.A. in Public Administration.
After college, Bob joined the Marine Corp, where he was a staff sergeant serving with the First Marine Brigade in Japan and Hawaii and as a Drill Instructor at Parris Island, SC.
His 50-year career spanned from Ohio, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh to Washington, working with a variety of corporate and non-profit organizations. In Philadelphia, he worked with city fathers to develop an urban renewal program that included relocating corporate headquarters to Philadelphia, revitalizing parts of the city, and preparing for the bicentennial celebration in 1976. He started his 30-year career with Cushman and Wakefield by opening the Greater Philadelphia office in 1971, building a business with clients including the Sun Oil Co., The Girard Bank, Fidelity Mutual Life, RCA, and The First Pennsylvania Company.
From 1976 to 1988, McLean worked in Pittsburgh assisting eight major corporations in the retrofit and new construction of seven million square feet of office space shaping the new skyline of the city and leading to Rand McNally’s designation of Pittsburgh as America’s Most Live-able City in 1984. He also assisted Cushman and Wakefield with its global expansion in Europe.
During the decade of the 1990’s, McLean served as the account executive in Greater Washington in the planning and execution of major facilities including: The World Bank, The OCC, the FDIC, Sallie Mae, AMS, Arbitron and Saks Fifth Avenue. He also served as Vice Chairman of Business Development and Public Affairs, representing Cushman and Wakefield’s global interest in the nation’s capitol.
For over twenty years, Bob was an active participant at the Washington National Cathedral, serving on the Chapter Board, as President of the College of Laity and Board member of the College of Preachers. He is also founder of The Washington Metropolitan Dialogue, an outreach program of the Cathedral that brings together people of all faiths to work on different initiatives. He also served on the National Building Museum board for 12 years, three as Chairman. In this role, he worked to honor outstanding contributors to the build environment.
Most recently, Bob was chairman and senior executive counselor of the Cambridge Institute, a privately held advisory body founded in 1973 at the Alfred P. Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for corporate chief executives. The institute focuses on issues of global change, planned business intelligence, strategic competitive advantage and tactical problem-solving.
Services were previously held at St. Christopher’s by the Sea in Gibson, MD, the National Cathedral in Washington, DC and at Yale University. Graveside service will be held ar 11:00 am on Saturday, July 4th, 2009 at Warwick Cemetery. Reception will follow at Baird’s Tavern, Warwick.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the John T. Walker Learning Center in Washington, DC and the Gibson Island Historical Society.