<div>
<em>David McCandless McKell</em> was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, on 4 December 1881, the son of Joseph Scott and Helen McCandless McKell. After a youth spent in Chillicothe, David entered the USMA with the Class of 1904, where he soon displayed a cheerful, enthusiastic personality that endured throughout his life.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
After graduation, he served in the Coast Artillery Corps at various stations, and was married on 9 October 1906 to Miss Edna McGinnis. Toward the end of World War I, he commanded the 12th Field Artillery of the 2d Division in action in France.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
On 15 December 1922, he retired from active service and went to San Francisco, where he graduated from the San Francisco Law School, was admitted to the bar of the State of California, and established a law practice. During their stay in San Francisco, the McKells became a welcome focal point of hospitality for any member of 1904 passing through or near the city.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
In 1938 David’s mother and his brother Scott died in Chillicothe, and it became necessary for David to close up his law practice in San Francisco and return to his hometown to attend to various family interests. There he began a long period of busy and useful activities, as president of Chillicothe Telephone Company, as an active member and one-time president of the Ross County Historical Society, and as an interested assistant in the development of the Chillicothe Branch of Ohio University. He held membership in the Sunset Club, the California Historical Society, the Ohio Historical Society, the Chillicothe Area Chamber of Commerce, the Rowfant Club of Cleveland, the Ohioana Society, and the Grolier Club of New York City. He was a fellow of the Morgan Library of New York City and a member of its council, and an “American Friend of the Bodleian Library” of Oxford, England. He was a past president of the Ohio Independent Telephone Association, and was the owner of one of the nation’s finest collection of rare medieval manuscripts and children s books, which he had accumulated as a hobby.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
An interesting incident of this period in which David figured prominently was a joint ceremony held on Memorial Day in 1957 in Chillicothe and at Fort Sill, Okla. On that day in Grandview Cemetery in Chillicothe a bronze plaque on the monument on the grave of Brigadier General Joshua W. Sill (USMA 1853), in whose honor Fort Sill was named, was unveiled by Brigadier General R. R. Mace (USMA 1929), representing Major General T. E. de Shazo (USMA 1926), commanding general at Fort Sill. At the same time at Fort Sill, a monument on the site of the headquarters flagpole of the old Fort Sill was being dedicated to the memory of General Sill by the officers and men there. Colonel McKell was chairman of the committee in charge of arrangements at Chillicothe and was master of ceremonies at the dedication, where many dignitaries and organizations were present or represented in an impressive ceremony.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
As a means of commemorating David’s approaching 80th birthday anniversary, a committee of his friends in Chillicothe prepared to celebrate the event in a way appropriate to one of his major interests—book-collecting. A portfolio of letters from his many friends was prepared and presented to him on 4 December 1961. It was a complete surprise to David and was greatly appreciated by him.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
About a month later, on 10 January 1962. David died suddenly, leaving, as survivors, his wife, a daughter, a son, 12 grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren. Burial was at Grandview Cemetery in Chillicothe.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
David was a faithful member of the Class of 1904. He attended our reunions at West Point whenever he could, and he will be sorely missed.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
The following extract from an article which appeared in the Chillicothe Gazette on 11 January 1962, gives a fitting picture of the place David held in his home city:</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
“Colonel David Mc-Candless McKell, whose death Wednesday at 80, will be widely mourned, was more than just one of Chillicothe’s leading citizens. He was one of the community’s leading lights. His infectious smile and boundless enthusiasm served to light the way to so many good things that have happened to this city and to some of its individuals as to defy number.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
“His interest in and liking for people knew no bounds and was reflected in his cheery ‘hellos,’ his willingness to take part in every movement leading to a community good—his support of Chillicothe Branch of Ohio University and the Ross County Historical Society, to mention two of the better-known. His enthusiasm for a project could be as effective in rallying support as the financial aid he quietly might provide, many will recall.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
“To the average Chillicothean, Colonel McKell’s death means the loss of a civic benefactor who met all with cheery smile, the very antithesis of the storied man of financial substance who attempts to wrap his emotions in a cloak of gruff soberness. During his nearly 40 years residence here he reckoned most everyone at least a speaking acquaintance.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
"To intimates with whom he shared his main interests, his passing is a deep personal loss. For them a shining light has gone out.”</div>
<div>
<em>—William Bryden '04</em></div>
<div>
</div>