Richard “Mac” McDonald doesn’t just drive a 1950 Ford convertible – he drives memory. At 91, the retired Navy veteran and LAPD sergeant is a fixture around town. He can often be seen holding court with a circle of friends at a local casino or the Canal Wine Lounge, or with the top down and his dog Millie beside him in that 1950 Ford convertible that itself represents memories.
“I bought it because it’s the same year I graduated high school,” Mac said.
Born in Santa Barbara, Mac was 16 years old when his family moved to the San Fernando Valley. He graduated in 1950 from North Hollywood High School, joined the Navy and served four years, including two in Korea.
In 1954 he met Judy, his future wife, at the Enlisted Men’s Club in Portsmouth, Va.
“She was a Navy brat, the daughter of a lieutenant commander,” Mac said. “That’s why she had access to the EM Club.”
They married in 1955 and spent 63 years together before her passing in 2016.
“They were beautiful years, I know that,” Mac said. “She raised a beautiful family.”
Mac and Judy moved to Fernley in 2003 from Lake Isabella, Calif., in the mountains above Bakersfield. They came to help their son Brian move and decided to stay themselves.
“She wanted to get closer to family, which was fine with me,” Mac said. “Wherever she wanted to go was good.”
After the Navy, Mac worked in road construction for a couple of years before joining the Los Angeles Police Department. In his 18-year career, Mac worked patrol, Hollywood vice and traffic, and retired as a sergeant working in the chief’s office. He was forced to retire in 1975 after a serious office accident that crushed his neck.
“I didn’t want to retire, but they said, ‘Mac, you can’t shake your head yes, you can’t shake your head no. You’ve got to go,’” Mac said. “So, I took the pension, and I’ve outlived them.”
After leaving the LAPD, Mac worked a variety of jobs, including driving a school bus, selling real estate, working in security, and owning a sandwich shop.
“At age 65 I said that’s it, I retired and haven’t worked since,” Mac said.
In 2016, Mac was chosen to participate in Honor Flight Nevada, where veterans are flown to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials. There, he was chosen to lay the wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
“That was the greatest honor, other than my marriage, that could have been bestowed upon me,” he said.
Even at 91, Mac is adept at using a cell phone and a computer. He said he talks once a week with his brothers Bruce, who lives in an assisted living home in Henderson, and Doug, who lives in Port Hueneme, Calif., as well as his sons Rick in Minnesota and Kenny in Henderson. He still lives in the same neighborhood as his son Brian. Mac also has two granddaughters and three great-grandsons.
These days, McDonald drives a 2019 Mitsubishi when the weather turns, but the Ford remains his pride. He was honored to be asked to carry Mrs. Nevada 2025, Ruth Wayrynen, during the Fourth of July parade.
“Owning a car like this isn’t about speed,” he said. “It’s about the journey.”
That journey includes friendships forged at local casinos, neighborhood gatherings and the Canal Lounge, where he celebrated his 91st birthday last December with more than 75 guests.
Mac’s easy manner and outgoing personality allow him to make friends easily. In recent months, though, Mac said he’s lost 11 friends.
“That humbles me,” he said. “I keep asking why I’m still here. I believe God has left me here for 91 years for a reason.”
While he doesn’t know the answer, he has a theory.
“I’ve never met anybody here that I don’t like, and they all seem to know my name,” he said. “Maybe that’s why God left me here.”
And maybe it’s because, when Mac rolls up with the top down, he reminds everyone that the road, like life, is best traveled with good company and a little style.
Comment
Comments