July 28, 1943- April 28, 2010
Robert Reed McCord, a multi-talented educator, writer, and publishing executive known for his charitable works, died on April 28, 2010 in NYC. He was 66 and lived on Roosevelt Island, New York.
The cause of his death was cancer, his wife, Kathleen Moskal, said.
Born in Buffalo, New York on July 28, 1943, Mr. McCord attended School #72 and South Park High School, and graduated from Colgate University in 1965, where Russian and the Humanities were his primary areas of study.
He began his career in education as a Peace Corps volunteer in Adapazari, Turkey (1965-67) and earned a degree from the Teachers College, Columbia University on his return. Subsequently he taught high school in Highland Falls, New York and abroad in Singapore and Frankfurt.
In 1972, Mr. McCord joined Scholastic Press as a marketing executive, where he supervised the growth of the company’s book division. He earned an MBA at Columbia during his tenure and would later conduct classes and seminars there as an adjunct member of the business school.
Golf was Mr. McCord’s strong suit as a writer. Although he described himself as a “duffer,” he showed a profound understanding of and love for the game in his many books. Arnold Palmer once called his work both “interesting and innovative.” Mr. McCord also compiled a number of successful anthologies on diverse subjects with his wife Nancy Lipscomb, now deceased.
Foremost among Mr. McCord’s charitable works was his involvement in creating Harlem RBI, an organization devoted to bringing educational, social, and sports opportunities to children in one of the toughest neighborhoods of Manhattan. In 2003, after a volunteer stint with fledgling publishers in Romania, Mr. McCord married Ms. Moskal. Together they founded Vere, an ecologically aware, prize-winning company whose chocolates garnered high praise from both foodies and health-conscious customers.
In addition to his wife, Mr. McCord is survived by a sister, Sue Hanley of Carson City, Nevada and a number of beloved nieces and nephews.