AUSTIN, Texas Dr. H. Malcolm Macdonald, professor emeritus of government at The University of Texas at Austin, died Saturday (July 5) at Seton Medical Center in Austin. He was 83.
Macdonald served as senior marshal for Commencement at the University for more than 30 years through 1981 by virtue of having been chairman of the Commencement committee. He served as the University’s ROTC liaison officer continuously from 1945 until his retirement on Jan. 1, 1994.
Macdonald was born in San Francisco in 1914 and studied at Harvard University before joining the UT Austin faculty in 1939. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy in the American, European and Pacific arenas and at the U.S. Naval Academy. Following the war, Macdonald remained in the U.S. Naval Reserve until his retirement with the rank of captain. He continued his teaching duties at UT following the war and became a full professor in 1952. He served as chairman for the department of government from 1953-1966 and from 1971-1975. Additionally, he served as dean ad interim in the College of Arts and Sciences in 1967, and was made professor emeritus in 1981.
In 1994, Macdonald received a Presidential Citation from the University, recognizing his devotion to and support of UT.
A memorial mass will be held Thursday (July 10) at 11 a.m. at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church at 8134 Mesa Drive near Steck Avenue in northwest Austin. Funeral arrangements are by Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home.
The H. Malcolm Macdonald Endowed Fund in Comparative and Constitutional Law was started about two years ago in the department of government, College of Liberal Arts, in honor of the professor.
