Edwin MacLuckie, 92, Fast-food pioneer managed the first McDonald's franchise, opened first McDonald's in Michigan
Hoodoo
EDWIN MACLUCKIE | 1917-2010 : Went on to own restaurants in Michigan,
Florida
July 2, 2010
BY SARAH BARABA Obituary Chicago
http://www.suntimes.com/news/obituaries/2456102,CST-NWS-xmaclckie02.article
http://www.suntimes.com/news/obituaries/2458068,070210macluckie.fullimage
Edwin MacLuckie
Edwin MacLuckie was the manager of the first McDonald's franchise, which
opened in 1955 in Des Plaines.
By 1957, he opened the first McDonald's in Michigan with his former
father-in-law, and came to own other stores in Michigan and Florida.
But he never seemed to tire of food from the Golden Arches.
"Even in the later stages of his life, he was always happy going to
McDonald's and ordering a fish sandwich," said his son Ronald MacLuckie.
"He was a fast-food pioneer. He helped change the world and how we eat
today. For better or worse," he said with a chuckle.
Mr. MacLuckie died May 22 of kidney failure, according to family. He was 92.
Most recently residing in Minnesota, Mr. MacLuckie was born in Des
Plaines on Aug. 27, 1917.
"Both of his parents were educators. His father was a high school
principal. His mother was a teacher," said his daughter Sally MacLuckie.
"But Dad had no interest in pursuing anything academic," she said, laughing.
After graduating from Maine Township East High School, Mr. MacLuckie
joined the Navy and was a radio operator stationed in North Carolina
during World War II.
He married his first wife, then Maxine Hagen, in 1944, and moved to
Eaton Rapids, Mich., with his family. The couple divorced in the 1970s.
"He was a traveling salesman selling hardware and wasn't making much
money," said his son.
He jumped at an offer by Ray Kroc, who started the McDonald's empire and
was a childhood friend of Mr. MacLuckie's in-laws, to manage the
nation's first McDonald's franchise.
"It was all a crapshoot back then," said Mr. MacLuckie's son. "He liked
the potential, and I think the success surprised him."
Following the sensation at that first store, Kroc offered Mr. MacLuckie
and his father-in-law, Max Hagen, their own territory. They chose
Lansing, Mich., and in 1957 opened that state's first McDonald's,
according to family and McDonald's Corp.
As the company gained a worldwide appeal, Mr. MacLuckie was not afraid
to butt heads with corporate officials.
"They would always get upset with my father because he overstuffed the
french fry bags," said his son. "He got in trouble for not sticking to
the standards, but he didn't care because his customers liked it."
Mr. MacLuckie eventually owned four stores in Michigan and a few in
Florida. In 1981, he sold the last of his stores to McDonald's Corp.,
according to his son.
"He realized the company was becoming a lot more impartial and kind of
lost the family feeling that he had brought into the thing," said his son.
Mr. MacLuckie remarried in the late 1980s, a union that later ended in
divorce. In the 1990s, he moved to Florida and ultimately relocated to
Minnesota to live with a daughter for the last few years.
"He was a quiet and unassuming guy," said his son. "Always looking for
ways to do a better job of what he did."
Besides his daughter and son, Mr. MacLuckie is survived by daughters
Nancy Levine and Kim MacLuckie, four grandchildren and a sister.
The family is planning a private service at the end of July.
--
Trout Mask Replica
KFJC.org, WFMU.org, WMSE.org, or WUSB.org;
because the pigoenholed programming of music channels
on Sirius Satellite, and its internet radio player, suck