Background
McKenna was born in Washington in 1907 to Eliza and Alexander G. McKenna. His father was a Pennsylvania steel metallurgist. Their son Malcolm McKenna was born in 1930.
chairman philanthropist collector
McKenna was born in Washington in 1907 to Eliza and Alexander G. McKenna. His father was a Pennsylvania steel metallurgist. Their son Malcolm McKenna was born in 1930.
In 1929, McKenna graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor"s degree in English literature from Pomona College and earned a master"s degree in the subject at Claremont Graduate University in 1931.
The family moved to Claremont in 1918. They had four grandchildren, Douglas McKenna, Katharine McKenna, Andrew McKenna, and Bruce He continued on to Harvard to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy but left in 1934, when he was called back to California during the Great Depression to manage the Pomona Pump Company, a family business in the Pomona Valley that made submersible pumps and marine engine parts. He became chairman of the board in 1969 and retired in 1978.
McKenna was a collector of Native American art, especially Hopi kachina dolls.
He died at age 90, on 26 November 1997 at his home in Laguna Beach. McKenna played a key role in the founding of the school that later came to bear his name, first with his own money in 1944 and through fundraising.
lieutenant was organized to be a business and public affairs college for returning servicemen ready to study under the G.I. Bill. lieutenant was named Claremont Men"s College on opening in 1946.
Becoming coeducational in 1976, Claremont Men"s College changed its name to in 1981, in honor of its founding trustee.
McKenna also established the McKenna Merit Scholarship program, the McKenna Professorship in Asian Economics, and the McKenna International Summer Internship Program for students pursuing summer internships abroad in their sophomore and junior years.
Both are also members of the Claremont Colleges. Donald was an original partner of what became Kennametal and member of its board of directors. He continued to contribute to the development of it as a member of the board of directors for the rest of his life.